What to see in Suzhou and how to get to Suzhou from Shanghai
If you ask me where to go to have fun in Shanghai, Suzhou would be my first choice!
Whether you are strolling in a garden, sitting on a stone bench and daydreaming, or going to the alley to listen to a Pingtan and eat a bowl of traditional Suzhou noodles. In short, when I think of Suzhou, I feel very relaxed. Moreover, traveling to Suzhou is very convenient. It only takes an hour by car from Shanghai, so you can go there at any time.
The small bridges and flowing water, the gentle Wu dialect and the classical gardens perfectly capture my imagination of Suzhou's poetic life.
When I go to Suzhou, I will definitely visit the gardens. If Hangzhou people like to visit West Lake daily, Suzhou people stay in the gardens. Spring is the time when various flowers bloom, including roses, wisteria, and magnolias. The garden is already full of spring beauty and cannot be contained! So March to May is a good time to travel.
Suzhou gardens are very introspective. How to visit them? I plan to use this guide to talk to you about all of them. At the same time, I would like to recommend the authentic ways to travel in Suzhou. After all, it is not easy for foreigners to come to Suzhou, so we can't miss all the fun things.
How many gardens are there in Suzhou?
According to the “Records of Suzhou Prefecture”, there were 6 gardens in Suzhou during the Spring and Autumn Period, 4 in the Han Dynasty, 14 in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, 7 in the Tang Dynasty, 118 in the Song Dynasty, 48 in the Yuan Dynasty, 271 in the Ming Dynasty, and 130 in the Qing Dynasty.
I reviewed the four batches of the "Suzhou Garden List" published by Suzhou in 2018. According to current statistics, there are 108 registered gardens. Of these, nine have been designated as World Cultural Heritage Sites.
The essence of Suzhou gardens is concentrated in Gusu District, the ancient city of Suzhou. I counted them and found that they account for about 1/3 of Suzhou's gardens.
In addition, the ancient style of Suzhou city is very well preserved. In 1986, the Suzhou government stipulated that when building a new district, the style and characteristics of the ancient city should be fully protected.
There are so many old urban gardens, how do we choose?
We know that Chinese gardens emphasize integration with the surrounding landscape. It blends with the distant landscape, the surrounding landscape, the sky landscape and the underground landscape, creating different landscapes at different times. It is precisely thanks to the protection that the Suzhou government has given to the appearance of the ancient city that the magical power of the gardens has not lost its power after so many years.
If it's your first time in Suzhou, I would definitely recommend the nine gardens listed as World Cultural Heritage Sites:
- Liuyuan Garden
- Canglang Pavilion
- Lions Forest 狮子林
- Garden of the Humble Administrator 拙政园
- Garden of the Master of Networks 网师园
- Villa Huanxiu
- Yipu Garden
- Tuisi Garden
I have consulted the World Cultural Heritage selection criteria, and the reasons for the selection are as follows:
- It represents a unique artistic achievement.
- It has had a significant impact on the development of Chinese architectural art and urban planning.
- It provides a unique testimony of traditional Chinese culture.
- An outstanding example of a type of building
- It is also an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement.
Therefore, the gardens selected must be the best of the best.
Canglang Pavilion, Lion Grove, Humble Administrator's Garden and Liuyuan Garden, the four famous gardens in Suzhou, are naturally well-known. They represent the garden art styles of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties respectively.
Canglang Pavilion
It is the oldest garden in Suzhou. Canglang Pavilion makes perfect use of the water of Feng Creek outside the garden. It cleverly uses a complex corridor (with passages in and out) as a wall to blend the water of Feng Creek into its own landscape.
Therefore, when you are in the garden, you can see the rippling green water outside the garden; when you are outside the garden, you can appreciate the ancient trees and rockeries in the garden through the latticed windows. When visiting Canglang Pavilion, remember to look at both the inside and the outside.
Particularly noteworthy are the various stained glass windows on the walls of Canglang Pavilion. Round, square, fan-shaped, vase-shaped, ruyi-shaped, autumn leaf-shaped… it is said that there are as many as 108 styles, it is simply a stained glass museum!
Lions' Forest
The Lion Grove has a history of more than 600 years. It is a representative example of Yuan Dynasty gardens and the only Zen garden in the world.
My biggest impression of Lion Grove is that it is interesting. There are two main techniques in garden construction: stacking mountains and directing water. The stacked mountains in Lion Grove are very colorful. It features three layers of rockery, 9 courses and 21 holes, creating a rockery kingdom with stones.
The Humble Administrator's Garden
The Humble Administrator's Garden was built by Wang Xianchen, an official in the Ming Dynasty, after he was demoted and returned to his hometown. The name of the Humble Administrator's Garden expresses his frustration with the civil service.
Although it failed in the official field, its garden is quite beautiful. The Humble Administrator's Garden is the largest garden in Suzhou and the epitome of Suzhou gardens. It is no exaggeration to say that you can see almost everything about Suzhou gardens here:
- Large area. It has an area of 62 acres, which is approximately equivalent to 7 football fields.
- Rich water system. The pool occupies three-fifths of the total surface.
- Rich building types. Among them are scattered various typical buildings such as halls, terraces, pavilions and towers.
Liuyuan Garden
Among the four famous gardens, Liuyuan Garden is probably the least famous. The area of the garden is only 30 acres, which is about half of the Humble Administrator's Garden.
The owner of Liuyuan Garden must be a master of space design. He has planned the small garden very cleverly, and you won't feel cramped at all when you walk through it.
To the east of Liuyuan Garden, there is another first-class Taihu stone: Guanyun Peak. This stone stands 5,7 meters tall (the tallest existing stone in Suzhou), fully embodying the characteristics of Taihu stone: “fine, porous, transparent, and wrinkled,” and is the highest-quality lake stone in Chinese gardens.
The above are the four famous gardens in Suzhou. In addition to the gardens,
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What can you do in the ancient city of Suzhou?
Stroll through the ancient streets
Suzhou's main attractions are all located in the ancient city, not far away, and it's quite convenient to visit them. Here are some of the fun streets and alleys to visit.
Pingjiang Street
It is one of the earliest historical and cultural complexes in Suzhou and is also the best preserved area of the ancient city. Whether you want to eat a bowl of traditional Suzhou-style noodles or find a teahouse to listen to Pingtan, there are plenty of options.
Fengmen Street
The liveliest old street in Suzhou is also the favourite vegetable market of the old Suzhou people. You can go to the market to check out the most seasonal ingredients and also start eating and drinking. There are many established brands.
Shantang Street
The most famous street in ancient Suzhou. It has a total length of 3,7 kilometers. Along the street, there are buildings dating from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China. You can also visit ancient bridges, ancient temples, guild halls and museums, which is very fun to explore. I think it is a great hiking trail.
I think the most valuable thing about Suzhou is that it is a living ancient city. Suzhou residents still live in this city at their own pace. More surprises of Suzhou are hidden in the nameless alleys and shops and in the lives of the residents of the ancient city.
Listen to Kunqu opera in a garden
Kunqu is one of the oldest surviving forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from a musical style native to Kunshan (an area of Suzhou), part of the Wu cultural area, and later came to dominate Chinese theatre from the 16th to the 18th century.
The programs I have found so far are:
- “Dreaming of Shantang” in the Zhenqu Garden on Shantang Street 山塘街真趣园的《寻梦山塘》
- The Jade Hairpin and Dream in the Garden of the Kunqu Opera Institute
- Six Records of a Floating Life by Canglang Pavilion 沧浪亭的《浮生六记》
- Night visits to the Garden of the Master of the Nets 网师园的夜游
Its main feature is listening to Kunqu opera in royal garden settings, which perfectly captures my imagination of an elegant life.
Have afternoon tea in a private garden
When I go to Suzhou, I will definitely go to a tea house. If you drink tea in a garden, the joy of drinking tea can be doubled. Among the gardens in Suzhou, there are tea houses in Liuyuan Garden, Wangshi Garden, Lion Grove Garden where you can have this experience.
The following are the opening hours of the tea house:
- Liuyuan Garden 留园 – Opening time: 7:30-17:30
- Wangshi Garden 网师园 – Opening time: 7:30-17:30
- Lion Grove Garden – 狮子林 Opening hours: 7:30-16:30
I have always thought that the most fascinating thing about Suzhou gardens is the spiritual attitude they symbolize, the determination to create a world of mountains and forests in the city. The entire city of Suzhou is one big garden, allowing us to immerse ourselves in its aesthetics and attitude to life, which is great. I won't say any more, I'm going to visit the garden!
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