Suzhou 苏州
—  Prefecture-level city  —
苏州市
Various landmarks of Suzhou
Flag
Location in Jiangsu
Suzhou Location in China
Coordinates: 31°18′N 120°36′E / 31.3°N 120.6°E / 31.3; 120.6Coordinates: 31°18′N 120°36′E / 31.3°N 120.6°E / 31.3; 120.6
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Jiangsu
County-level divisions	11
Established	514 BC
Government
• Type	Prefecture-level city
• CPC Suzhou Secretary	Jiang Hongkun (蒋宏坤)
• Mayor	Yan Li (阎立)
Area[1]
• Prefecture-level city	8,488.42 km2 (3,277.40 sq mi)
• Urban	1,649.72 km2 (636.96 sq mi)
Population (2010 Census)[2]
• Prefecture-level city	10,465,994
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi)
• Urban	4,074,000
• Urban density	2,500/km2 (6,400/sq mi)
Time zone	Beijing Time (UTC+8)
Postal code	215000
Area code(s)	512
GDP	2009[2]
- Total	CNY 774.020 billion (USD 113.39 billion)
- Per capita	CNY 117,200 (USD 17,169)
- Growth	11.0%
City flower	Osmanthus
City tree	camphor laurel
Regional dialect	Wu: Suzhou hua (苏州话)
License plate prefix	苏E
Website	http://www.suzhou.gov.cn/

Suzhou (Chinese: 苏州; pinyin: Sūzhōu; Suzhou dialect: [səu tsøʏ]), previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part of the Yangtze River Delta region. Administratively, Suzhou is a prefecture-level city with an urban population of over 4 million expanding to over 10 million in the administrative area.

Originally founded in 514 BCE, Suzhou has over 2,500 years of rich history, and relics of the past are abundant to this day. The city's canals, stone bridges, pagodas, and meticulously designed gardens have contributed to its status as one of the top tourist attractions in China. Since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), it has also been an important centre for China's silk industry. The classical gardens in Suzhou were added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997 and 2000. Suzhou is often dubbed the "Venice of the East" or "Venice of China".^[3][4][5]

Etymology[link]

The name "Suzhou" was first officially used for the city in AD 589, during the Sui dynasty.

The character 蘇 or 苏 refers to nearby Mount Gusu (姑苏山, Gūsūshān), which received this part of its own name from the mint perilla (now often called by its Japanese name, shiso). 州 originally meant something like a province or county (cf. Guizhou), but often came to be used metonomously for the capital of such a region (cf. Guangzhou, Hangzhou, etc.).^[6]

History[link]

Suzhou, the cradle of Wu culture,^{[citation needed]} is one of the oldest towns in the Yangtze Basin. 2500 years ago in the late Zhou Dynasty, local tribes who named themselves Gou Wu (Chinese: 勾吳) lived in the area which would become the modern city of Suzhou. These tribes formed villages on the edges of hills above the wetlands around Lake Tai.

In 514 BC, during the Spring and Autumn Period, King Helü of the State of Wu established his capital at Helü City (Chinese: 闔閭城) on the site of present-day Suzhou. In 496 BC, King Helü was buried in Huqiu (Tiger Hill). In 473 BC Wu was defeated by Yue, a kingdom to the east which was eventually annexed by the State of Chu in 306 BC. Remnants of this culture include remainders of a 2,500 year old city wall and the gate through it at Pan Gate.

By the time of the Qin Dynasty, the city was known as Wu County and was part of Guiji Commandery (Chinese: 會稽郡). Xiang Yu there staged his historical uprising of 209 BC, which contributed to the overthrow of Qin.

When the Grand Canal was completed, Suzhou found itself strategically located on a major trade route. In the course of the history of China, it has been a metropolis of industry and commerce on the south-eastern coast of China. During the Tang Dynasty, the great poet Bai Juyi constructed the Shantang Canal (called "Shantang Street" 山塘街) to connect the city with Huqiu for tourists. In 1035, the temple of Confucius was founded by famed poet and writer Fan Zhongyan. It became the venue for imperial civil examinations. It has developed continuously and became a high school now called Suzhou High School in 1910s.

In February 1130, the advancing Jin army from the north ransacked the city. This was followed by the Mongol invasion (1275). In 1356, Suzhou became the capital of Zhang Shicheng, one of the leaders of the Red Turban Rebellion against the Yuan Dynasty and the self-proclaimed King of Wu. In 1367 Zhang's main rival, Nanjing-based Zhu Yuanzhang took the city after a 10-month siege. Zhu - who was soon to proclaim himself as the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty - demolished the royal city (in the centre of Suzhou's walled city), and imposed crushing taxes on the city's and prefecture's powerful families.^[7]

Despite the heavy taxation and the resettlement of some of Suzhou's prominent citizens' to the area of Hongwu's capital, Nanjing, Suzhou soon was prosperous again. When in 1488 the shipwrecked Korean official Choe Bu had a chance to see much of Eastern China - from Zhejiang to Liaoning - on his way home, he described Suzhou in his travel report as exceeding every other city in China he had seen.^[8] Many of the famous private gardens were constructed by the gentry of the Ming and Qing dynasties. However, the city was to see another disaster in 1860 when Taiping soldiers advanced on and captured the city. In November 1863 the Ever Victorious Army of Charles Gordon recaptured the city from the Taiping forces.

The next crisis that met the city was the Japanese invasion in 1937. Many gardens were devastated by the end of the war. In the early 1950s, restoration was done on gardens such as Zhuo-Zheng Yuan (Humble Administrator's Garden) and Liu Yuan (Lingering Garden) to bring them back to life.

Administrative divisions[link]

An old area in Pingjiang Road

The urban core of Suzhou is informally called Old Town Suzhou. It is divided among Pingjiang District, Canglang District, and Jinchang District. Suzhou Industrial Park is on the east of the old town, and Suzhou High & New Technology Development Zone is on the west. In 2000, the original Wu County was divided into two districts including Xiangcheng and Wuzhong. They now form the northern and southern parts of the city of Suzhou.

Changmen at Night

Suzhou is one of the most prosperous cities in China. Its development has a direct correlation with the growth of its satellite cities, including Kunshan, Taicang, Changshu, Wujiang and Zhangjiagang, which together with the city of Suzhou form the Suzhou prefecture. The Suzhou prefecture is home to many high-tech enterprises.

Prosperous Suzhou by Qing Xu Yang

Suzhou has jurisdiction over (at county level):

• Districts:
  • Canglang District (沧浪)
  • Jinchang District (金阊)
  • Pingjiang District (平江)
  • Suzhou Industrial Park (工业园区)
  • Suzhou High & New Technology Development Zone (高新区)
  • Xiangcheng District (相城)
  • Wuzhong District (吴中)

• County-level cities:
  • Changshu (常熟)
  • Taicang (太仓)
  • Kunshan (昆山)
  • Wujiang (吴江)
  • Zhangjiagang (张家港)

Geography[link]

Suzhou is located on the Taihu Lake Plain, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) to the west of Shanghai, and just over 200 kilometers east of Nanjing.

Climate[link]

Suzhou has a four-season, monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers, and cool, cloudy, damp winters with occasional snowfall. Northwesterly winds blowing from Siberia during winter can cause temperatures to fall below freezing at night, while southerly or southwesterly winds during the summer can push temperatures above 35 °C (95 °F).

Landmarks[link]

The Humble Administrator's Garden

An entrance to the Youyicun garden

Xuanmiao Temple in Suzhou

A canal in downtown Suzhou

Gardens[link]

Suzhou is famous for its classical gardens, in Mandarin collectively called 苏州园林 (Sūzhōu yuánlín). Zhuōzhèng Yuán (Humble Administrator's Garden; 拙政园) and Liúyuán (Lingering Garden; 留园 ) are among the four most famous classical gardens in China. Cānglàng Tíng (Great Wave Pavilion; 沧浪亭), Shīzi Lín (Lion Grove Garden; 狮子林), Zhuōzhèng Yuán and Liúyuán, respectively representing the garden building style of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, are called the four most famous gardens in Suzhou.

Zhuōzhèng Yuán, Liúyuán, Wǎngshī Yuán (Master of Nets Garden; 网师园) and Huánxiù Shānzhuāng (The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty; 环秀山庄) were added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997. Shízi Lín, Cānglàng Tíng, Ǒu Yuán (Couple's Retreat Garden; 藕园), Yì Pǔ (Garden of Cultivation; 艺圃) and Tuìsī Yuán (The Retreat & Reflection Garden; 退思园) were added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2000.

Hǔqiū (Tiger Hill; 虎丘) is a popular tourist destination and is known for its natural beauty as well as historical sites. The hill is so named because it is said to look like a crouching tiger. Another legend states that a white tiger appeared on the hill to guard it following the burial of King Hélǘ of Wu (阖闾). The hill has been a tourist destination for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, as is evident from the poetry and calligraphy carved into rocks on the hill. A famous Song Dynasty poet, Sū Shì (苏轼) said, "It is a lifelong pity if having visited Suzhou you did not visit Tiger Hill."

Temples[link]

Hanshan Temple (Cold Mountain Temple; Chinese: 寒山寺) is a Buddhist temple and monastery in Suzhou. It is located near Fengqiao (Maple Bridge; Chinese: 枫桥), about 5 kilometres west of the old city of Suzhou. The Hanshan Temple is famed in East Asia because of the well-known poem "A Night Mooring near Maple Bridge" (夜泊枫桥) written by Zhang Ji (张继), a poet of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Xiyuan Temple (Monastery Garden; Chinese: 西园寺), built in the Yuan Dynasty, is the largest Buddhist temple in Suzhou. It consists of two major parts - the Temple of Jiezhuanglu and the West Garden. It is located close to the Lingering Garden, which was originally called the East Garden.

Xuanmiao Temple (Chinese: 玄妙观) (originally built in 276) is a prominent Taoist temple with a long history, located at the center of old Suzhou City. The street along east-west direction in front of the temple is called Guanqian Street (观前街), a famed business pedestrian street in Suzhou.

Canals[link]

Within the city of Suzhou, there are areas featuring canals. Both eight hundred-year-old Pingjiang Road (平江路) and twelve hundred-year-old Shantang Road (山塘街) made it to the list of China's "famous history and culture streets", and both feature elegant bridges, flowing waters and unique architecture.

Others[link]

Suzhou Taihu National Tourism and Vacation Zone (苏州太湖国家旅游度假区) is located in the western part of Suzhou, 15 km from downtown. Lake Tai has historically been considered a place of great natural beauty.

Pan Gate (Chinese: 盘门) is located on the south-west corner of the Main Canal or encircling canal of Suzhou. Originally built during the Warring States Period in the state of Wu, historians estimate it to be around 2,500 years old. It is now part of the Pan Gate Scenic Area. It is known for the "three landmarks of Pan Gate". They are the Ruiguang Pagoda(Chinese: 瑞光塔), the earliest pagoda in Suzhou built in 247 BC, the Wu Gate Bridge, the entrance to the gate at that time over the water passage and the highest bridge in Suzhou at the time, and Pan Gate. The Ruigang Pagoda is constructed of brick with wooden platforms and has simple Buddhist carvings at its base.

Picture of the Land & Water Gate

Baodai Bridge (Precious Belt Bridge; Chinese: 宝带桥) stretches across the Daitai Lake in the suburbs of Suzhou. The bridge was first built in 806 A.D. in the Tang Dynasty and has 53 arches with a total length of 317 meters. The bridge was included on the list of national monuments (resolution 5-285) in 2001.

Yunyan Pagoda (Chinese: 虎丘塔或者云岩寺塔) (built in 961) is a Chinese pagoda built on Tiger Hill in Suzhou. It has several other names, including the 'Leaning Tower of China' (as referred to by historian O.G. Ingles)^[10] and the Yunyan Temple Tower. The tower rises to a height of 47 m (154 ft). It is a seven-story octagonal building built with blue bricks. In more than a thousand years the tower has gradually slanted due to forces of nature. Now the top and bottom of the tower vary by 2.32 meters. The entire structure weighs some 7,000,000 kilograms (15,000,000 lb), supported by internal brick columns.^[11] However, the tower leans roughly 3 degrees due to the cracking of two supporting columns.^[11]

Beisi Pagoda(Chinese: 北寺塔) or North Temple Pagoda is a Chinese pagoda located at Bao'en Temple in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. It rises nine stories in a total height of 76 m (243 ft). It is the tallest Chinese pagoda south of the Yangtze river.

Well-known museums include the Suzhou Museum (the newly built museum by I. M. Pei), Suzhou Silk Museum, and Suzhou Museum of Opera and Theatre.

v t e Classical Gardens of Suzhou This UNESCO World Heritage Site is inscribed as a single property, but composed of 9 separate gardens in Suzhou Prefecture Lingering Garden · Garden of Cultivation · Humble Administrator's Garden · Master of the Nets Garden · Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty · Great Wave Pavilion · Lion Grove Garden · Couple's Retreat Garden · The Retreat & Reflection Garden Category

Industry[link]

• Suzhou Industrial Park

Nightscape of Suzhou's Jinji Lake

The Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) is the largest cooperative project between the Chinese and Singaporean governments. It is located beside Jinji Lake (̵金鸡湖, jīnjīhú), which lies to the east of the Suzhou Old City. On 26 February 1994, Vice Premier Li Lanqing and Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew represented China and Singapore respectively in signing the Agreement to jointly develop Suzhou Industrial Park. The project officially commenced on 12 May in the same year. SIP has a total jurisdiction area of 288 km², of which, the China-Singapore cooperation area covers 80 km² with a planned residential population of 1.2 million.^[12]

Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) - West Bank of Jin Ji Lake

• Suzhou Industrial Park Export Processing Zone

The Suzhou Industrial Park Export Processing Zone was approved to be established by the government in April 2000, with a planning area of 2.9 km². It is located in Suzhou Industrial Park set up by China and Singapore. Inside the Export Processing Zone, all the infrastructures are of high-standard. With the information platform and electronic methods, all the customs declaration and other procedures can be handled on line. Investors can enjoy many preferential policies.^[13]

• Suzhou Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone

The Suzhou Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was established in 1990. In Nov. 1992, the zone was approved to be the national-level hi-tech industrial zone. By the end of 2007, foreign-invested companies had a total registered capital worth of USD 13 billion, of which USD 6.8 billion was paid in. SND hosts now more than 1,500 foreign companies. Some 40 Fortune 500 companies set up 67 projects in the district.^[14]

Next to Shanghai, Suzhou is both the second largest industrial city in China and the second largest city among the cities in the Yangtze Delta.

Transportation[link]

Railway[link]

CRH in Suzhou Railway Station

Suzhou is conveniently located on the Jinghu Railway linking Shanghai and Nanjing, the provincial capital, and to each there is hourly railway service. Suzhou Railway Station is among the busiest passenger stations in China, having 139 trains stopping daily. The station is currently being renovated and expanded to serve the needs of the future. It will possibly have a design similar to the Shanghai South Railway Station and Beijing South Railway Station. D-series trains take about 45 minutes to Shanghai and 1-1/2 hour to Nanjing. A new G-series high speed train is in operation since July 2010, and it only takes about 25 minutes for the top speed train among all the G-series to travel to Shanghai Hongqiao station. However, the price of the G-series ticket is twice than that of the D-series. The price of the G-series second class is about 40RMB ($6 US).

Expressway and highway[link]

The Nanjing-Shanghai Expressway connects Suzhou with Shanghai, alternatively, there is also the Yangtze Riverine Expressway and the Suzhou-Jiaxing-Hangzhou Expressway. In 2005, the new Suzhou Outer Ring was completed, linking the peripheral county-level cities of Taicang, Kunshan, and Changshu. China National Highway 312 also passes through Suzhou.

Air Transport[link]

Although Wuxi Shuofang Airport and Guangfu United Airlines Airport serve as two municipal airports, and the State Council approved of the construction of an airport exclusively serving Suzhou in 2003, air transportation from Suzhou continues to be conducted primarily at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai.

Water Transport[link]

By water, Suzhou is connected with Zhangjiagang, Luzhi, Liujia, Changshou and Shimonoseki, Japan.

There are also some small rivers in the city serving as touristing lines.

Rail Transit[link]

The Suzhou Rail Transit is currently being constructed. It consists of two independent lines, one running from east to west and one running from north to south serving Suzhou Industrial Park and Wuzhong Dirstrict. Line 1 started operation April 28, 2012.^[15]

Culture[link]

The Yunyan Pagoda, or Huqiu Tower, a tower that is now leaning due to lack of foundational support (half soil, half rock), built during the latter part of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms era (907-960 AD).

The Beisi Pagoda of Suzhou, built between 1131 and 1162 during the Song Dynasty (with later renovations), 76 m (243 ft) tall.

The "xi shi" stone bridge

• Opera: Kunqu originates in the Suzhou region, as does the much later Suzhou Opera. Ballad-singing, or Suzhou pingtan, is a local form of storytelling that mixes singing (accompanied by the pipa and sanxian) with portions in spoken dialect.
• Silk
• Handicrafts: Suzhou embroidery, fans, Chinese musical instruments, scroll mounting, lanterns, mahogany furniture, jade carving, silk tapestry, traditional painting pigments of Jiangenxutang Studio, the New Year's wood-block prints of Taohuawu Studio.
• Paintings
• Calligraphic art
• Cuisine: Yangcheng Lake large crab
• Suzhou Silk Hand Embroidery Art
• Suzhou is the original place of "Jasmine", a song sung by Chinese singers or actresses thousands of times on the occasions of almost every important meetings or celebrations. Jasmine is also the symbol of Suzhou as well as Tai Hu Lake.
• Suzhou Gardens: Gardens in Suzhou have an ancient history. The first garden in Suzhou belonged to the emperor of Wu State in Spring and Autumn Period (BC 600). More than 200 gardens existed in Suzhou between 16th century and 18th century. Gardens in Suzhou were built according to the style of Chinese Paintings. Every view in a garden can be seen as a piece of Chinese Painting and the whole garden is a huge piece of Chinese Paintings. At present, the Humble Administrator's Garden, built in 16th, is the largest private garden in Suzhou. It belonged to by Wang Xianchen, an imperial censor.
• Suzhou embroidery together with embroidery of Hunan, Sichuan and Guangdong are called as the "Four Famous Embroideries". Suzhou tapestry method is done in fine silks and gold thread. Other art forms found in this area are sculpture, Song brocade, jade and rosewood carving.
• The Suzhou Museum has a rich collection of relics from many eras. The collection includes revolutionary records, stele carving, folk customs, drama and verse, Suzhou embroidery, silk cloth, gardens, coins and Buddhist artifacts.^[16]

Notable people[link]

Politicians

• Fan Zhongyan (范仲淹)
• Yen Chia-kan 嚴家淦(1905－1993), President (1975-1978), Republic of China
• Qian Dajun 钱大钧 General
• Jin Renqing (金人庆) Minister of Finance
• Yuan Weimin (袁伟民) Chinese sports administrator

Poets and Writers

• Bai Juyi (白居易) (772–846) was a Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty. His poems mostly concern his responsibilities as governor of several small provinces. He is also renowned in Japan (where his name is read Hakkyo'i, はっきょい).
• Fan Chengda (范成大) (1126-1193 AD)
• Ye Shengtao (叶圣陶) (1894 — 1988) Writer, educator and publisher
• Yu Pingbo (俞平伯) (1900–1990) Writer, historian and critic
• Gu Jiegang (顾颉刚) (1893–1980) Historian
• Su Tong (苏童) (1963 -) Writer

Playwrights

• Feng Menglong (冯梦龙) (1574-1645 AD)

Artists

• Shen Zhou (沈周) Painter
• Tang Yin (唐寅) Painter
• Wen Zhengming (文徵明) Painter
• Wen Zhenheng (文震亨) (1585-1645 AD) Painter
• Kuai Xiang (蒯祥) (1397-1481 AD) Architect and Engineer who is the designer of the Forbidden City.
• I. M. Pei (贝聿铭) (1917- ) Architect

Scientists & Engineers

• Tsung-Dao Lee (李政道) Physicist
• Chien-Shiung Wu (吳健雄) Physicist
• Zhang Guangdou (张光斗) Expert on Water Conservancy and Hydroelectric Engineering
• Wang Ganchang (王淦昌) Physicist
• M. T. Cheng (程民德) Mathematician
• An Wang (王安) Computer Engineer and Inventor
• Yang Jiachi (杨嘉墀) Space Automatic Control Scientist
• Cheng Kaijia (程开甲) Physicist
• Feng Duan (冯端) Physicist
• Pan Chengdong (潘承洞) Mathematician
• Thomas Dao (1921–2009), physician who developed breast cancer treatment alternatives.^[17]
• Fei Xiaotong (费孝通) Social Scientist
• Huston Smith Religious studies scholar

Philosophers

• Gu Yanwu (顾炎武)
• Zhang Taiyan (章太炎)

Entertainment

• Fei Mu (费穆) Movie director
• Wu Yonggang (吴永刚) Movie director
• Josephine Siao (萧芳芳) Actress
• Xia Meng (夏梦) Actress
• Carina Lau (刘嘉玲) actress
• Li Shaohong (李少红) Movie director

Others

• Sun Tzu (孙武) Military General who wrote the Art of War
• Lin Zhao (林昭) Dissident

Quotes and nicknames[link]

Nicknames of Suzhou include Capital of Silk, Land of Abundance, Gusu (姑苏), Cradle of the Wu Culture, World of Gardens, and Venice of the East.

• "A very great and noble city... It has 1600 stone bridges under which a galley may pass." - Marco Polo
• 上有天堂下有蘇杭 "Heaven above, Suzhou and Hangzhou below." - Chinese saying
• 生在苏州，住在杭州，吃在广州，死在柳州。 "Be born in Suzhou, live in Hangzhou, eat in Guangzhou, and die in Liuzhou." - Chinese saying
• 美不美太湖水 親不親故郷人 "Beautiful or not beautiful, nothing is more beautiful than the waters of Taihu (Lake Tai). Related or not related, we are all the people of the same village." - Chinese saying

Education[link]

High Schools

• Suzhou High School
• Suzhou No.10 High School
• Suzhou No.1 High School
• Suzhou Mudu High School
• Suzhou No.3 Middle School

An exhibition of Penjing in one of the gardens in Suzhou.

Public institutions having full-time Bachelor's degree programs include:

• Soochow University (苏州大学)

• University of Science and Technology of Suzhou (苏州科技学院)

• Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (西安交通利物浦大学)

Postgraduate Institution

• Suzhou Graduate Town (National University of Singapore and Fudan Joint Graduate School, Nanjing University Graduate School, etc.)

Private Schools

• EtonHouse International School-Suzhou

• Dulwich College Suzhou

• Suzhou Singapore International School

• Skema Business School : Chinese campus of the French business school (MSc Doing business in Asia...)

International relations[link]

Twin towns — Sister cities[link]

Due to the historical influence and contemporary position of Suzhou as not only an industrial but cultural hub, Suzhou (including 7 districts and 5 county-level cities under Suzhou's jurisdiction) has more than 50 sister cities, twin towns and provinces. This is a position that is unprecedented by any other Chinese city including Beijing and Shanghai which have 46 and 35 respectively.

See also[link]

• Xishan Island

References[link]