Suzhou – Venice of the East

I have fallen a little bit behind in my blog so this is my attempt to travel back in time to mid-June when we traveled to Suzhou, China.  This trip we explored with our great friends the Jdali Family (Pepe, Keran, Cameron, and  Kyle).  Suzhou is a major city located southeast of our home city of Nanjing and adjacent to Shanghai.  The city has a rich history and the city's canals (hence the nickname Venice of the East), stone bridges, pagodas and meticulously designed gardens makes this a tourist attraction in China.  First let me explain the term “garden” for everyone as it is not what you think of in Western terms.  The classical Chinese garden is enclosed by a wall and has one or more ponds, a rock garden, trees and flowers, and an assortment of halls and pavilions within the garden, connected by winding paths and zig-zag galleries.  By moving from structure to structure, you can view a series of carefully-composed scenes which appear as if they were paintings brought to life.  They are beautiful places to visit and is what many would idealize in their head when they think of the beautiful and cultural elements of China.

 

So our first Stop on Friday was Master of the Nets Garden.  This is referred to as one of the finest gardens in China.  The Garden was first constructed in 1140 by Shi Zhengzhi the Deputy Civil Service Minster of the Southern Song Dynasty government.  As evident as you walk through the gardens and structures, Shi Zhengzhi was inspired by the simple and solitary life of a Chinese fisherman.  The structure of the garden consisted of four halls, one tower and three courtyards.  We went in the evening where they perform varies theatrical skits, traditional dances and music as we moved from room to room.  It was a great start to our trip.

On Saturday we began the day at Tiger Hill.  In case you were wondering it is a hill know for it scenery and 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 Helü.  The landscaping and surroundings were beautiful.  We stopped at the Yunyan Pagoda which is seven stories high and know for it’s lean.  

 Next we traveled to the Lingering Garden built in 1953 during the Ming Dynasty.  This is known as one of the four most famous gardens in China.   It was amazing the landscapes that are creating in such little space. 

After lunch we took a Cruise on the Grand Canal which is the longest (man-made waterway) canal or artificial river in the world starting at Beijing and going to the city of Hangzhou (which we have visited, reference previous blog).  To give you an idea of the engineering accomplishment it is 20 times that of the Panama Canal.  It was so rich with history, the oldest parts of the canal date back to the 5th century BC although the various sections were finally combined during the Sui Dynasty (581–618 CE).  It was a well-deserved rest for the boys.  The canals throughout the Canal is where the city obtained it's nickname, the Venice of China.

  Our next stop was the Pan Gate which is a famous historical landmark dating 2,500 years old.  The visit entailed three famous landmarks. These are the Ruiguang Pagoda, (the earliest surviving pagoda in Suzhou and built in 247 B.C.), the Wu Gate Bridge (at that time the highest bridge in Suzhou and the entrance to Panmen Gate by water), and Panmen Gate. Pan Gate is part of the ancient city wall (built in 514 B.C.) that surrounded and protected Suzhou.  

 Last stop for the day was the Silk Factory.  China is known for its silk and Suzhou is most famous place for silk producing.  Our tour provided the knowledge of the whole life of a silkworm which the boys were very interested in, especially because they got to touch them!  Additionally the boys got to help the workers hand stretch a silk quilt.  

 On our last day we began with a visit to The Humble Administrator’s Garden.  This is the largest garden in Suzhou and is generally considered to be the finest garden in all of southern China.  Along with the Summer Palace in Beijing, the Mountain Resort of Chengde in Hebei Province and the Lingering Garden in Suzhou, it is considered as one of China's four most famous gardens.  The Humble Administrator's Garden was originally built in 1509 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Next we moved along to Pinjiang Road ( a historical street) for a Rickshaw Ride.  Part of Suzhou ancient city in Song Dynasty, the Pingjiang Road was regarded as the main route (800 years old).  Pingjiang Road is essentially a stone road with a river flowing along it.   There are bridges across the river and many small houses, it was a good place for a short rickshaw ride.

After this short stop we returned to the Master of the Garden of Nets to see the site during the day.  Afterwards we traveled to Shantang Jie for our last stop.  Here we walked along a canal lined street which was contained many interesting souvenir shops.  By this time I think the kids were completely exhausted from our travels.  In summary it was a great trip with friends and an opportunity for us to see many cultural significant Gardens in China.  It was a refreshing break from the not-so insignificant daily city living that we all needed a break from.