Suzhou is Jiangsu Province's number
one tourist city and one of the most important tourist
destinations in China. Of course, Suzhou works hard
at this role, and it shows. Suzhou's sights and
attractions are numerous and well taken care of.
The best examples are the classical gardens of Suzhou,
which may be the aspect of this city most well-known
to foreigners. Maintaining these gardens is a lot
of work, but well worth it as Suzhou has become
famous not just throughout China but across the
world.
Of Suzhou's gardens, the most famous in the West
is the Garden of the Master of the Nets. However,
there are many more gardens to experience. The Humble
Administrator's Garden, Blue Wave Pavilion, and
Lion Grove are just a few of the more than 100 gardens
in the Suzhou area.
Suzhou's cultural sites and temples are also pleasant
and worth a visit if you are here for more than
a couple of days. Hanshan Temple's distinctive atmosphere
and construction are unforgettable.
The Temple of Mystery and West Garden Temple are
both excellent examples of Daoist and Buddhist tradition
respectively. Tiger Hill is a pleasant spot to explore
and spend a lazy afternoon in a historical setting.
Blue
Wave Pavilion
The Blue
Wave Pavilion (Canglangting) is one of Suzhou's
most famous and classic gardens. The use of space
and combinations of water, rock and plants here,
epitomize the art of Suzhou gardening.
The Blue Wave Pavilion is the oldest garden in Suzhou,
originally built in the Tang Dynasty. Winding streams,
beautiful trees and fragrant lotus blossoms are
all framed between white walls and gray walkways
make this garden quite unforgettable.
The garden is rather small and if you plan to enjoy
Canglangting's quiet and elegant side, make sure
you go at a quiet time. Winter is Suzhou's off season,
while Spring and Summer are the busiest. Visiting
this garden in the morning may also keep crowds
to a minimum.
Open: 8am to 5pm daily.
How to get there: The garden is situated on a small
road not far from Renmin Lu in the south area of
the city (southwest of the Garden of Master of the
Nets).
Cost: RMB8.
Garden
of the Master of the Nets
The Garden
of the Master of the Nets (Wangshiyuan) is the best
and most celebrated of all the Suzhou gardens. This
combined Qing Dynasty residence and garden is also
the smallest of the Suzhou gardens.
The Garden of the Master of the Nets is truly a
masterpiece. The effective use of space is the most
impressive thing about this garden. Rock arrangements
and beautiful fish pools balance each other as do
the house and garden sections. The garden also contains
many examples of using lattice windows to frame
scenes of flowers or bamboo.
In the early 1980s, the Metropolitan Museum of Art
in New York used the Dianchunyi Court section (located
in the western part of the inner garden) as a model
for a Ming style garden.
This garden is very small and as such, we recommend
that you visit during an off-peak time to beat the
crowds. Winter is Suzhou's biggest off season and
even in Spring or Summer, going in the early morning
can help.
Open: Expect the garden to open around 8 am.
How to get there: The garden is off Shiquan Jie
west of the Suzhou Hotel.
Hanshan Temple
Hanshan
Temple (Hanshan Si) is one of Suzhou's greatest
landmarks and most active Buddhist temples. This
temple is an important part of Suzhou's local community
and cultural life.
Built during the Liang Dynasty (502-519), more than
1400 years ago, the temple is named after the famous
monk of that dynasty, Hanshan.
The Hanshan Temple with its dark roof tiles and
yellow walls can be seen very clearly amongst the
surrounding pine and cypress trees. The main buildings
and towers of the Temple complex offer a good view
of the area.
Chinese tourists love to buy tickets to ring the
bell in the Bell Tower as this act of Buddhist devotion
is said to bring good luck, but they probably just
do it for fun!
Open: 7:30am to 5pm, except in Winter (8:00am to
4:00pm).
How to get there: Take bus line 4 or 5 to a transfer
point with line 6 to the temple.
Cost: RMB4.
Humble Administrator's Garden
The Humble
Administrator's Garden (Zhuozhengyuan) is the largest
garden in Suzhou and the most famous and representative
of Suzhou gardens.
The best sections of the garden are the western
parts where pools and pavilions are the main themes.
This is a wonderful place to stroll as the greenery,
flowing water and the antique pavilions have a relaxing
effect.
These areas of the garden are quite beautiful and
are a great place to stroll, people-watch or take
pictures. This Ming Dynasty garden was actually
made to enable the master of the garden to have
a place to do some gardening and get away from the
bustle of life as an official!
Unlike the Blue Wave Pavilion or Lion Grove Garden,
the Humble Administrator's Garden is large and can
be enjoyed with more crowds around. We recommend
visiting the Humble Administrator's Garden after
visiting nearby Lion Grove a few minutes walk to
the south.
Open: 7:30am to 5:30pm, except in Winter (8am-5pm).
How to get there: The park is a few minutes walk
south of the Humble Administrator's Garden. Taking
a taxi from the train station or your hotel may
be the best choice as Suzhou is not a very large
city.
Cost: Tickets are RMB35.
Northern Temple Pagoda
North Temple
Pagoda is one of Suzhou's less restored and therefore
more authentic, temple attractions. Built in the
3rd century, and rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty, North
Temple Pagoda (Beisi Ta) towers over modern Suzhou
and is a great place to get a fantastic view of
the city. The temple is said to be the tallest pagoda
south of the Yangtze River.
North Temple Pagoda is less popular with Chinese
tourists and should not be as crowded as other Suzhou
sights. If you have a few extra days to spend in
Suzhou, it is nice to spend an afternoon visiting
this ancient pagoda. You can also enjoy a cup of
Biluochun tea (a famous regional tea) at the teahouse
on the premises.
Open: 8am to 5:30pm daily.
How to get there: The Pagoda is very close to Suzhou
Railway Station off Xibei Jie in the north of the
city.
Cost: Tickets are RMB10 (for the grounds) and RMB5
to climb the pagoda itself.
Temple of Mystery
Suzhou's
Temple of Mystery (Xuanmiaoguan) is not just another
Daoist Temple! It is Suzhou's most active place
of worship and houses a great collection of Southern
Song Dynasty religious statues.
The most important hall in the temple is Sanqing
Hall, which is dedicated to the main gods of Daoism
with Tianshanglaojun most prominent.
The statues here have a high degree of artistic
detail, excellent scale, solemn facial expressions,
and dignified postures. These statues, some of which
are 17 meters high, are some of the best examples
of Song Dynasty religious sculpture existing today.
The temple also contains a collection of stone carvings,
preserved paintings and calligraphy from the Tang
Dynasty.
Open: 8am to 4pm daily.
