Suzhou – The Venice of China
Suzhou is a major city in Jiangsu province, located between Shanghai and Nanjing. The city is famous for its many canals and water towns, earning it the nickname the Venice of China, or sometimes the Venice of the East.
Within Suzhou you’ll find beautiful canals and classical gardens to visit, as well as many pagodas. There is also the modern side of Suzhou where you can find massive shopping malls. Suzhou has a lot to see and is worth combining with trips to nearby Hangzhou, Shanghai or Wuxi.
Things to do in Suzhou
- Chongyuan Temple
- Panmen Scenic Area
- Gate to the East
- Tiger Hill
- Beisi Pagoda
- Humble Administrator’s Garden
- Pingmen Watergate
- Pingjiang Road
Chongyuan Temple
Chongyuan Temple is one of the best temples I visited in China. Its main tower is an impressive building, while the main temple hall is one of the largest in China. It also houses the tallest indoor Buddha statue in China. The temple was originally built in the 6th century but has been destroyed a few times over the centuries since. The current temple opened in 2007.
I recommend entering Chongyuan Temple through the east gate. As you walk along, the main tower will appear on the left, seemingly afloat amongst a sea of lily pads.
You can cross the bridge to the tower and head inside, where you can the climb the stairs for a view across the temple and surrounding lake.
You can also see the tall Buddha statue. This statue of Guanyin is 33m tall.
Back on the ground floor you can walk around the other halls of the temple, each housing their own statues and artwork.
Panmen Scenic Area
The Panmen Scenic Area surrounds the Pan Men, or Pan Gate, in the southwest corner of the old part of the city. Within the scenic area there are a few interesting historic sites to see.
After entering through the ticket gate on the east side, the first site you’ll come to is the Ruiguang Tower, an octagonal tower with 7 floors.
Beyond this is the Siruitang, with views across the lake to the Chunshui Gongying, which was unfortunately under scaffolding when I visited.
In this park area you can also walk through artificial caves.
After this, head to the main Pan Gate and onto the old city walls. You can walk along a short section of the city walls, and see the gate from above.
Next head further south to the river where you can see some impressive bridges and boats gently sailing along.
gate to the East
The Gate to the East is a 301.8m tall building in Suzhou. It was designed to resemble a gateway, but to many it looks like a pair of trousers, earning it the nickname China’s trousers.
The building sits on the west side of Jinji Lake where you can watch the light and music fountain.
The Gate to the East also lights up, cycling through various displays at night.
At the base of the building you’ll find a great mall packed with shops and restaurants. There are also various entertainment options inside including an ice rink, snowboarding, go karting, baseball, arcade, cinema, laser tag and a 737 flight simulator.
Tiger Hill
The Tiger Hill scenic area features various points of interest, most notably its leaning pagoda. This 47m high pagoda leans more than 2m from the perpendicular at its highest point. Climbing to the top of the pagoda is now restricted due to safety, but it’s still an impressive building worths seeing in Suzhou.
Other parts of the scenic area worth seeing are sword pond, beneath which 3,000 swords are believed to have been buried, and the Wanjing Villa, where over 600 bonsai are on display.
Beisi Pagoda
The Beisi Pagoda, or North Pagoda, is located in the Bao’en Temple. The pagoda has nine levels and a total height of 76m.
The pagoda is impressive and worth stopping in to see when passing through the area. Entry is free and there are also some Buddhist statues to see while wandering around the temple.
Humble Administrator’s Garden
The Humble Administrator’s Garden is the largest garden in Suzhou and one of the most famous in the city. Judging by its size, the administrator wasn’t all that humble.
Within the garden there are various ponds and rock displays, and a wide variety of plants and flowers. There are also plenty of pagodas and buildings where you can stop for a rest to admire the beauty of the garden.
Pingmen Watergate
The Pingmen Watergate is the northern gate of the old city of Suzhou. It sits within the city walls and is opposite Suzhou Station. It’s a very impressive structure.
Also opposite from the gate is a statue of Fan Zhongyan, a writer and statesmen of the Song Dynasty.
Pingjiang Road
Pingjiang Road is a well preserved historic street in the Old Town of Suzhou. A canal runs down the middle of the road, and you can hop on a boat for a gentle cruise up and down.
On this road you’ll find restaurants and tourist shops. It’s a good place to pick up souvenirs or try some delicious local food.
