Destination: Suzhou, China

Suzhou (苏州) was the final destination during our visit to China in 2011. It’s situated about an hour’s drive (100 kilometres) northwest of Shanghai, and it’s home to a culturally-aesthetic center, with centuries-old canals, gardens, and pagodas that have become major tourist attractions over the years. Due to its waterfront layout, Suzhou has been dubbed “the Venice of the East,” and it’s worth exploring every single corner of it.

The city’s strategic location along the Grand Canal route has made it a target for plenty of political and social events throughout history. Since 514 BC, Suzhou has changed hands many times through various kingdoms, dynasties, and rulers overall. It has also been a major setting for the Taiping Rebellion in 1860, in which the Taiping group attempted to uproot dynasty rule and Christianize the country. The rebellion ultimately failed, as the rulers of the then-Qing Dynasty quelled the dissenters.

That said, the city has seen more than its fair share of conflict and turmoil. Yet, it has also shown an extraordinary amount of resilience, as its culture, arts, and tradition are well-preserved to this day. Suzhou is most-famous for over 60 Classical Gardens, a cluster of UNESCO World Heritage Site gardens that pay tribute to the natural landscapes of China. These gardens also contain numerous pagodas, temples, and canals which add to the tranquil appeal of the city’s historic center.

Coming from Wuzhen, my family and I arrived into Suzhou after an hour’s drive. We first got lunch at a hotel in the city, which turned out to be one of the best meals we had during our visit, especially as a buffet. We had our fair share of average buffet meals throughout the various cities we visited, so this one in Suzhou was a refreshing one, as the portions were large and plentiful– along with many delicious desserts to boot.

We had a packed afternoon of sightseeing after lunch. It was a matter of first visiting the Yunyan Pagoda (云岩寺塔). Known as the “Tiger Hill Pagoda” in Chinese, this 47-metre structure is situated on the eponymous hill, and it’s one of the few-surviving entities of the original Yunyan Temple, a 4th-century temple that had suffered plenty of damage through wars over the centuries, before being destroyed in the 1940’s by the Japanese.

However, the Yunyan Pagoda that remains today was constructed in the 10th century. It has survived for over a millennium– yet, what makes this pagoda admirable is the fact that it has managed to stand for so long, despite its gradual slant. Its instability is due to its base construction, which was built on half-rock and half-soil. The soil has soften over the years and given way to the pagoda sinking, and it currently is at a two-degree lean. Efforts have been made to stabilize the structure, but it has since been nicknamed the “Leaning Tower of China.”

While we weren’t able to climb the tower, we were able to explore the rest of the grounds on Tiger Hill. Our local guide brought us to several temples where he gave us detailed information on each of their history and cultural significance– it was all very fascinated, yet overwhelming as I felt almost dizzy with all of the knowledge I was acquiring of them all. We also came across a massive gong, which we got to hit, as well as partook in a prayer to a Buddha statue– although we aren’t religious in any sense, it was an insightful experience into how it was living in China centuries before, with different traditions and faith to be had.

Our second stop of the day was at the Suzhou Museum. It was founded in 1960, and its original architecture was of the former residence of a military commander during the Taiping Rebellion. However, it was completely changed in 2006, during which famed architect I.M. Pei (who has also designed the Louvre and Miho Museums in Paris and Kyoto, respectively) created a clean-cut, modern structure.

The crisp, simple outline of the Suzhou Museum, along with the window-roofs and surrounding ponds, respect the nature of the city’s past. I found the museum’s exterior quite the contrast with the many traditional temples and buildings we’d seen in the country so far, but it was a unique one that I believe complemented the past, all the while ushering in the contemporary era of China that we see today.

We spent an hour or two at the museum, where we went through exhibits that showcased the centuries of artifacts of calligraphy, ceramics, and relics. Honestly, the visit went by in a blur, just because I usually am not one for museums. We soon headed to our last stop of the day, which was at the Humble Administrator’s Garden (拙政園). It’s one of the 60-plus Classical Gardens of Suzhou, and it’s one of the most well-known. This garden is also the largest in Suzhou, at 13 acres large, and one can easily get lost in the intricacies of its various ponds, bridges, and temples inside.

Construction of the garden began as early as the 12th century, during the Song Dynasty. However, it wasn’t until the Ming Dynasty in the 16th century that Wang Xiancheng, a civil servant, decided to retire as means of dedicating the rest of his life to working on the garden. He spent 16 years expanding and tending to it all– the garden ended up changing hands multiple times following his death, before ceding to the Chinese government in 1949.

For the rest of the afternoon, we strolled idly through the massive garden, learning more about the history of each pond, vegetation, and houseroom while taking in the sheer natural aesthetic of it all. It was certainly a highlight of our time in Suzhou, and it’s a place that’s a must-see while visiting the city.

It began to rain hard towards the end of our garden’s visit. Our dinner that night was a fairly meat-heavy meal, as Suzhou cuisine focuses much on meat products– that said, we had our fair share of dishes like pork, fish, even meatball. Afterwards, we rested in our hotel, as we would have another half day in Suzhou the next morning.

The final place we visited the next day was at the Suzhou No. 1 Silk Factory (yes, that’s really the name!). Just like what we had done in Wuzhen, the silk factory here also showcased the complexities of silk-making from start to finish. At the end of the tour, we purchased a few items from the souvenir shop, including silk pillows that were beautifully-embroidered. We then left Suzhou to return to Shanghai, where we would have one more night before our tour would come to a close.

Suzhou was a great city to end our week-long trip in China. I found the pagodas and gardens incredibly-stunning, but I’ll admit that I didn’t enjoy them as much as I could’ve. It was due to the fact that I was quite exhausted– physically and mentally– for being on the road for days, with each stop having barely a night’s worth of rest. Should I’ve had had more energy to spend, I would’ve probably liked my visit in Suzhou more, but all the same, it was still a worthwhile time.

Overall, my second trip to China was jam-packed; my family and I definitely saw a lot more places than we had on our first visit just two years prior. At the same time, however, we did find the tour to be less-organized than the previous, as we had originally booked a group tour, but ultimately got a private tour as there weren’t enough passengers who’d booked for a larger tour size. It was a blessing, but it was also disorganized as we were shuttled from town to town without much rest, thereby not having as much energy to truly enjoy each location visited. But I’m glad that we got to see so much more of the country in a short amount of time, and the tour gave me a taste of quaint villages and massive cities that I’d like to return to see on my own in the future.

My adventures in China might be over (for now), but I assure you that more travel posts will be coming your way soon. Thanks for reading!

— Rebecca