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 Suzhou - Culture

Suzhou is small city with a beautiful landscape - people speak of Suzhou as a paradise on earth. The city is famous for its more than 200 private gardens and criss-crossing waterways. Suzhou is known as the "Venice of the East," and a tour of the Grand Canal where the "streets" are lined with houses and stone bridges attests to that title.

There used to be many outstanding people in Suzhou, including writers, poets, calligraphers, painters, craftspeople and national heroes, who played very important roles in the development of Chinese culture.

The city of Suzhou, originally constructed by HE LU, rule of the State of Wu, celebrates the 2500^th anniversary of its foundation. This ancient city witnessed in its long history innumerable epoch making events and countless eminent of the personages. These have become a rich cultural heritage of the Chinese people.

People in here are adept in gathering condensing and reproducing everything beautiful that has ever existed. The gardens for which Suzhou is famous boast the exquisite reproduction in as small area of lofty mountains and affluent rivers, imperial palaces and country houses. These gardens are considered to be the best in the south of China. Among the gardens are the Humble Administrator's Garden (Zhuo Zheng Yuan), the Blue Wave Pavilion (Cang Lang Ting), the Garden for Lingering In (Liu Yuan), and the Lion Grove (Shi Zi Lin), which are the four most famous gardens in Suzhou. The Blue Wave Pavilion is the oldest one in existence. The Lion Grove was constructed in the Yuan Dynasty. The Garden for Lingering In dates from the Ming Dynasty.

Natural hills and creeks add beauty to the tranquil rural scenery of it. Hills low as they are, are dotted with scenic spots; creaks, shallow as they are, crisscross the whole city. Suzhou is like a picture rich in unique flavour, the mist upon the Lignin Hill and the reflection in water of the Bees Pagoda and the chiming of the giant to the ears. Visit the Tiger Hill - two different reasons are given for the name of the hill. One is that the entrance gate resembles the mouth of a tiger, and the pagoda on the top of the hill its tail. The others is that when the King of Wu was buried on top of the hill, a tiger is said to have appeared there. The to warding pagoda on the Tiger Hill is mute testimony to the splendid culture and civilisation of the city.

Tourists will be dazzled by the great variety of handicraft articles - potted landscapes, Suzhou embroidery sandalwood fans, theatrical engraving, mahogany furniture, minute carving, which are known far and wide for their superb artistry. 

Taking place from Ming (1368-1644 AD), Kunqu Opera is one of the oldest traditional genres of Chinese drama. It is accompanied by music played with bamboo flute, panpipe, 3-stringed guitar, pipe, drum, gong, castanet, ect. Suzhou is the birthplace of Kunqu Opera.