Suzhou

Suzhou is a prefecture level city located on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China Jiangsu Province. It is famed for its beautiful gardens and traditional waterside architecture. The Classical Gardens of Suzhou were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997.
 
Suzhou was the capital of the kingdom of Wu, Yue, Chu from the 12th to 4th centuries BC. Historically, it was the center of Wu culture, and the Suzhou dialect of the Wu language is still considered the standard dialect even though the language is now often called "Shanghainese".  Some remnants of this culture still exist, including the Pan Gate and part of the city wall. It was in 589 AD during the Sui Dynasty that the city was named Suzhou.

Suzhou is home to some of the most spectacular traditional gardens in China. The gardens mimic natural scenery with its perfectly designed rockeries, water features, and pavilions. Strolling through them is a wonderful experience, as visitors do not know what new sceneries lay around the next corner. Every aspect of the gardens are works of art and it is important to plan for enough time to visit several of them.

A fantastic place for shopping, Suzhou has many unique arts that aren’t found elsewhere. Suzhou embroidery, one of the four Chinese embroidery styles has a history of over 2,000 years and artisans are able to create embroidery that appears like a photograph. Another aspect of Suzhou culture that is known throughout the world is silk. A major silk production area, Suzhou offers this incredible fabric in bolt form, or transformed into clothing or works of art.Suzhou’s cuisine is unique for its flavor and aromas. Emphasis is placed on only using the highest quality ingredients. The dishesare beautifully presented and slightly sweet to the taste. Many of Suzhou’s fish and vegetable dishes are famous throughout China.

Today, Suzhou has become a core city of China's Yangtze River Delta economic zone, given its high GDP contribution to China. Suzhou is also famous for its silk, embroidery art, jasmine tea, stone bridges, pagodas, and its classical gardens. Nearby Yixing is famous for its teaware, and Yangzhou is famous for its lacquerware and jadeware. Nanjing's yunjin is a famous form of woven silk, while Wuxi is famous for its peaches. More recently, it has been a center of the silk trade and a place of gardens and canals. Suzhou has long been a heaven for scholars, artists, and skilled craftsmen, and this is still the case today.