CITY SIGHTS
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. This can make for a festive atmosphere, but it also means that you are rarely able to appreciate the gardens in the peace for which they were designed. The three most famous gardens – Wangshi Yuan, Shizi Lin and Zhuo zheng Yuan – are on everyone’s itinerary, attracting a stream of visitors year around, but many of the equally beautiful yet lesser known gardens, notably Canglang Ting and Ou Yuan, are comparatively serene and crowd-free. (The best strategy is to visit as much of the three popular gardens as possible before 10am and spend the rest of the day in the smaller gardens.) Seasons make surprisingly little difference as the gardens can be appreciated at any time of year, although springtime brings blossom and brighter colors. The best examples are the classical gardens of Suzhou, which maybe 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.
▇ Tiger Hill Park
Tiger Hill Park is simply one of Suzhou’s greatest attractions! Within the park walls, there are lots of great sights, filled with history and legend. All in all, this is great place for a picnic or an afternoon of exploring.
Tiger Hill (Huqiu) is the final resting place of the ruler of ancient Suzhou, He Lu. The area was named Tiger Hill after a tiger was seen lying on He Lu’s tomb. One of Tiger Hill’s most famous spots is Sword Pond (Jianchi). He Lu was a famous warrior and sword collector and the Sword Pond is said to hold He Lu’s treasured swords in its watery depths.
Tiger Hill also houses the Yunyan Pagoda, that has been leaning since the before the Qing Dynasty. Today this 1000-year-old (from the Sui Dynasty) pagoda has become a symbol of Suzhou.
Last, but certainly not least, the Wanjing Villa (Wanjing Shanzhuang) is simply one of Huqiu’s best attractions. Wan jing Villa is a garden of potted landscapes and “bonzai-style” shrubs, covering an area of about 1700 square meters. Some are the potted landscapes are quite small and some are not potted at all, but are small displays set up like miniature Suzhou gardens. All are intended to evoke images of marvelous mountain and forest scenery in the viewer’s mind.
It’s best to take a full afternoon to explore this wonderful historic park.
Open: 7:30am to 5:30pm, closing at 4:30pm in winter.
How to get there: Take bus number 5 to the end of the line.
Cost: RMB35.
▇ Zhuozheng Yuan–Humble Administrator’s Garden
It was built by an official after his retirement during the Ming Dynasty. He spent 16 years building it but unfortunately died not too long after it was completed. He left the residence to his prodigal son who lost the family residence in one of his many gambles. In the next few hundred years through the Qing Dynasty, the residence changed owners 30 odd times. It is now a UNESCO protected place.
The garden is an exquisite showcase of Chinese architecture with its attention to detail.
A beautiful opening in the wall which seems to frame the scenery in the background likes a beautiful painting. Imagine yourself admiring the view as you walk along the corridor towards this opening.
In the main garden, there are four pavilions placed at different spots. Each pavilion has a very beautiful and lyrical name but unfortunately I forgot to note it down! The four pavilions in the main garden represent the four seasons. Each pavilion is specially placed and designed such that it is unique to each season
▇ Lion Grove
Lion Grove (Shizilin) is arguably Suzhou’s best example of using a garden to evoke images in the mind. Taihu lake rock arrangements display leonine forms throughout the garden. Lion Grove pleases the mind with discoveries around every corner as you use your imagination to appreciate the forms around you.
This garden is not very large and gets crowded relatively quickly. Going early to beat the crowds could help. A visit here can be followed by a visit to the larger Humble Administrator’s Garden not far to the north on Dongbeijie.
Open: 8am to 5pm daily.
Cost: Tickets are RMB15.
▇ 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.
▇ 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
▇ 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.
▇ 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
- West Garden Temple
West Garden Temple (Xiyuan Si) is a one of Suzhou’s active temples and a beautiful garden combined! In the garden section of the West Garden Temple, there is a pool where Buddhist worshippers have placed fish and other wet life. The creatures are ritually “set free” into the pool and taken care of by the temple.
In the temple section of the complex, the Hall of the 500 Arhats is particularly interesting. In the center of the Hall stands a 13 meter high statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva with 1000 eyes and 1000 hands, made of a single piece of sandalwood. Not far from that statue is a unique Buddha statue whose face has four sides with four different expressions. It is said that the four sides represent the four sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism and the Buddha’s worshipped at each sacred mountain.
This is an active temple and the crowds can get rather large, especially on weekends and Chinese holidays. Visiting in the morning may help keep crowds down.
Open: 7am to 4:30pm daily.
How to get there: Take a taxi west in the direction of Tiger Hill or take bus numbers five.
Cost: Tickets are RMB8.
- Lingyanshan Mountain
Lingyanshan, 15 km southwest in Suzhou’s Mudu Township (Muduzhen), is a great place for a bicycle outing from the city. It has a number of historical ruins and sites dating back to the ancient Wu Kingdom. Lingyanshan stands 182 meters in height, towering over the surrounding low hills, and is easily recognizable from a distance.
According to legend, the platform of Lingyanshan’s peak was once visited by the famous Chinese beauty, Xi Shi, during the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC). There, she played music and danced for royalty of the day.
Lingyan Temple sits majestically on the slopes of Lingyanshan. On Lingyanshan one can also seek out the last resting places of famous people from throughout Chinese history including Han Shizhong, a great general of the Song Dynasty.
Ask at your hotel about bicycle rental.
Open: 7:30am to 5:30pm daily.
Cost: Tickets are RMB1.
