Suzhou

Suzhou is a safe place on the whole but there are a few things to watch out for. Pickpocketing is common on crowded buses around the north bus station and the train station. Pan-handlers and beggars around the old town can become a real nuisance although they are not dangerous. Watch out for incredibly pushy hawkers operating on Guanqian Jie shopping street - they generally charge ridiculous prices for counterfeit goods.

Taxis are generally safe although it's advisable not to follow touts operating around tourist sights or the train station. Also be aware that pedicab and 3-wheel tuk-tuk drivers are known to overcharge.

Probably the biggest safety risk in Suzhou are the electric scooters. These cheap, plastic, battery powered 2-wheel vehicles swarm around the city like ninjas and are renowned for driving anywhere possible - the wrong side of the road, the pavement, tiny alleyways and across crowded pedestrian crossings. They are almost silent and riders generally don't use headlights at night to save battery power - the only giveaway is their squeaky electric horns. Don't be surprised when you're walking down a busy pavement and one of these pocket-rockets whizzes past at 50 km/h without warning so always keep an eye and an ear out for them, particularly at night and at rush hour when the designated bike lanes become too crowded so the riders take alternate means.

Remember that in China it's LEGAL for car drivers to make a right turn against a red light - albeit they ignore the latter part of the rule 'turn with caution' - it's all too common for cars, and more notoriously, trucks, to fly round an intersection too fast and unfortunately accidents involving pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists are too common. Always keep an eye out in both directions when crossing the street.

Some travelers may need to heed the air quality in Suzhou, although the problem is not as bad as in Shanghai or Nanjing, for example.

Like in most of China, tap water is not safe for drinking, but ok for washing and cleaning teeth, and safe if boiled.

As Suzhou is a water-town, there is a high presence of mosquitoes in the summer - luckily repellant can be found in every convenience store and they don't carry any known diseases so they're more of an annoyance than a hazard.

talk

The local Suzhou dialect belongs to the Wu family of Chinese dialects, and is not mutually intelligible with standard Mandarin. As Suzhou is the traditional cradle of Wu culture, the Suzhou dialect is taken to be the prestige dialect of Wu Chinese. As such, Suzhou is the place to start for people who want to learn to speak Wu Chinese. However, as with elsewhere in China, most people are bilingual in the local dialect and Mandarin, and you should have no problem speaking Mandarin unless you are talking to the elderly.

English is not widely spoken, though staff at major hotels will likely be able to speak some basic English. Be sure to have the names of your destinations written in Chinese, so that taxi drivers can take you to where you want to go.

internet cafes

The biggest concentration of Internet Cafes are located along Moye Road just east of Shiquan Street. Most are about ¥2.50 per hour and have fast internet, headphones, webcam etc and also serve hot and cold drinks, and cigarettes smoking is permitted inside. Note that Chinese customers will use their ID card to access the computer - foreigners should either bring their passport to register onto the computer, although if this facility is not provided the cashier will use his/her card to sign you in, although police will occasionally check in which case it may be harder for you to use.

New Island Cafe

Many locations throughout suzhou and china. free wifi.

Starbucks

And costa coffee have several branches in suzhou, both offering free wifi.