Landmarks
Ping Jiang Road
A beautiful walk along an ancient road paved with hand-cut stones over a thousand years old and lined with shops maintaining traditional architectural styles. There are a surprising amount of western style coffee shops with full English menus, internet and English books. If you get further north on this road, but south of the museum area, the shops eventually run out and it just becomes a quiet neighbourhood again. This may be the best part of all.
The Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) and Jinji Lake
Described by some as a masterpiece of urban planning. Jointly between the city government and a Singaporean urban planning committee, this area is characterised by wide boulevards lined with new high-rise apartments, office buildings and factories with some recreation facilities that might make it worth a visit. Shopping malls, eating and drinking streets and the large Jinji Lake draw are surrounded by some interesting contemporary parkland. Bus number 2 will get you there.
Shan Tang Street
A recently-restored canal street running from Chang Men to Tiger Hill. The southeast end of the street may be mobbed with tourists, but as you walk further north the souvenir shops and restaurants disappear, and you can take a leisurely stroll along the canal through a quiet residential neighborhood.
Museums
Suzhou Museum
Designed by I.M. Pei, whose family came from Suzhou. Pei lived most of his life in the US and was a very successful architect there. Perhaps his best-known work is the glass pyramid outside the Louvre in Paris. He has also designed a number of museums including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. He came out of retirement in his 80s to return to Suzhou to create a museum that married his modernist sensibility with his sense of the Jiangnan home where he was born. South of the Yangzi was an area Jiangnan distinguished by the sophistication of its intellectual classes and aesthetic sensibilities. Do not miss the recreation of the Ming Dynasty scholar's study.
Suzhou Silk Museum
Most of the artefacts are faded and rather plain looking, but the live silk worms are quite a sight. A great place to bring the kids
Temples
Ding Hui Temple
A recently constructed temple on the site of a Tang Dynasty temple. Little more than two huge 300 year-old Ginkgo trees and some stone pillar bases remain from the original complex after it was demolished and a factory built atop in 1949.
Cold Mountain Temple
Established in the Liang dynasty 502-557AD, most of the buildings date from the Tang Dynasty except for the recently built 5 story pagoda.
North Temple Pagoda
Viewable from the train station, the peak of the pagoda is Suzhou's most famous. A garden and temples are on the grounds.
Panmen city gates
Built 2,500 years old by the state of Wu in the Warring States Period. It is renowned for its unique structure as a combined water and land gate. The remaining wall is 300m long and 5m high. Visiting Pan Men includes access to a large and rather lovely garden with ponds and pavilions feed the koi for Â¥¥2, a boat ride, the city water and land gate, and an original foot bridge over the grand canal. You can also climb the 2-storey, 53-m high Auspicious Light Pagoda which was built in 1004 B.C. This however is for an extra fee of ¥12 Entrance ¥40, entry to the pagoda ¥6
Twin Pagodas
A pair of brick Northern Song Dynasty pagodas stand sentinel over the stark remains of an Arhat Temple from the same era. Mostly intact stone pillars, gracefully carved with floral designs, at the corners of the foundation give a sense the invisible halls size and a stone etching at the rear of the garden helps you fill in the rest. An Octagonal The temple was damaged in the Qing dynasty and abandoned totally at the onset of Chinas republic. The grounds are peaceful but feel like stone graveyard with fragments of carvings displayed around the outer wall or otherwise used as stands for bonsai plants.
Temple of Mystery
A large Taoist hall perpetually obscured by a curtain of joss smoke of devotes eager to placate the gods inside. The temple was established in the 3rd century and broadened to its present size in the Song Dynasty, where it became a popular spot for travelling magicians and acrobats. The erstwhile performers have given way to a multitude of stalls selling meretricious worldly goods on which you can easily make your money disappear. The main Sanxing Dian hall was rebuilt in 1811 to hold Song Dynasty deity statues, later destroyed by Red Guards they occupied the hall during the cultural revolution. The present sculptures are modern reproductions. Of greater antiquity is a stone impressed with the footprints of a Taoist god, found in the Ming dynasty. The stone is genuine, but the origins of the feet less certain.
Confucian Temple
First established in the Northern Song Dynasty 1035 CE, the Confucian Temple has continually been one of the most important institutes for higher studies in the country. Much of its ground today is still occupied by Suzhou Middle School. Flanked by trees of hundreds of years of age, the main hall includes an impressive portrait of Confucius made of lacquer, and various ceremonial instruments. Ask the guard for the four Song Dynasty Steleså大å®ç¢, each standing more than 15 feet tall, which include a Song dynasty map of the city much of it still works today, a map of China, a sky map, and a lineage of all chinese emperors till the 13th century when these steles were carved.
Huqiu Tower
Built during the Song dynasty from 959 to 961. Previously a Buddhist temple, the site was burned during the cultural revolution. Some buildings have been reconstructed and the is a 48-m tall brick pagoda with seven stories and eight sides remains, though now shy of its wooden outer skin. The pagoda one of the few remaining examples of pagodas of this type. Tiger Hill is of enormous importance historically and culturally, but much of its significance will likely be lost on foreign visitors.
Classical gardens
The Couple's Garden Retreat
Built in early 20's century by a couple. Many small garden rooms lead you from view to view. Each window or hall perfectly frames a set of plants, rocks or trees. Every inch of the garden has been carefully thought out. Most of the garden consists of covered walkways, even though it may rain you will be able to enjoy this garden without getting wet.
The Lion Forest Garden
One of the four great gardens of Suzhou and is admired for the incredible collection of pitted, eroded rocks that were greatly appreciated by classical Chinese scholars. It was originally part of a Buddhist monastery. The gardens are a reminder of the Buddhist story of the lions. The layout of the garden follows many twists and turns. It is easy to get quite lost in these winding paths.
The Lingering Garden
One of the largest and most important classical gardens in Suzhou and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.
The Garden of the Master of the Nets
Originally created in 1140, and recreated in 1770 by the bureaucrat Song Zongyuan. The enclosed complex of house and garden is one of the smallest, most beautiful, and most perfectly proportioned in Suzhou. Don't let the small size deceive you, this garden has enough to occupy you for half a day or more. On certain evenings there are demonstrations of many traditional performing arts.
The Surging Wave Pavilion
One of the oldest of Suzhou's wonderful collection of private or "scholar's" gardens. More densely forested than other gardens, so ideal for hot days when you want to escape the sun. This garden is best viewed from within its many pavilions, with windows framing different views.
The Retreat and Reflection Garden
Located at town of TongLi åé, which is about 30 km away from Suzhou.
Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty
Considered to be among the finest rock and water garden constructions in Suzhou.
The Former Residence of Poet and Scholar Yu Yue in the ancient Liuhuafang Block
Make sure to go all the way towards the back inside the garden to see the best part. This tucked away place is a little tough to find but totally worth the effort if you want to find a quiet, unpretentious place visited mainly by locals.
The Garden of Cultivation
Make sure to go all the way towards the back inside the garden to see the best part.
Tarrying Garden
is located outside Changmen Gate in Suzhou City was established in the Ming Dynasty and many parts of it were rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. "Wufeng Xianguan" of the garden is also called "Nanmu Hall" in which there are different kinds of rarely seen furnishings made of nanmu. Mandarin Duck Hall is divided into two parts by a meticulously carved partition.There are varieties of doors and windows in other structures.
The Garden of Pleasure (Pleasence)
Very small garden located at the heart of down town area of Suzhou City. Good place to have a cup of green tea and usually visited by lots of local elder people.
Small Classical Gardens
Large classical gardens are great to see their majesty while small gardens are quite good for a quick look or relaxing with a cup of tea in relative quiet. Often local folks are seen enjoying their tea and chatting. The small garden is a living part of the local, yet ancient, culture.