Suzhou Tours

Suzhou is located at the southeast of Jiangsu Province, and adjoins Shanghai on the east, Zhejiang Province on the south, the Taihu Lake on the west, and the Yangtze River on the north. It is both one of the famous historical and cultural cities and one of the tourist destinations in China, especially renowned for its private gardens.

Visitors can get to the city by a one-hour train journey from Shanghai. The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal flows through the city. The west suburb of Suzhou is hilly, and the east is dotted with lakes and ponds. With a warm climate and plentiful rainfall, the fertile farmlands here abound in agricultural products of many kinds.

Suzhou gardens represent the finest landscape architecture south of the Yangtse River. Budding in the Spring and Autumn Periods, the art of gardens formed in the Five Dynasties , matured in the Song Dynasty, and flourished in the Ming Dynasty. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, there had been more than 170 different gardens, over 60 of which are intact nowadays. The classical garden of Suzhou is an integral artwork consisting of buildings, landscape and plants, integrating the beauty of nature, architecture and painting. Therefore, it is a precious legacy in China's cultural treasury.

There are more than 180 elegant classical gardens here, enabling residents to enjoy the charm of natural scenery without leaving the city. The planting of gardens came into fashion in the Song Dynasty, the ten big gardens now open to tourists represent architectural styles of the Song, Yuan, and Qing dynasties.