Suzhou

1. Ride a Boat on the Grand Canal

The Grand Canal (also called the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal) is the longest canal with the total length of just over 1,100 miles (1,776 km). It passes through Tianjin and Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang province to Hangzhou, connecting Yellow River with Yangtze River. In Suzhou, you can head over to Pingjiang Road where you can find a 45-minute man-powered ride through narrow canals for 130RMB/boat. The Grand Canal or Shangtang Street carries wider waterways for Chinese gondolas to sail through.

2. Drink Tea in Suzhou Teahouses

After days of sightseeing, you should consider visiting Pin Von Teahouse on Pingjiang Road, a quaint street with classical architecture. This teahouse serve a selection of Suzhou-style dim sum and a wide variety of tea. Suzhou’s Green Spiral tea is China’s No. 2 imperial tea so you should try it here!

3. Watch Opera Shows

Suzhou is the hometown of the Pingtan opera style which is a unique opera style sung in the Suzhou dialect. Pingtan is famous for its story-telling about historical romance and epic heroes, jokes, music and aria singing.

Kunqu Opera is another famous and classical Chinese opera which is said to have originated in the 14th century in Suzhou’s Kunshan area. You can head to Fu Xi Qin Guan or Pingtan Teahouse for a traditional opera show and try some of the local teas. If you want to learn more about Suzhou operas, you can go to Suzhou Opera Museum.

4. Suzhou Classic Gardens

The classical gardens in Suzhou are very famous. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the garden buildings were in their heyday and there were more than 200 private family gardens. Till now a dozen of them are still in good condition, including the top four classic gardens – the Fisherman’s Net Garden, Lion Grove, Humble Administrator’s Garden and Lingering Garden. You should not miss these gardens during your Suzhou trip!

Suzhou Dialect

The Suzhou dialect, also known as Suzhounese, is a branch of the Wu languages and is considered one of the most elegant languages of China. It uses literal and ancient words which are not commonly used in Mandarin today. It is spoken in Suzhou city and the surrounding area.

Suzhou Opera

Kunqu Opera was listed as a World’s Intangible Cultural Heritage site in 2001. It originated between the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty, Kunqu reached its heyday and was spread to some of the largest cities around.The Kunqu Opera features strong lyricism, exquisite actions, and the harmonious combination of dancing and singing.

Suzhou Pingtan is very popular in Jiangsu and Zhejing provinces as well as in Shanghai. With its long history, Pingtan evolved from the storytelling traditions of the Tang and Song dynasties, and the performers only spoke instead of singing. It is performed either as a solo, in a duet or a trio. The small three-stringed plucked instrument or pipa accompany during the performance.

Suzhou Ballads

10 kinds of folk ballads can be found in Suzhou including prologues, love songs, children ballads, ballads of ceremony, ballads of life, ballads of current politics,and so on. With its long history, Wu songs are the main part of Suzhou ballads and play an important role in the history Chinese literature.

What to Buy in Suzhou

Su Embroidery

As one of “China’s four great embroideries” together with Xiang Embroidery, Shu Embroidery, and Yue Embroidery, Su embroidery dates from the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history (more than 2,600 years ago).

Su embroidery mainly depicts such themes as people, landscapes, flowers and birds and animals. After establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, artisans of Su Embroidery successfully created bifacial embroidery. The Su Embroidery Museum is the best place to appreciate the art of Su Embroidery.

Song Brocade

A brocade is a kind of high-grade silk. Song brocades together with Yun brocades in Nanjing and Shu brocades in Sichuan is very famous and among the best in China. As its name implies, Song brocade began to appear during Song Dynasty. Song brocade features exquisite patterns and elegant tints. If you are interested in silk’s history, you can pay a visit to Suzhou Silk Museum which houses a number of fascinating exhibitions of silks.

Biluochun Tea

Biluochun, one of the top ten teas in all China, belongs to the category of green tea. According to historical records, Biluochun Tea was very famous during the Sui and Tang dynasties of 1,000 years ago. The tea is characterized by smooth shape, fragrant aroma, mellow taste and fresh color. If you are a tea-lover, you should consider purchasing some during your stay in Suzhou.

Taohuawu Woodcut New Year’s Pictures

With a history of more than 350 years, Tiaohuawu Woodcut New Year’s Pictures can be dated back to the the late Ming Dynasty and reached its heyday during the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns during the Qing Dynasty. It, together with Yangliuqing Woodcut New Year Picture in Tianjing and Weifang Woodcut New Year Picture, is regarded as one of three great woodcut New Year Pictures in all China.The pictures are, bright and decorative with such themes as folktales, festivals, figures of gods and drama.

Suzhou Fans

Suzhou Fan includes folding fans, sandalwood fans, silk palace fans and paper fans. With a long history, Suzhou fans are famous for their exquisite shapes and workmanship. Suzhou folding fans are always painted with mountains and rivers, flowers and birds, human figures, and calligraphy. Bamboo, wood, ivory and sandalwood are essential materials for making folding fan frames. Palace fans were used only by aristocratic ladies during the Han Dynasty and became more popular during Tang Dynasty. Shaped into either round, hexagon, rectangle shapes, silk palace fans looks classically Chinese with silk as its face and pictures drawing on.

Where to Buy

Shopping Streets

Pingjiang Road
Located at north east Suzhou old city and running alongside a canal, Pingjiang Road is a small pedestrian street with white-washed local houses and trendy cafes on both sides. The layout of this ancient alley is basically similar to structure of double chessboard of “Pingjiang Picture” 800 years ago.

It’s a great place to spend your night. For example, you can choose a teahouse to watch opera shows or ride a boat down the canal.

Guanqian Street

Built during the Qing Dynasty, Guanqian Street is a large commercial strip and houses many traditional and modern shops. It is the earliest pedestrian street in China. The area of Guanqian Street houses shopping malls, teahouses, restaurants, theaters, hotels for tourists to relax.

Shiquan Street

During the Song Dynasty, there were ten wells on the street, so the street got its name “Shi Quan” (ten springs). Stretching over a mile (2,000 meters), the street houses boutiques, bars, pubs, restaurants and souvenirs shops.

Shopping Malls, Department and Supermarkets

Pishijie Flower & Bird Market
Address: 172 Pishi Jie, Suzhou
Telephone: 0512-67279047
Opening Time: All Day

Rainbow Mall
Address: 368 Suya Road
Telephone: 82769268

Harmony City
Address: 269 Wangdun Road
Telephone: 6296-9066/6296-9166
Opening Time: 9am-10pm

Xinghai Square

Address: 119 Xinghai Jie
Opening Time: 9am-11pm

Suzhou Pearl Market
Address: Weitang, Xiangcheng District
Telephone: 6540 1281

Matro Shopping Mall – Guan Qian
Address: 245 Guanqian Street
Telephone: 800 8282090
Opening Time: Sun-Thu: 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat: 10am-10.30pm

Matro Shopping Mall – Xin Qu
Address: No. 211 Changjiang Road, High-tech Zone
Telephone: 0512-67378888
Opening Time: Sun-Thu: 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat: 10am-10.30pm

The Emerald City
Address: No. 436, Changjiang Road, Suzhou New District,
Opening Time:10:00am-09:30pm

U-Town Digital Plaza
Address: 456 West Ganjiang Rd., Canglang District
Opening Time: 9am-6pm

Sunshine Department Store
Address: No.199 ShiShan Road,SND
Telephone: 0512-68188111

Link City
Address: Xihualin Street, No. 88,
Telephone: 400-8840-100 Opening Time: 10am-10pm