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Yuan Dynasty

Take a Tour to the Historical City of Suzhou

Suzhou is a cultural as well as historical city, located in the southern part of Jiangsu Province, in East China, bordering Shanghai to the east, Lake Taihu in the west, the Yangtze to the south, and Zhejiang Province to the south. It is just about 80 kilometers from Shanghai, along the Old Grand Canal.

With a rich history spanning more than 2500 years ago, Suzhou is one of the oldest cities in the Yangtze basin, and is regarded as the cradle of Wu Culture. From much famed ancient as well as classical gardens and remarkable stone bridges to incredible temples and pagodas, Suzhou presents a diverse range of attractions. Discussed further in this article are some of the top attractions in Suzhou.

The prime draw of the city is perhaps its gorgeously landscaped ancient gardens, each with its own significance. Few among them are the Zhuozheng Garden or the Humble Administrator's Garden, which is the representative of all gardens in the city and consisting of three parts with several pavilions, chambers, and towers; Liu Garden, sprawling over an area of about two hectares with a number of striking buildings, beautiful garden courts, and rockeries.

Shizi Garden, which is an elegant garden built during the Yuan Dynasty; Surging Wave Pavilion, which is much famed for its ancient rock works; the Garden of Harmony, which is located in the heart of city and built during the Qing Dynasty; Tuishi Garden, a Chinese-style garden sprawling over an area of about 7000 square meters; and Wangshi Garden. Hence, it is not a wonder why Suzhou is sometimes referred to as the 'City of Gardens.'

Suzhou is also renowned for its awesome temples and pagodas, which among many others, are Hanshan Temple, which was erected during the Liang Dynasty; Xuanmiao Taoist Temple, which was originally built by the Jin Dynasty and later rebuilt by the Yuan Dynasty; the Pagoda of the Northern Temple, a nine-storied pagoda with superb carvings and patterns.

Kaiyuan Temple, within which includes such highlights as the Big Hall, Tianwang Palace, Dicang Palace, and Stone Buddha Palace; Baosheng Temple, which is home to the Museum of Antiquities with displays such as statues of ancient Buddhist monks; Zijin Temple, which is believed to have been erected during the Tang Dynasty; Shengeng Temple, with a spring, which is sometimes known as Spring of Boiling Water Drops; and Dengsitu Temple, with some rare cypresses.

Other must-see attractions in and around Suzhou are:

Tiger Hill: Otherwise known as Hu Qiu, this astounding spot is believed to be the burial place of He Lu, the King of Wu, who in turn founded the city during the 5th century BC. The place got its name due to its entrance gate, which takes after the mouth of a tiger and the Pagoda found atop the hill, which resembles a tail. The imposing Pagoda seen here is regarded as one of the greatest attractions in the city, and is listed as a special historical site under State Protection.

Sky-High Hill: Situated about ten kilometers west of Suzhou, Sky High Hill, which is much famed for its White Cloud Spring and Longmen Gate, apart from several grotesque rocks and stone carvings.

Divine Cliff Hill: Built during the Eastern Jin Dynasty and rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty, this contains a temple boasting of frescoes of Buddhist Scripture stories. A pond, renowned as the Flower-Enjoying Pond, can also be seen here.

Jade Belt Bridge: This is a 400-meters long arch bridge that has been built across the Daidai River.

Above all, Suzhou is also much favored for its Suzhou embroidery, also known as Su embroidery. With a history of more than 2000 years, this traditional style embroidery is truly exquisite.

When comes to accommodation, Suzhou boasts of a continuum of luxury hotels. They provide options to choose from a variety of accommodation choices. Mostly, accommodation choices are coupled with facilities such as buffet breakfast, cocktail evening, free broadband access in rooms, excellent dining choices, superb meeting facilities, business centers equipped with facilities like web conferencing facilities, printers, slide projectors and LCD projectors, gift shop, florists, hair and beauty salons, limousine services, refreshing spa facilities, laundry and dry cleaning facilities, free local calls, parking facilities, and free airport transfers.

About the Author

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently owns and manages 54 hotels under Shangri-La and Traders brands with a rooms inventory of over 27,000. Shangri-La hotels are five-star deluxe properties featuring extensive luxury facilities and services.

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