As a representative work of classical Jiangnan gardens, the whole garden takes water as the center, with mountains and waters winding around, elegant halls and pavilions, and lush flowers and trees, featuring strong characteristics of Jiangnan water towns. The garden also skillfully uses gardening techniques such as borrowing scenery and contrasting scenery to create an artistic effect where the scenery changes with each step. Here, you can slow down and savor the gardening wisdom and aesthetic taste of the ancients.
Lingering Garden
It is renowned for its exquisite architectural art. The halls are spacious and magnificent, and the courtyards are full of changes. The Cloud-Capped Peak in the garden is a superb stone among the Taihu stones. It combines the four wonders of “slenderness, wrinkles, holes, and transparency” of Taihu stones. When viewed from different angles, it presents different postures.
Lion Grove Garden
Its rockery group is unique, with winding caves and grottoes and strange rocks standing in great numbers like a maze. It’s full of fun to shuttle among them.
Ancient Towns and Water Towns
Zhouzhuang Ancient Town
Known as “the First Water Town in China”, the ancient town is surrounded by water on all sides. It forms a town because of the river and streets along the water, with bridges connecting the streets. Take a rowing boat and sway on the river, enjoying the ancient buildings and water town scenery on both banks and feeling the gentle and tranquil Jiangnan. Ancient buildings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties such as Shen Hall and Zhang Hall are also worth visiting, from which you can experience the life style of wealthy families in ancient Jiangnan.
Tongli Ancient Town
Compared with Zhouzhuang, it has more of a living atmosphere. Every household in the ancient town is adjacent to the water, and boats can pass through every door. Scenic spots such as the Ming and Qing Street and Tuisi Garden are worth visiting. Tuisi Garden has an exquisite layout, where the architecture and the natural environment complement each other and is a classic work of classical Jiangnan gardens.
Historical and Cultural Blocks
Pingjiang Road
Pingjiang Road is the most complete preserved area of the ancient city of Suzhou and can be regarded as a miniature of the ancient city. Here, you can stroll on the flagstone road, admire the white walls and black tiles by the river, visit the characteristic shops, and also hear the melodious tunes coming out of the storytelling and ballad-singing houses. The small alleys along the way such as Daru Alley and Dingxiang Alley also have their own unique charm and are worth exploring in depth.
Shantang Street
Known as “the First Street in Gusu”, it starts from Duseng Bridge at Changmen in the east and ends at Wangshan Bridge at Huqiu in the west, about seven li long, so it is called “Seven-Li Shantang”. Shantang Street not only has the style and characteristics of the ancient city of Suzhou but also has a large number of delicious foods and special commodities. When the lights are on at night, taking a boat tour of Shantang at night, the lights on both banks are brilliant, like a picturesque scene.
Food Guide
Suzhou-style Noodles
Features
Suzhou-style noodles pay attention to the combination of noodle soup, noodles, and toppings. The noodle soup is clear but not oily and tastes delicious; the noodles are thin and chewy; there are dozens of varieties of toppings, such as braised pork, fried fish, shrimp, eel paste, etc.
Recommended Restaurants
Tongdexing Noodle Restaurant: Its Fengzhen Big Noodles is a unique dish. The white noodle soup is served with braised pork. The braised pork melts in the mouth, and the soup is clear and mellow.
Suzhou Cuisine
Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish (Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish)
Features: Using mandarin fish as raw material, it is made through many processes such as deboning, scoring, pickling, and coating with flour and then frying. It looks like a squirrel, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Then pour on the sweet and sour sauce, and the taste is excellent.
Recommended Restaurants: Songhelou is a good place to taste Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish. As an old and famous restaurant in Suzhou, the Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish it makes has an authentic taste.
Biluochun Shrimp
Features: Select fresh Taihu shrimp and cook it with Biluochun, a famous tea in Suzhou. The shrimp is white, fresh, and tender, and the tea gives off a delicate fragrance, with a unique flavor.
Recommended Restaurants: The Biluochun Shrimp in Deyuelou is highly praised. It has strict control over the quality of ingredients and excellent cooking skills.
Special Snacks
Pan-fried Baozi (Shengjian Mantou)
Features: The outer skin is crispy, and the inner filling is juicy, sprinkled with sesame seeds and scallions on top. Biting into it gives a strong sense of happiness.
Recommended Restaurants: Yaba Shengjian is a quite famous Shengjian Mantou shop in Suzhou. Its Shengjian Mantou is big, with sufficient filling and delicious taste.
Sweet Porridge (Tangzhou)
Features: Sweet and glutinous, the porridge is thick but not pasty. The red beans inside are boiled very soft, and with the addition of sweet osmanthus, it tastes sweet and delicious.
Recommended Restaurants: Panyulin Sweet Porridge Stall. Although it is just a small stall, it is very popular, and its sweet porridge has an authentic taste with real materials.
Suzhou-style Pastries
Features: There are a wide variety of them, including Plum Blossom Cake, Crabapple Cake, Dingsheng Cake, etc. These pastries have an exquisite shape, a delicate taste, and are sweet but not greasy.
Recommended Restaurants: Huang Tianyuan Pastry Shop is an old and famous pastry shop in Suzhou, with all kinds of Suzhou-style pastries, which can meet the taste needs of different people.
