A. Suzhou Museum-Humble Administrator's Garden-Lion Grove Garden

These attractions are all located in Dongbei Street. It's about 4km away from the railway station.

Suzhou Meseum is open for free but has the limitation for visitors per day. That's why I put it first.

The mesuem is renowned for a number of cultural relics in this 2500-year-old city. Designed by the world famous architect I.M.Pei in 2006, the construction itself displays perfectly the idea "Chinese style with innovation and Suzhou style with creativity".

Humble Administrator's Garden is the most recommended spot if your time is limited. Ranked first  among China's four renowned garden and one of the  World Heritage Sites, this garden is no doubt the best representation of Suzhou classical gardens.

Lion Grove Garden, also known as Kingdom of Rockeries, is noted for numerous man-made limbstone mountains with winding pathways.

B. Guanqian Street- Lingering Garden- Tiger Hill

If you want to try some local specialties, Guanqian Steet is the best choice. There are century-old brand such as Huangtianyuan and Caizhizhai, which provides quality local food with a reasonable price. There is Xuanmiao Temple of Daoism in the street.

Lingering Garden boasts its fine gardening, luxurious and sapcious hall and collection of stones from the Taihu lake. Interesting enough, you can enjoy the view is changing at every step.

Tiger Hill is the symbolic scenic spot of Suzhou. As 'the first scenic spot in the State of Wu', for Suzhou was once the capital of the State of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period. Tiger Hill is the place where the king of Wu was buried.

These days, in the Chinese country more and more young people liberated from farming. They go to  cities to try their fortunes, leaving the children and olds home. They only back twice or three times one year for harvest of crops or important traditional festivals. So, in some way the villages become"empty".

Oriental Venice： Suzhou/ Soochow of Shanghai area...

Around Shanghai area, downside of Yangzi Big River, there are hundreds of Water town, due to this area, there are hundreds lakes, but after you visited Suzhou/Soochow-Oriental Venice, you will find what is the dream water town...!! 

The majesty, mystery, abundance and the aura of oceans has always captivated me, and as in my knowledge, the most of us! A feeling of mysterious peace and wonder wraps us, while we enjoy the serenity and the magical aura that it spills...

 Little did I know, I would be going through the same enigmatic set of emotions for an elongated time period, when we entered the 'under water world', in Nanjing, on an early-noon of that Saturday.

If you are a first timer like me in exploring the underwater creatures, the Nanjing Underwater World offers superb introduction to this amazing world. Having innumerable marine fish species including the incredible Acipensers, Sharks, Jellyfishes and a whole bunch of polar animals like penguins, polar wolves, foxes, polar bears and seals, the place has much to offer to the visitors. It also hosts dolphin and sea lion shows, sea diving and shark feeding shows pleasing your sensations. The place also houses transparent glass 180-degree acrylic tunnel, giving an opportunity to enliven your sea dreams..!

Fascinating is the only world that can come close to describe my experience amidst those under-water creatures, that don't even know or care about how unique, wonderful and amazing their mere existence is! Here, I don't want to dilute the content by explaining every minute detail of the place, but would definitely love to mention those junctures which left me in awe...

1. These were the fishes named 'Acipenser' which looked fiercely adorable! In the background of a sculpture that resembled Buddha, these fishes with their wide open toothless mouth featuring a web of ribs.. and a projecting snout, reminded me of army men in a ready position to shooooooot :-). Strangely enough, I really enjoyed their unique features and brisk movements!

2. Another zone where I was awestruck was the 'jellyfish' zone. I always wished to see them since long... The combined effect of background lighting, feather light music, the rhythmic movements of the jelly fishes and their transparent and extremely flexible body added to a lasting impact.. It was as if the some imaginary elements of light had gotten life with a blessing to move in most graceful and mellifluous manner... Well, would stop my poetic expressions here, check out the place for yourself and feel what you want to feel, all for yourself!

We also witnessed sea turtles, sharks and huge gamut of strange looking animals and also the shark feeding show and sea diving show by a young lady with elegant dress and moves. 

All in all I definitely recommend it to all who relish life and creation!

zai chen (bye - bye )

Some Relevant Details

Fees: Adults(including children over 1.5 meters): 150 RMB

Children (1.2 m - 1.5 m): 80 RMB (teams excluded)

Children (1.2 meters): Free

Working Hours:

Open throughout the year, 8:30 - 17:00

How to Get There:

Take bus 9, Y1 (游1), 20 or Y3 (游3).

Cafeteria, snacks and a gift shop are in place at the premises.

Underwater World is on the south side of Purple Mountain within walking distance of Ming Maosoleum (Ming Xiaoling).

        Confucius , born in 551B.C and died in 479B.C, is the founder of the Confucius School in China. He is the great educator and great thinker, having famed the world over. His name is Kong Qiu, but he styled himself Zhong Ni. As he was worshippedby the emperors of the past dynasties, he had won the title of "Super Saint Confucius", and his temple had become the shrine second only to the royal palace.

         The Confucius Temple ( or Fuzi Temple), located at the Qinhuai River Scenic Area, is a well-known tourist resort of the ancient capital Nanjing.During the period of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, this area was at it zenith of prosperity.The riverside houses and pavilions with carved beams and painted rafters were built row upn row. The song and dance halls were facing each other across the river with pleasure boats shuttling back and forth in-between. At night the river was brightly lit up and there weresongs and music until dawn.

Suzhou is China's well-known "city of gardens", which tops all others in both the number and the artistry of gardens.

Dating from Pi Jiang Garden of the Eastern Jing Dynasty,Suzhou's art of gardening has undergone a history of 1, 500 years. There were once over 200 gardens in the city,and 69 of them are still in good preservation today.

The concept of Suzhou classical gardens has gone beyond the city limits,since it generally refers to all those private gardens built in the regions south of the Yangtze.

The Suzhou garden originated from the desire to retire from the strife of officialdom and to shun from worldly affairs.

It seeks the return to Nature and the cultivation of temperament. In Taoist philosophy and the refinement of culture underlies the theme of the garden. Hills and waters,flowers and trees,pavilion, terraces,towers and halls constitute the basic garden elements,while the prominent tone is expressed in the dark colour of roof tiles,the grey of bricks,and chestnut brown of wooden pillars.

Suzhou garden is the Nature in nutshell ,which enables one to "feel the charm of mountains,forest and springs without going out of the noisy surroundings of the town". Its human interest also lies in that the architect, philosopher, poet, painter, and common folk can all find in it the idea,the flavour,the lines and the rhythm. The unfolding of the garden vistas is the verisimilitude of a landscape scroll. When enjoying tea, poem,flower arrangement or playing musical instrument in the garden,one gains the most natural inspiration. To those tourists desiring to understand China, Suzhou garden is the best museum.

Local chronicles reveal that during its heyday, Suzhou city held nearly 200 gardens, topping the whole nation. Suzhou gardens have their own characteristics in layout, structure and style.The Four Classical Gardens of Suzhou, i.e.