Hoston Hotel

Crossing bridges with bicycles

by SLLiew

While cycling in Suzhou, I was impressed that there are grooves alongs the steps of the bridges to help a bicyclist to push their bicycles over the hump of the bridge.

Not sure if it is common throughout China but left an indelible impression.

The Pan men Gate Scenic Area: the Pan men Gate

by Paul2001

The Pan men Gate Scenic area is one to the prettier sections of the city of Suzhou. It is the location of the Pan men gate which is a water gate that controlled access to Suzhou along the main canals. The gate and the attached wall are the oldest parts of the city wall that are still standing surrounding Suzhou. They date from 1351. The gate itself was quite interesting as you can see out the gateway worked with a system on wenches. It is in fact scenic. The canal that cuts through the gateway is one of the lovelier spots in Suzhou.

Suzhou - City of Gardens

by chatterley

"Garden City"

Suzhou is renowned for its beautiful gardens. Its gardens are different from those we see in Beijing (those are imperial gardens, and occupy huge areas of land). Suzhou's famous gardens are private gardens, built by the rich officials or merchants in their own residences. These gardens are small and simple, yet elegant and poetic in their design. One good example of the Suzhou garden is the Master-of-Nets Garden (Wangshi Yuan), which is listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

"Other Places of Interest We Visited"

Besides the Master-of-Nets Garden, we also visited the following places:

Hanshan Temple
Qili Santang Historical and Cultural Street
Panmen Gate
Ruiguang Pagoda (Auspicious Light Pagoda)
Wumen Bridge
Suzhou Silk Factory