Suzhou Favorites

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Favorite thing: Although Suzhou is supposedly famous for its canals it is the town of Tongli that should be a must-see if you are interesting is getting a glimpse of what a Ming area water town must have looked like. Tongli was really quite pleasant surprise for me. I had been in China for a month and rarely got to see much of its historical past condensed into a reasonably walkable area as I did in Tongli (another example is Pingyao).
The town dates from the Song Dynasty however most of the buildings that you visit are from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The town is actually a cluster of seven islands connected by supposedly 49 bridges some as old as 700 years. Because it has so many historical monuments and few modern buildings, the town is frequently used by Chinese cinema for historical dramas. It has recently been discovered by the tourists world and full of bus groups during my visit.
Tongli is located 18km southeast of Suzhou and is basically a suburb. Unlike much of Suzhou, it has not been torn down to make way for progress. What also surprised me about the town is that there was quite a bit to see around the town other than the old canals themselves. There are several interesting old halls and gardens that rival those in Suzhou. There is also the famous sex museum that will raise a few eyebrows. It took me a day to see everything that Tongli had to offer.

Favorite thing: Large convulated rocks with holes and curves are used in many Suzhou gardens.

These fascinating rocks of varying heights and shapes were found naturally along rivers or lakes and brought many hundred li (Chinese miles) into the door step and gardens of the rich and wealthy.

Many may appear to look like different animals if one has enough imagination.

Favorite thing: One of the roofs of the Suzhou gardens has a shape of the flowing body of a dragon.

Many of the roof tops have different figures of mystical animals. The details of some are amazing.

Do not forget to zoom your camera on the roof top while wandering through the gardens below.

Favorite thing: While most of the farmlands along the highway have been replaced by factories and apartment buildings, if you take the train, you can still seen the green farmlands that have been cultivated over the centuries.

Wonder how long before even these last few green patches of farms disappear too from Suzhou areas.

Favorite thing: Suzhou has been dubbed as Venice of the East. But as many canals have been filled up and replaced by roads, there are only a few moats and navigable canals left. So take as many photos as you can before they all disappeared soon.

Favorite thing: 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.

Favorite thing: The cost of admission of gardens and the accumulated cost has gone up astronomically. So you may just want to go the two or three most famous ones if you are a first timer or spend more time at the less tourist busy smaller gardens if have been to Suzhou before.

So a little planning using the map will help. Here is a map I found.

Favorite thing: Beautiful ladies (well-knowned)

Fondest memory: Along the famous Suzhou china town (Guan Jian Street), there's lots of tri-cycle drivers
asking tourist whether they wanna go Suzhou's famous Beauty Street (”ü?—ŠX).
They will say " Its FREE, just go have a look, if you dont like i can send you back here right a way".
Then he brings you to a streets full of karaokes, night clubs....lots of beauties waiting outside to welcome customers.
I tell the driver I just want a good massage, he then replied its very cheap....about RMB50
Before i step in the shop, i asked again to confirm how much i have to pay, they repeated RMB50 only.
At the end of the day, i ended up paying RMB2000 !
The cost include, room charge, girl charge, waitress charge, manager charge, girl's living cost
charge, and 1 bottle of OX (i drank tea, but the girl drank 1cup only).

So guys, beware of Suzhou next time u visit. Make sure the shop signboard written the word
'Massage' then only its really a massage center.