Suzhou Things to Do

Originally dating from 1140, but modified substantially in 1770, the Master of the Net Garden (Wangshi Yuan) is famous for including all essential elements of a classical Chinese garden in a small space. It has a lake, interconnecting corridors, courtyards and pavilions - the most famous of which is the Pavilion for Watching the Moon, from where the moon can be observed in a mirror, in the water and in the sky. Many consider this to be the finest of Suzhou's gardens, though the casual visitor may find the Humble Administrator's Garden more immediately accessible. Open daily from 0730 to 1700.

Shiquan Street (Shiquan Jie) runs east-west through the south part of the old city, and conveniently connects Master of the Net Garden and Deep Blue Waves Pavilion Garden. It is a busy little street, full of shops and restaurants, and makes for a pleasant walk from one garden to the other.

The Suzhou Silk Museum documents the history of silk production. Located in a modern building along busy Renmin Lu, it was deserted on a rainy afternoon when I visited. The exhibits were so-so and there was an interesting room with live silkworms munching on mulberry leaves. Overall though, over-rated.

Located next to the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Suzhou Museum is housed in an old villa renovated under IM Pei's direction. The museum concentrates on Suzhou's history as a canal and silk producing town. Open daily from 0900 to 1600.

Suzhou's Confucius Temple (Kong Miao) was originally built in the Song dynasty, though its grand main hall dates from the Ming dynasty. Much of the temple was destroyed during the Taiping rebellion and rebuilt in the mid 1800s. Its prize possession is a stone carving depicting a map of Suzhou, dating from 1229, making it the oldest surviving city map in China. The grounds of the temple is decorated with "penjing" (miniature) trees.

Originally part of a temple complex, the North Temple Pagoda (Beisi Ta) dates from the 3rd century, though most of the current structure dates from the Song dynasty. At 76 metres high, it offers panoramic views of Suzhou and dominates the skyline in the north of the old town. It is famously utilised in the "borrowed" view of the nearby Humble Administrator's Garden. Open daily from 0800 to 1600.

The "other" pagoda in Suzhou, the Ruiguang Pagoda, is located in the south of the old town, in the Pan Men Scenic Area. It is not as high as the North Temple Pagoda, reaching a height of 43 metres only.

The deliciously named and delightful Cold Mountain Temple is a Buddhist temple with an important literary association. Originally outside Suzhou's borders, it was immortalised by Tang poet Zhang Ji in his famous poem "Anchored at Night by the Maple Bridge", which is now inscribed on a stone stele in the temple grounds. The poem talks about the clanging of the temple's bell, and can be recited by most who schooled in China or Japan - indeed, the temple is often crowded with Japanese visitors at New Year's Eve to listen to the ringing of the bell (for a small fee, you can do this anytime!). The original bell was lost during the Ming dynasty, allegedly stolen by the Japanese, though no one can verify this. The current bell dates from 1905, a present from Japan. The temple remains a working one, and you might chance upon chanting and praying monks.

Admission price is RMB20. The temple is open daily from 0800 to 1700.