There is an old saying, "Paradise in Heaven, Suzhou and Hangzhou on earth." Suzhou city located In the lower reaches of the Yangtze and has 2,500 years history as the cradle of Wu culture.

The natural scenery of hills and waters in Suzhou is as charming as a delicate beauty. Of the whole area, 10 percent is cultivated fields, 30 percent hills, and the rest covered with water. Streets and alleys in Suzhou extend side by side with canals. Small bridges and flowing waters, white walls and dark gray rooftiles match one another in tranquil elegance. Hence the Italian traveler Marco Polo praised Suzhou 600 years ago as a "noble and great city".

Classical Gardens

Suzhou is China's well-known "city of gardens", and Suzhou's art of gardening has undergone a history of 1500 years. There were once over 200 gardens in the city, and 69 of them are still in good reservation today.

The Suzhou garden seeks the return to Nature and the cultivation of temperament. Hills and waters, flowers and trees, towers and pavilions constitute the basic garden elements, while the prominent tone is expressed in the dark color of roof tiles, the gray of bricks, and chestnut brown of wooden pillars. Suzhou garden is the best museum to the tourist to understand China.