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Venerable Suzhou still vigorous

By Jia Jingqi (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-12-25 07:43

Suzhou Vice-Mayor Zhou Weiqiang (second from left) and Shen Wenjuan, director of the Suzhou Municipal Administration of Tourism (third from left), talk with American visitors about Suzhou tourism at the China International Travel Mart in November.

Suzhou in the center of the Yangtze River Delta - one of the nation's most economically developed regions - has for centuries been among the most attractive cities in China for both living and leisure.

It has been praised for its myriad canals and waterways, lush rolling hills, spectacular temples, pavilions, classic gardens and most importantly, Taihu Lake.

Covering 8,488 sq km in Jiangsu province, Suzhou is a famous historical and cultural city as well as an important tourism city, neighboring Shanghai, the internationally famed metropolis.

Known down through history as Wu, the ancestral city was already settled 2,500 years ago. The Wu Kingdom played an important part in the development of Chinese culture.

Renowned politicians, military strategists, scientists and artists such as Wu Zixu, Sun Wu, Fan Zhongyan, Shen Kuo, Tang Yin, Gu Yanwu and Kuai Xiang were born and raised on its lands.

Suzhou now still stands on the site of a settlement founded in 514 BC and contains historic sites from the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC), the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), terraces of the Han Dynasty (206BC- AD220), temples of the Jin Dynasty (265-420), bridges of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), pagodas of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), tablets of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and guildhalls of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

Suzhou encompasses 15 key historical monuments under state protection, 419 under provincial or city administration and 200 ancient buildings under city or district protection. The strong feel of traditional Chinese culture is everywhere.

Also intact in Suzhou is the original chessboard layout of canals and streets in the form of a grid. The landscape of small bridges, flowing water, white walls, black-tiled roofs, classic gardens and time-honored towns earned the city its "Heaven on Earth" label.

As an outstanding example of the art of gardening, Suzhou has nurtured a number of exquisite classical gardens - as an old saying goes: "south China has the best gardens on earth, and Suzhou has the best gardens in south China".

The city has more than 60 well-preserved gardens, nine of which are listed as world cultural heritage sites by UNESCO, including the Humble Administrator's Garden and Lingering-in Garden, reflecting the pursuit by Suzhou's natives of an ideal living environment that achieves harmony between humans and nature.

Suzhou's people are also good at making exquisite products. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, all the goods with a character "su" had a good market. Since ancient times, the people of Suzhou have had the reputation as intelligent and deft. Of the 24 major categories of Chinese arts and crafts, Suzhou has 22, including Song brocade, kesi fabric, silk, embroidery, opera costumes, Taohuawu wood block New Year pictures, Suzhou fans and lanterns, jade and wood carvings, polished lacquer paintings, painted eggshells, micro sculptures, rosewood furniture, Suzhou musical instruments, writing brushes, and gold and silver objects, all showing high craftsmanship.

Local people also excel at making a wide variety of delicate, tasty and healthy foods, such as local dishes prepared with seasonal vegetables, pot-stewed meat and fowl, refreshments, snacks, preserved fruits. Suzhou delicacies, which are closely related to the local culture, are characterized by natural flavors, beautiful presentation, slightly sweet and palatable taste, and seasonal varieties.

"Boat Dishes" particular to the Taihu Lake are well received and popular for their fresh ingredients and the high-level of culinary skill required to make them.

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