Suzhou, the Venice of China

A watergate on the Grand Canal, Suzhou
Located in the province of Jiangsu, about 42% of Suzhou (蘇州) is covered in water boasting about 35 kilometres of rivers and 168 bridges. Built in 514 BC, this 2,500 year old city was once lined with narrow streets, alleys and canals, some of which are still intact today.

In ancient times, many buildings could only be reached by boats via canals just like Venice in Europe. Some of these water towns exist in Suzhou today where buildings from the Qingand Ming dynasty still stand. Suzhou is also home to a number of beautiful classic gardens. They are considered to be the best in the world for its natural scenery co-existing with the exquisite man-made architecture of ancient times. Silk production was of great importance to Suzhou and remains so today as the locals of Suzhou still rely on the silk industry for a living. - an excerpt from my article for the (Student) Standard .




1. Entering a walled city gate into a park where we will cruise around the Grand Canal in old Suzhou. 2. This city wall is apparently new (not as ancient as it looks). 3. Cruising along the Grand Canal in Suzhou. It is the longest ancient canal/artificial river in the world running from Hangzhou to Beijing. 4. A watergate in the foreground and a look at the type of boat that takes you on a cruise around the canal. 5. A look at modern architecture in Suzhou. There should be a giant swimming pool inside? Where athletes from Beijing come to practice apparently. 6. A look at the newer part of the city. Crusing along the river you will see old Suzhou on one side and New Suzhou on the other; 2 totally different atmospheres. 7. 8. There really are many bridges along the Grand Canal. 9. This bridge was originally built in 1084 AD and is Suzhou's highest one-arc stone bridge (might possibly be the oldest too!) 10. The Suzhou Museum designed by I.M Pei who also designed the Louvre in Paris (you know, that crystal pyramid?). 11. Inside the Suzhou Museum. 12. Our guide tells us that the art inside the museum isn''t really that exciting or important, we were there to check out the architecture. 13. Inside a silk factory. As mentioned before, silk is an important industry in Suzhou. 14. 15. The museum is built on the former residence of the Prince of Zhong ("Loyal Prince Lee") of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (established during the Taiping Rebellion in China, 1850-1864). 16. The bird's nest of Suzhou at night. It is a concert theater. The lights change different to different colours.

Hangzhou- China's Ancient Paradise on Earth

below: West Lake with Leifeng Pagoda in the background
Located 180 kilometres southwest of Shanghai is Hangzhou. Named as the most beautiful city in China, it is well known for its natural beauty. Founded during the Qin Dynasty 2,200 years ago, it is listed as one of the 7 Ancient Capitals of China.

Located in the historic centre of Hangzhou, West Lake has put Hangzhou on the map because it is the most beautiful scenic spot in the city...... of over 2,000 years old. It is so beautiful in the spring time that Emperor Qianlong, the fourth emperor of the Qing dynasty fell in love with the area. Today tourists can take a cruise around West Lake where they will be surrounded by hills off in the distance, majestic weeping willows lining the shores, ancient stone bridges and the locals taking a stroll along the causeway.

Also unique to Hangzhou is the production of Longjing tea, in the village of Longjing. Lonjing literally translates to dragon well, because that is the location of a well containing relatively dense water that during rainfall, the lighter rain water would dance on the well water that resembled the movement of a dragon. According to legend, a dragon once lived in the well and was believed to control rainfall. It is said that Emperor Qianlong once visited the village of Longjing where he tasted a cup of Longjing tea in front 18 tea bushes. He loved the tea so much that he designated the tea grown in this area imperial status, fit for royalty.

Located in southwest region of Hangzhou, the village is accessible to vehicles and pedestrians via a tunnel that crosses through three mountains to Longjing, located on the other side. Lined with rows of tea plantations at the foot of the hills, the scenery is breathtaking. Visitors can experience a cup of fresh Longjing tea while taking in the scenery.




1. After a 3.5 hr. bus ride from Shanghai, we finally arrive in the city centre of Hangzhou. I can't help but notice how clean the it is. It is one of the cleanest cities in China (and maybe in the world?) 2.3.4. A look at some of Hangzhou's many beautiful parks. They say that spring is the best time to visit Hangzhou because that is when the flowers and trees are at full bloom. But I found that winter has its own beauty in Hangzhou; it is calm and quiet allowing those who walk through the grounds to be at peace. Come spring, these parks will be flooded with crazy tourists leaving no room to even breathe! (seriously, Chinese tourists can be crazy! :p) 5. The surroundings of the Xintiandi in Hangzhou, a district with upscale bars, cafes and shops. 6. The brass creature floating in the middle of the lake is a buffalo. The scene is named: Golden Buffalo Emerging from West Lake (I did not make this up, there's a sign that says it!). Legend has it that there was a golden buffalo lying at the bottom of the lake who would "emerge" when the Lake ran dry and spread water until it was full again. I couldn't make out the rest of the story, but this is why West Lake has been known as Golden Buffalo Lake since the Han Dynasty. 7. Xihu Tiandi = West Lake Heaven and Earth. This was a bad investment as the night life here in Hangzhou is non-existent unlike Shanghai. 8. That is Su Dong Po (1037-1101), a famous poet of the Song era and the governor of Hangzhou at one point in time. Besides poetry he also wrote about the Chinese iron industry and travel literature in 11th century. 9. A freshly brewed cup of authentic Longjing green tea inside the Longjing Tea Plantation. Produced by hand, it is of exceptional quality for its unique aroma, colour and flavour and great health benefits. It has been given the title of the national tea of China. To get the best taste, do not add boiling water! The temperature should be about 80-85 degrees C. After infusion, you can even eat the tea leaves. 10. The tea leaves are pan fired to stop the fermentation process and therefore the leaves don't dry out and oxidize. This man is famous a world champion of pan firing. He says he is 82 this year but really looks like he's 60. I bet it has something to do with the tea! The first thing that the Chinese do here before anything else in the morning (including going to the bathroom and brushing teeth) is brew themselves a hot cup of tea. No tea means a grumpy person for the rest of the day (kind of like the effects of a lack of coffee in the West). 11. The Longjing village is located on the other side of Fenghuang hill on the west side of West Lake in Hangzhou. In ancient times, travellers would spend days going over the hills to get to the village. The construction of the tunnel crossing through three mountains into Longjing has allowed this unique village and ancient traditions and way of life to be shared with the rest of the world. 12. This is what you get to see on the other side of the tunnel: Hills and hills of tea plants! The women of the village wake up at 3am to start picking leaves until sunrise while the men (like the old man mentioned above) practice their pan firing skills. The tea leaves are pan fired w/ bare hands in a metal pan heated up to about 80-90 degrees. 13. Looking to the South of West Lake is the Leifeng pagoda located on Sunset Hill. The 5- storey octagonal tower was originally built in AD 975 by King Qian Chu of the Wuyue Kingdom to celebrate the birth of his son. It has been rebuilt since 2002 due to its collapse in 1924 and now there are elevators, AC, TVs and speakers inside. lol. 14.15.16. Hangzhou is most famous for its West Lake. It has area of 6.5 square km with 3 causeways allowing visitors across it and surrounded by mountains on 3 sides. I had the pleasure of walking along the Sudi (Su Causeway) built by Su Dong Po in 1089 mentioned above. Here are some sights seen from the boat cruise around the lake. 17. The pointy tower you see in the background is the 7-storey Baochu pagoda located to the North of West Lake on Precious Stone Hill. It was originally constructed in 963 (later reconstructed in 1933) by one of King Qian Chu's minister in the hopes that it would guide his return from a trip to Central China where he was summoned by the Emperor. "Baochu" literally translates into "protect Chu" (Qian Chu). 18. You will see 6 bridges along the whole of West Lake. This one got the best shot! I love the outline of the hills in the background. 19. A view of the city from West Lake (in Old Hangzhou). That is modern Hangzhou. 20. Those are famer's houses supplied by the government in exchange for their farmland. Usually a family of 3 live in one of those giant blocks. Unused areas of the house can be rented out (but not sold). Farmers in South Eastern China have such a good life, they are often very wealthy. 21. An acrobatics night show in Hangzhou. 22. Su Dong Po decided to make stewed pork one day because he was bored. But then a friend came to visit and challenged him to a chess game which made him forget about his cooking until there was a fragrant waft coming from the kitchen and out came what is known today as Dongpo pork, invented by accident.

Rainy days in Shanghai, Paris of the Orient

below: the Pudong skyline on a rainy evening, Shanghai, China
The first stop on my trek to Southeastern China is Shanghai, China's largest modern city and economic centre. It is one of the 4 cities in China that does not politically belong to a province (the other 3 being Beijing, Tianjin and Chongqing). Like Hong Kong, Shanghai doesn't have much of a history although it was once a town of fishing and textiles. Located in the region where the Yangtze river flows into the South China Sea, Shanghai was a port city and in the 19th century was opened to foreign trade.

The city centre is cut in half by the Huangpu river separating Shanghai into the Puxi (浦西 -Huangpu west ) and Pudong (浦東 - Huangpu east) districts. Located west of the Huangpu river, Puxi is known as old Shanghai. It remains cultural, residential and commercial centre of Shanghai. It is home to the Bund, Xintiandi and shopping areas such as Nanjing Road and the City God Temple. On the east side of the Huangpu river, is the newer district of Pudong, China's financial and economic centre. Development of Pudong only started in 1990, can you believe how fast it has developed? Pudong's fantastic skyline comprises of the infamous Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Stock Exchange, the Jin Mao building and the Shanghai World Financial Centre.


1.2. Inside the City God Temple in old Shanghai, is not just a temple, but now a shopping and entertainment district, usually filled with tourists. There is a small temple located in the vicinity though. 3. The front of the Nanxiang Bun Shop, a famous shop selling the most authentic xiao long bao (a bun or dumpling filled in soup) in Shanghai. 4. There are 3 floors to the restaurant, the higher you go the more expensive the xiao long baos are. People are lining up for takeout on the first level. 5. Xiao long bao are steamed in those bamboo baskets (xiao long bao literally translates to "little bamboo basket bun") haha. 6. Lots and lots of people line up for the xiao long bao on the first floor (perhaps they are the best!) 7. Nanxiang (南翔), is the origin of the Shanghai-style xiao long bao. It is a suburb in Shanghai. 8. The shop is famous for their crab meat xiao long bao. Here we are sitting on the third floor of the restaurant enjoying their specialty. To be honest, they weren't THAT tasty but worth trying . 9. 10. Inside the City God Temple. There are tea shops and shop shops. 11. 12. Inside Xintiandi ("New Heaven and Earth") of Shanghai. It is an upscale and classy shopping and entertainment area. The shops, bars and cafes are housed in Shikumen ("stone gate") houses, once traditional housing for 80% of Shanghai's population. It looks very Western here don't you think? Feels like Europe right? 13. Outside of Xintiandi is the area where the first conference of the Communist Party of China was held. 14. This is the exact site of the first conference of th Communist Party of China 15. Shark's fin soup with rice, not sure how traditional this is to Shanghai. 16. The Shanghai Musuem from afar, diplays ancient chinese art. 17. A look at Shanghai's tallest buildings in foggy weather in which you can not see the tops of #1: the Oriental Pearl Tower, a landmark of Shanghai, consisting of 11 spheres. The TV tower was once the tallest tower in Asia at 1,535 ft. high before it was beaten by the completion of Taipei 101. 18. #2: The Shanghai World Financial Centre, completed on Aug. 28, 2008 (the fog has covered up the rectangular hole that appears at the top of the building. It is the second tallest building in the world at 1,614.2 ft. Half of it is an office building and the other half is the Park Hyatt hotel, the tallest hotel in the world when it opens. The tallest bar in the world is located on the 92nd floor of the building. 19. #3:Adjacent to it is the Jin Mao Tower which WAS the tallest building in China until its height was surpassed by the Shanghai World Financial Centre mentioned before. It is 88 stories high and is also an office/hotel (Shanghai Grand Hyatt). These building just keep beating each other for height, and guess what? There is currently a 128-storey Shanghai Tower under construction and will be tallest of the tallest in Shanghai! 20. Nanjing Road, Shanghai's main pedestrian only shopping street and one of the world's busiest. At 6km long, it is the world's longest shopping street. Shanghai's oldest and largest department stores can b e found here. 21. A night view of the Pudong skyline from the Huangpu River. 22. Night time view of the Bund, containing many historical buildings that was once home to most of China's major financial instiutions. The building on the very far left (half cut out of the picture) is the Nissin Building once home to a Japanese shipping company. To the right of that is the Russell & Co. Building, currently housing the China Merchant Shipping Company. The taller building behind that is the Bund Financial Centre, 50 stories tall. In the centre is the Great Northern Telegraph Corporation Building, site of the first telephone switch in Shanghai in 1882. To the right of that is the China Merchants Company Building, the first chinese owned bank in China. On the far right (cut off) is the HSBC Building (Hong and Kong Shanghai Banking Corp.), once the HSBC headquarters, it currently houses the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank. 23. A Pixiu - a mythical creature in feng shui used to ward off evil and draw wealth. It only eats gold and silver (what an appetitie!) It has a head of a dragon, body of a lion, wings of a phoenix. You're supposed to pet it: first the ears to make it listen, then his body, this his bum and after that don't let all that wealth and fortune go, put it in your pocket!