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In
the lower reaches of the Yangtze and on the shores of Lake Taihu
lies the 2500-year-old city of Suzhou, the cradle of Wu culture.
The
name "Wu" often applied to refer to Suzhou, derived from
the local tribes who named themselves "Gou Wu" in the
late Shang Dynasty about 11th century BC. Later, King Helu of Wu
State in 514 BC built his capital here known as the "Great
City of Helu" and since then the city's site and scale have
remained virtually unchanged, making Suzhou a rare city of
historical and cultural renown in the world.
Situated
on 30.47-32.02 degrees north latitude and 119.55-121.20 degrees
east longitude and bordering on shanghai in the east, Zhejiang
Province in the south, Lake Taihu in the west and the Yangtze in
the north, Suzhou enjoys a mild and humid climate and is easily
accessible by water, land and air communications.
Talking
about Suzhou, people would mention the old saying: "Paradise
in Heaven, Suzhou and Hangzhou on earth." Since there can be
places elsewhere compared to paradise, the saying does not specify
the style of Suzhou lies in "Softness", like the tone of
Wu dialect, which also sums up the character in feminine beauty,
tenderness, serenity, sutlety and elegance.
The natural scenery of hills and waters in
Suzhou is as charming as a delicate beauty. Of the whole area, 10
per cent is cultivated fields, 30 per cent 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 grey rooftiles
match one another in tranquil elegance. As a poem describes,
" On arriving in Suzhou you behold: Houses are all pillowed
on water's edge." The gentle waters make the prominent urban
scenery.
The poetic and picturesque Suzhou gardens
are a typical demonstration of simple elegance, with intriguing
scenes found in every season and in all weathers.
Endowed
with abundant native produce, the rich and exquisite Suzhou
cuisine sets a style of its own on this " land of plenty
".
The
traditional performing arts of Suzhou are best represented by the
Kunqu Opera, Suzhou Opera and Ballad singing, reputed both in
China and overseas for their minute acting and harmonic melody.
The
folds here are honest, good-natured, friendly and hospitable a
tradition from times of yore.
As
a major tourist city of wide reputation, Suzhou lives up to all
the expectations in food, hotel accommodations, transport,
sight-seeing, shopping and recreation.
A
metropolis of industry and commerce in the south-eastern coast of
China since ancient times, Suzhou has always been a hub for
merchants, which as the Tang poet Bai Juyi described over a
thousand years ago : "...has a population greater than
Yangzhou Prefecture and more than half of the shops in Chang'an,
the capital." The Italian traveller Marco Polo praised Suzhou
600 years ago as a "noble and great city". The classic
novel " Dream of the Red Mansions " written 200 years
ago sets the beginning of the story in Changmen, a prosperous area
outside the city gate of Suzhou, depicted as a "prime social
congregation of the rich and cultured."
Today's
Suzhou is an open city with developed economy and frequent
exchanges with the outside world. It has been officially declared
part of "the coastal economic open zone of the Yangtze
Delta". Comprehensive industrial system has taken shape, and
there has been tremendous expansion in foreign trade and
international economic co-operation. Currently, Suzhou has sister
cities in Italy, Canada, Japan and the United States.
Recognized
in the olden times as the "most aspiring city of prosperity
and civilization in the Southeast" Suzhou is favoured by
geographical, natural and human factors in its development. It is
indeed a land of fertile resources and place of talents. The
"Suzhou" pictorial serves to give the readers only a
cursive account of the region in the hope that people in China and
overseas will have better knowledge of Suzhou. In doing so,
however, a lot must have been missed in the book. "Seeing is
believing." You are warmly expected to visit Suzhou. Here,
what you see and hear will surely heave you a lasting impression.
Suzhou
is China's well-known "city of gardens", which tops all
others in both the number and the artistry of gardens. Dating from
Pi Jiang Garden of the Eastern Jing Dynasty,Suzhou's art of
gardening has undergone a history of 1, 500 years. There were once
over 200 gardens in the city,and 69 of them are still in good
preservation today. The concept of Suzhou classical gardens has
gone beyond the city limits,since it generally refers to all those
private gardens built in the regions south of the Yangtze.
The
Suzhou garden originated from the desire to retire from the strife
of officialdom and to shun from worldly affairs. It seeks the
return to Nature and the cultivation of temperament. In Taoist
philosophy and the refinement of culture underlies the theme of
the garden. Hills and waters,flowers and trees,pavilion,
terraces,towers and halls constitute the basic garden
elements,while the prominent tone is expressed in the dark colour
of roof tiles,the grey of bricks,and chestnut brown of wooden
pillars.
Suzhou
garden is the Nature in nutshell ,which enables one to "feel
the charm of mountains,forest and springs without going out of the
noisy surroundings of the town". Its human interest also lies
in that the architect, philosopher, poet, painter, and common folk
can all find in it the idea,the flavour,the lines and the rhythm.
The unfolding of the garden vistas is the verisimilitude of a
landscape scroll. When enjoying tea, poem,flower arrangement or
playing musical instrument in the garden,one gains the most
natural inspiration. To those tourists desiring to understand
China, Suzhou garden is the best museum.
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