(The location of Suzhou in China, source: China highlights)
Suzhou is located in southern Jiangsu Province in the center of the Yangtze Delta. Shanghai lies to the east and the Yangtze River to the north. Built in 514 BC, this is an ancient city with over 2,500 years of history. The unique characteristics of the past are still retained today. The double-chessboard layout of the city, with ‘the streets and rivers going side by side while the water and land routes running in parallel’, is preserved intact.
The mild climate makes the city a desirable destination all year round. As the saying goes – ‘Gardens to the south of the Yangtze River are the best in the world, and Suzhou gardens are the best among them’. These gardens attain their high reputation not only for their vast numbers, but also for their charming natural beauty and harmonious construction. At present more than 60 gardens are kept intact in the city, and some of them have been listed in the World Heritage List, figure below is the most famous garden called Humble Administrator’s Garden in Suzhou.(Source: Travel China Guide).
(Humble Administrator’s Garden, source: nipic)
(Pingjiang Road, source: thousand wonders)