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Hangzhou's District of
Suzhou
Administrator:
Position is currently vacant
Located in Jiangsu province a short distance from Hangzhou, the city of Suzhou was founded during the Warring States Period of the Eastern Zhou dynasty, became a center of the silk trade during the Song dynasty and is most famous for its beautiful gardens. 
L
ocated in a short distance from Hangzhou in southeastern Jiangsu province, the city of Suzhou is encircled by the Grand Canal and has sometimes been called the Venice of the East, since forty-two percent of its area is covered by water. Traversing through its streets like threads of quicksilver are numerous small canals, which are used by the populace to travel around almost as much as the roads are. Tucked into bends and nooks of the waterways are the real treasures of Suzhou, the wonderful classical gardens.
History The earliest people to inhabit the site were the Gou Wu in the late Shang dynasty. King Helu of Wu built his capital there in 514 BCE which he named for himself, The Great City of Helu. The walls of his city measured 23.5 km (14.60 statute miles) in circumference and contained numerous water gates. In 473, the State of Wu was defeated by the Yue, who lived to the east of the city. By the Qin dynasty, the city was called Wu County and was the scene of the uprising perpetrated by Xiang Yu, which contributed to the overthrow of the Qin. When the Grand Canal linking many of the older canals in China was constructed during the Sui dynasty, Suzhou became a center of the silk trade. It was during the Sui dynasty that Wu's city was renamed Suzhou, in 589 CE. During the Song dynasty, nearby Hangzhou was the imperial capital and Suzhou grew as well, a convenient retreat for scholars, retired officials and merchants, who began the construction of the gardens for which Suzhou is today famous. During the Tang dynasty (618-907), the canals were expanded and further linked, and Suzhou became the site for the civil examinations which allowed successful applicants to obtain a lucrative job with the government. In 1130 Suzhou was sacked by the Jin army from the north, who were followed by the Mongols in 1275. During the Yuan dynasty, Marco Polo visited "Su-chau", describing it as "a large and very splendid city which exercises authority over sixteen others, all large and busy centers of trade and industry". He remarked on Suzhou's stone bridges, the quantity and quality of silk, the use of paper money, and the abundance of rhubarb and ginger growing in the adjacent mountains. Suzhou's citizens he described as "clever and capable merchants and skilled practitioners of every craft, and among them are wise philosophers and natural physicians with a great knowledge of nature". Suzhou became even more prosperous during the Ming dynasty, partially due to the increased success of the silk trade. The city was the fashionable spot to live for scholars and retired government officials. Landscape gardening in the region reached its apex during this period, with privately owned gardens numbering almost three hundred. If you're interested in gardening, please read the article, The Classical Gardens of Suzhou for a more detailed description of these works of art in nature.  King Helu was buried by his son on Tiger Hill, sometimes called Surging Sea Hill. The hill covers about 14,100 square meters (over three acres) and is 36 meters (118 feet) in height. It is so named because it is said to look like a crouching tiger, although others say that its name comes from a legendary white tiger that appeared on his tomb three days after the burial of the king to guard it. The hill has been a tourist destination for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, as is evident from the poetry, images and calligraphy carved into rocks on the hill. Visitors can also see the Sword Testing Rock which is said to be the stone upon which King Helu tested all his swords, of which testing a visible split in the rock remains today. King Helu was a sword collector and there is a legend that he was buried with three thousand swords, but since all of the thousand workers on his tomb were said to have killed upon its completion, there was no one left to tell where the cache of rare and valuable swords might be found. No trace of the workers' remains have been found either. The oldest pagoda in Suzhou and a symbol of the city, the Yunyan Pagoda is a seven story octahedron which was built during the Northern Song dynasty. The structure rises 48 meters high (158 feet) and has a definite lean to the northwest, reminiscent of another lopsided landmark in Italy. Culture With its notably soft tones, the Suzhou dialect is said to characterize the image of city as one of feminine beauty, tenderness, serenity, subtlety, and elegance. This elegance is reflected not only in the gardens of the city, but in its arts as well. The area around Suzhou gave rise to Kunqu opera, which is the oldest form of Chinese opera. It dominated Chinese theatre from the 16th to the 18th century. Here is a link to an article about this form of theatre: What is Kunqu Theatre? Suzhou is also noted for its handcrafts. The delicate and detailed Su embroidery, along with intricate fans, brocades and Taohuawu woodcut pictures are still in great demand today. Local Cuisine The dishes of Suzhou are made with a variety of fresh vegetables and freshwater fish, and they are noted for being very light and delicate. Famous dishes include Mandarin Fish in Squirrel Shape, Emerald Snails, Eel Paste, Snowflake Crab, Vegetable Duck, Vegetable in Clear Soup, Steamed Pork in Lotus Leaves, Beggar's Chicken, Crisp Rice Crust Soup, and Dongpo Pork. The last is probably borrowed from its neighbor, Hangzhou, where the pork dish was first made famous. Pastry specialties include Four Happiness Steamed Dumplings, Square Cakes, Osmanthus Lotus Root, Twin Color Beans, and Steamed Buns with Crab Meat. Suzhou natives celebrate many food festivals during the year. One of the most famous is the Crab Feast, held in early autumn. Famous Citizens Sun Tzu, author of The Art of War is thought to have lived around Suzhou during King Wu's reign. Lu Yu, a poet of the Song dynasty, was an expert on tea. When he was an old man, he lived on Tiger Hill where he completed his book, The Treatise of Tea, the first book ever written on the subject, which popularized the growing and consumption of tea in Suzhou. He ordered a still extant well on Tiger Hill to be dug, and claimed that its water was the third best to be had in all of China. Fan Zhongyan was a noted politician, educator, strategist and writer during the Song dynasty. He was known for his ci, Chinese lyric poetry, and for his political work, Yueyang Lou Ji. Shen Kuo, a scientist during the Song dynasty, invented a compass for navigation and discovered that compasses point to the magnetic north pole, rather than to the true north. Tang Yin was an artist of the Ming dynasty. View his paintings Kuai Xiang was the architect during the early Ming dynasty who built the original front gate to the imperial palace in Beijing. Then it was called Chengtianmen, or Gate of Receiving Grace from Heaven. It burned and was rebuilt in the late Ming dynasty, and now is known as the Tian'anmen Gate, the Gate of Heavenly Peace. Qiu Ying, known as one of the Four Great Masters of the Qing dynasty, he was noted for his meticulously detailed brushwork in his paintings of flowers, gardens, religious subjects, architecture and landscapes. Resources: Wikipedia-Suzhou Suzhou China China.org.cn Suzhou Travel Guide Gernet, Jacques, Daily Life in China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion, Stanford University Press, 1970 Latham, Ronald, trans. The Travels of Marco Polo, London: Folio Society, 1997, p. 178-179. Image: GNU Free Documentation License 
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