Suzhou Library

Suzhou is a major prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. As part of the Yangtze Delta megalopolis, it is a major economic center and focal point of trade and commerce.

Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou rapidly grew in size by the Eastern Han dynasty, mostly due to emigration from northern China. From the 10th century onwards, it has been an important economic, cultural, and commercial center, as well as the largest non-capital city in the world, until it was overtaken by Shanghai. Since economic reforms began in 1978, Suzhou attained GDP growth rates of about 14% in 35 years. In 2023, Suzhou had 5 million registered residents. Suzhou is listed as the 48th cities by scientific output according to the Nature Index 2022. The city is home to universities, including Soochow University, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong–Liverpool University, and Changshu Institute of Technology.

The city's tourist attractions include canals, stone bridges, pagodas, and gardens. The Classical Gardens of Suzhou were added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997 and 2000.

Names

During the Zhou dynasty, a settlement known as Gusu after nearby Mount Gusu ( zh, s=, p=Gūsūshān) became the capital of the state of Wu. From this role, it also came to be called Wu as well. In 514BC, King Helü of Wu established a new capital nearby at Helü City and this grew into the modern city. During the Warring States period, Helü City continued to serve as the local seat of government. From the areas it administered, it became known as Wuxian (. "Wu County") and Wujun ("Wu Commandery"). Under the Qin, it was known as Kuaiji after its greatly enlarged commandery, which was named for the reputed resting place of Yu the Great near modern Shaoxing in Zhejiang.

The name "Suzhou" was first officially used for the city in AD 589 during the Sui dynasty. ''Su'' ( or ) in its name is a contraction of the old name Gusu. It refers to "Satisfied place" in the Old Yue language. The ''zhou'' originally meant something like a province or county (cf. Guizhou), but often came to be used metonymously for the capital of such a region (cf. Guangzhou, Hangzhou, etc.). Suzhou is the Hanyu Pinyin spelling of the Putonghua pronunciation of the name. Prior to the adoption of pinyin, it was variously romanized as Soo-chow, Suchow, or Su-chow.

History

Suzhou, the cradle of Wu culture, is one of the oldest towns in the Yangtze Basin. By the Spring and Autumn period of the Zhou, local Baiyue tribes named the Gou Wu are recorded living in the area which would become the modern city of Suzhou. These tribes formed villages on the edges of the hills above the wetlands surrounding Lake Tai.

Sima Qian's ''Records of the Grand Historian'' records traditional accounts that the Zhou lord Taibo established the state of Wu at nearby Wuxi during the 11th centuryBC, civilizing the local people and improving their agriculture and mastery of irrigation. The Wu court later moved to Gusu within the area of modern Suzhou. In 514BC, King Helü of Wu relocated his court nearby and called the settlement Helü City after himself. His minister Wu Zixu was closely involved with its planning and it was this site that grew into present-day Suzhou. The height of his tower on Gusu Hill (''Gusutai'') passed into Chinese legend. In 496BC, King Helü was buried at Tiger Hill. In 473BC, Wu was defeated and annexed by Yue, a kingdom to its southeast; Yue was annexed in turn by Chu in 306BC. Remnants of the ancient kingdom include pieces of its 2,500-year-old city wall and the gate through it at Pan Gate.

The city was originally laid out according to a symbolic three-by-three grid of nine squares, with the royal palace occupying the central position.

During the Warring States period, Suzhou was the seat of Wu County (, Wú xiàn) and Commandery (, ''Wú jùn''). Following the Qin Empire's conquest of the area in 222BC, it was made the capital of Kuaiji Commandery, including lands stretching from the south bank of the Yangtze to the unconquered interior of Minyue in southern Zhejiang. Amid the collapse of the Qin, Kuaiji's governor Yin Tong attempted to organize his own rebellion only to be betrayed and executed by Xiang Liang and his nephew Xiang Yu, who launched their own rebellion from the city.

When the Grand Canal was completed, Suzhou found itself strategically located on a major trade route. Suzhou served as the regional metropolis of industry and foreign commerce on the southeastern coast of China. During the Tang dynasty, the great poet Bai Juyi constructed the Shantang Canal (better known as " Shantang Street") to connect the city with Tiger Hill for tourists. In AD1035, the Suzhou Confucian Temple was founded by famed poet and writer Fan Zhongyan. It became a venue for the imperial civil examinations and then developed into the modern Suzhou High School in the 1910s.

After February 1130, riots and unrest disrupted Suzhou. In 1356, Suzhou became the capital of Zhang Shicheng, King of Wu. In 1367, Zhang's rival Zhu Yuanzhang took the city after a 10-month siege. Zhu who was soon to proclaim himself the first emperor of the Ming dynasty demolished the old city walls at the center of Suzhou's walled city and imposed crushing taxes on the city and prefecture's powerful families. Despite the heavy taxation and the forced exile of some prominent citizens' south, Suzhou was soon prosperous again. During the early Ming, Suzhou Prefecture supervised the Yangtze shoals which later became Shanghai's Chongming Island."Chongming County" in the ''Encyclopedia of Shanghai'', pp. 50 ff.
Shanghai Scientific & Technical Publishers (Shanghai), 2010. Hosted by the Municipality of Shanghai. For centuries the city, with its surroundings as an economic base, represented an extraordinary source of tax revenue.

When the shipwrecked Korean official Choe Bu had a chance to see much of Eastern China from Zhejiang to Liaoning on his way home in 1488, he described Suzhou in his travel report as exceeding every other city. Under the Ming, Suzhou was a prosperous center of the Nanzhili area controlled by the secondary capital at Nanjing; scholar-officials constructed the area's most famous private gardens during this period in a "Jiangnan style" copied at the time by Shanghai's Yu Garden and later by parts of the empress dowager Cixi's Summer Palace.

After the Qing occupied the area in 1644 and 1645, it was reorganized as Jiangnan Province, whose "Right" Governor controlled its eastern prefectures from Suzhou until the division of Jiangnan into the separate provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui at some point during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. The Taipings captured the city in 1860. Many of its former buildings and gardens were "almost... a heap of ruins" by the time of their recovery by Charles Gordon's Ever-Victorious Army in November 1863. Nonetheless, by 1880, its population was estimated to have recovered to about 500,000, which remained stable for the next few decades. In the late 19th century, the town was particularly known for its wide range of silks and its Chinese-language publishing industry. The town was first opened to direct foreign trades by the Treaty of Shimonoseki ending the First Sino-Japanese War and by the most favored nation clauses of earlier unequal treaties with the Great Powers. The new expatriates opened a European-and-Chinese school in 1900 and the Suzhou railway station, connecting it with Shanghai, opened on 16 July 1906. Just prior to World War I, there were 7000 silk looms in operation, as well as a cotton mill and a large trade in rice.

As late as the early 20th century, much of the city consisted of islands connected by rivers, creeks, and canals to the surrounding countryside. Prior to their demolition, the city walls ran in a circuit of about with four large suburbs lying outside. The Japanese invaded in 1937, and many gardens were again devastated by the end of the war. In the early 1950s, restoration was done on the Humble Administrator's Garden and the Lingering Garden.

Administrative divisions

Suzhou is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu Province, administratively divided into six urban districts and four county-level cities. The city’s urban core, Gusu District, is historically known as the "Old Town" and preserves Suzhou’s iconic canals, classical gardens, and cultural heritage. Established in 2016 through the merger of three former districts (Canglang, Pingjiang, and Jinchang), Gusu remains the political and cultural heart of the city.

To the east of Gusu lies Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), a nationally designated economic zone established in 1994 through a landmark China-Singapore partnership. To the west, the Suzhou High-Tech District serves as a hub for technology and innovation, founded in 1992.

The city’s administrative structure expanded significantly in the 21st century: In 2000, the former Wu County was abolished and split into Xiangcheng District (north) and Wuzhong District (south). In 2012, Wujiang City, a former county-level city, was incorporated as Wujiang District, strengthening Suzhou’s governance over Taihu Lake’s eastern shores.

Suzhou’s economic prosperity is bolstered by its integrated network of county-level cities, which operate with significant autonomy under the prefecture-level administration. These include: Kunshan: A global manufacturing powerhouse and home to China’s first county-level economy to exceed RMB 500 billion GDP (2022). Taicang: A major port and hub for over 500 German-invested industries. Changshu: Known for textiles, machinery, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Mount Yushan). Zhangjiagang: A leading ecological city and river port on the Yangtze.

Together, Suzhou’s districts and county-level cities form one of China’s most economically dynamic regions, hosting over 16,000 high-tech enterprises (as of 2023) and contributing to around 20% of Jiangsu Province’s GDP.

Geography

Suzhou (coordinates: 31°18′6.1″N 120°34′51.9″E) is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Jiangsu Province, China, situated within the Yangtze River Delta—one of the world’s most economically dynamic regions. The city lies on the Lake Tai Plain, a fertile alluvial basin bordered by Lake Tai (Taihu) to tflrhe southwest, China’s third-largest freshwater lake (2,578 km²), and the Yangtze Riverto the north. Suzhou covers a total area of 8,657.32 square kilometers. The terrain is predominantly low-lying and flat, crossed by numerous rivers and lakes. The majority of Lake Tai (Taihu)’s surface area lies within Suzhou’s boundaries. Rivers, lakes, and mudflats collectively account for 36.6% of the city’s total land area, solidifying its reputation as a Jiangnan water town (a region south of the Yangtze River renowned for its aquatic landscapes).

Location and Connectivity

Proximity to Major Cities:

Shanghai: 100 km (62 mi) to the southeast (~30 minutes by high-speed rail).

Nanjing: 200 km (124 mi) to the northwest (~1 hour by high-speed rail).

Topography

Suzhou features low-lying and flat terrain, with plains accounting for 53.7% of its total area. The city belongs to two first-level natural geographic regions: the Yangtze River Delta Plain and the Taihu Lake Plain, which are further divided into four second-level natural zones: Yangtze River Coastal Plain and Sandbar Area, Suxi (Suzhou-Wuxi) Plain Area, Taihu Lake and Lakeside Hilly Area, and Yangcheng-Dianmao Lowland Area.

The landform is characterized by gentle plains. Suzhou’s terrain is uniformly low-lying, sloping gradually from west to east. The elevation of its plains ranges between 3–4 meters, while areas around Yangcheng Lake and Wujiang drop to approximately 2 meters.

Low mountains and hills are scattered sporadically, typically reaching heights of 100–350 meters, concentrated in the western mountainous regions and Taihu Lake islands. Notable peaks include: Qionglong Mountain (342 meters, the highest), Nanyang Mountain (338 meters), Misty Peak of West Dongting Mountain (336 meters), Moli Peak of East Dongting Mountain (293 meters), Qizi Mountain (294 meters), Tianping Mountain (201 meters), Lingyan Mountain (182 meters), Yuyang Mountain (171 meters), Yushan Mountain (262 meters), Tan Mountain (252 meters).

Hydrology

The ancient city of Suzhou is renowned for its intricate network of rivers, canals, and densely clustered lakes. Notable water bodies include Taihu Lake (太湖) and Caohu Lake (漕湖) in the west; Dianshan Lake (淀山湖) and Chenghu Lake (澄湖) in the east; Kuncheng Lake (昆承湖) in the north; and Yangcheng Lake (阳澄湖), Jinji Lake (金鸡湖), and Dushu Lake (独墅湖) in the central region. The Yangtze River and the Grand Canal traverse the city’s northern area. Water from Taihu Lake flows northward into the Yangtze River and eastward through the Dianmao wetlands (淀泖地区) into the Huangpu River, while the Grand Canal enters from the west at Wangting (望亭) and exits southward at Shengze (盛泽). Historically, the "Three Rivers" (三江) drained directly to the sea, but today their waters merge into the Huangpu River, forming Suzhou’s three major hydrological systems. Crisscrossed by countless waterways, Suzhou is celebrated as the “Water Capital”, “Aquatic City”, and “Jiangnan Water Town”, famously dubbed the “Venice of the East” in the 13th-century The Travels of Marco Polo.

Climate

Suzhou has a four-season humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and cool, cloudy, damp winters with occasional snowfall (Köppen climate classification ''Cfa''). Northwesterly winds blowing from Siberia during winter can cause temperatures to fall below freezing at night, while southerly or southwesterly winds during the summer can push temperatures above . The hottest temperature recorded since 1951 at Wuzhong District was at on 7 August 2013, and the lowest at on 16 January 1958, though an unofficial record low of was recorded on 10 January 1933.

Cityscape and environment

File:Lingering Garden - 石林小院晚翠峰 20220904.jpg, Lingering Garden
File:Couples garden moveable pavilion.jpg, Couple's Retreat Garden
File:2017-04-15 Changmen, Suzhou.jpg, Changmen at night
File:Suzhou Xuanmiao Guan 2015.04.23 17-54-47.jpg, Xuanmiao Temple
File:2017-04-16 Humble Administrator's Garden 01.jpg, The Humble Administrator's Garden
File:Lion Grove Garden Suzhou November 2017 009.jpg, Lion Grove Garden
File:Youyicun garden.jpg, An entrance to the Youyicun Garden
File:Suzhou's North Temple Pagoda.JPG, Beisi Pagoda
File:Ruiguang Pagoda, Suzhou.jpg, Ruiguang Pagoda

Classical Gardens of Suzhou

Suzhou is famous for its over 60 Classical Gardens, collectively a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city has the most UNESCO-recognized gardens in the world.

The Humble Administrator's Garden and Lingering Garden are among the four most famous classical gardens in China. The Canglang Pavilion, Lion Grove Garden, Humble Administrator's Garden and Lingering Garden, respectively representing the garden styles of traditional architecture are called the four most famous gardens in Suzhou. Other gardens inscribed on the World Heritage List include the Couple's Retreat Garden, the Garden of Cultivation, and the Retreat and Reflection Garden. Five Peaks Garden which dates to the Ming dynasty (1522–1566) is also located in the Suzhou. Ming painter Wen Boren established his home on the site. The original name was Qiayin Shanfang and the garden is located at Changmin West Street.

Temples

*Hanshan Temple
* Xiyuan Temple
* Xuanmiao Temple
* Lingyanshan Temple
* Chongyuan Temple

Canals and Historic Districts

The Suzhou section of the Jiangnan Canal, Grand Canal (China), includes ten city gates and over 20 stone bridges of traditional design and historic areas that have been well preserved, as well as temples and pavilions. Xinshi Bridge is a bridge that has been built over this canal.

There are a full 24 waterways in Suzhou near the Grand Canal.

In 2015, both 800-year-old Pingjiang Road Historical Block () and 1,200-year-old Shantang Street Scenic Area () were added to the list of China's "National Historic and Cultural Streets".

Pingjiang Road runs parallel to the Pingjiang River for 1.5 kilometers and is lined with homes and some teahouses. Shantang Street, over twice as long at 3.8 km, is described by the BBC as retaining "the alluring qualities of an old canal-side street: whitewashed buildings are completed by red-tasseled lanterns that swing softly in the breeze, adding to the charm of the river bank".

Boat tours are offered on the waterways of this city that was dubbed the "Venice of the East" by Marco Polo because of its criss-crossing canals and stone bridges. The Grand Canal (from Beijing to Zhejiang province) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Resorts and natural reserves

Suzhou Taihu National Tourism and Vacation Zone () is in the western part of Suzhou, from the city center.

Skyscrapers

Gate to the East is a 301.8-meter, 74-story skyscraper in Suzhou's central business district, built in 2015 at a cost of US$700 million and is currently the tallest building in Suzhou.

Suzhou IFS is a building home to 95 floors near Gate to the East. You can see the tower from Huqiu, which is a special tourist attraction in Suzhou.

Pan Gate

Pan Gate is on the southwest corner of the Main Canal or encircling canal of Suzhou. Originally built during the Warring States period in the state of Wu, historians estimate it to be around 2,500 years old. It is now part of the ''Pan Gate Scenic Area''. It is known for the "three landmarks of Pan Gate". They are the Ruiguang Pagoda, the earliest pagoda in Suzhou built in 247BC, the ''Wu Gate Bridge'', the entrance to the gate at that time over the water passage and the highest bridge in Suzhou at the time, and the ''Pan Gate''. The Ruigang Pagoda is constructed of brick with wooden platforms and has Buddhist carvings at its base.

Baodai Bridge

Baodai Bridge stretches across the Tantai Lake in the suburbs of Suzhou. To raise money to finance the bridge, the magistrate donated his expensive belt, hence the name. The bridge was first built in 806 A.D. in the Tang dynasty and has 53 arches with a length of 317 meters. It was made out of stone from Jinshan Mountain and is the longest standing bridge of its kind in China. The bridge was included on the list of national monuments (resolution 5–285) in 2001.

Tiger Hill

Tiger Hill is known for its natural environment and historical sites. The hill is so named because it is said to look like a crouching tiger. Another legend states that a white tiger appeared on the hill to guard it following the burial The hill has been a tourist destination for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, as is evident from the poetry and calligraphy carved into rocks on the hill. The Song dynasty poet, Su Shi said, "It is a lifelong pity if having visited Suzhou you did not visit Tiger Hill."

Pagodas

Yunyan Pagoda (or Huqiu Tower), built in 961, is a Chinese pagoda built on Tiger Hill in Suzhou. It has several other names, including the "Leaning Tower of China" (as referred to by historian O.G. Ingles)Ingles (1982), 144. and the Yunyan Temple Tower. The tower rises to a height of 47 m (154 ft). It is a seven-story octagonal building built with blue bricks. In more than a thousand years the tower has gradually slanted due to forces of nature. Now the top and bottom of the tower vary by 2.32 meters. The entire structure weighs some , supported by internal brick columns.Ingles (1982), 145. However, the tower leans roughly 3 degrees due to the cracking of two supporting columns.

Beisi Pagoda or North Temple Pagoda is a Chinese pagoda at Bao'en Temple in Suzhou. It rises nine stories in a height of . It is the tallest Chinese pagoda south of the Yangtze river.

Twin Pagodas ( zh, s=苏州双塔, t=蘇州雙塔) lie in the Dinghui Temple Lane in the southeastern corner of the city proper of Suzhou. They are artistic and natural as they are close at hand. One of them is called "Clarity-Dispensing Pagoda," and the other, the "Beneficence Pagoda"; they are in the same form of architecture. There are many legends about this one-thousand-year-old pagodas. It is charming that the exquisite and straight Twin Pagoda look like two inserted writing brushes. There was originally a single-story house with three rooms just like a writing brush holder with the shadows of the two pagodas reclining on its roof at sunset. To the east of the pagoda is a square five-story bell building built in the Ming dynasty which appears exactly like a thick ink stick. So there is a saying that "the Twin Pagodas are as writing brushes while the bell building as ink stick".

Museums

The city's major museums include the Suzhou Museum (designed by I. M. Pei), Suzhou Silk Museum, and the China Kunqu Museum.

Hospitals

As a result of its recent rapid population increase, healthcare demand in Suzhou is increasing rapidly. In July 2019, Washington University School of Medicine announced a collaboration with Huici Health Management Co., and the Xiangcheng District, to open the new Huici Medical Center, which will include a 1,000-bed hospital for adult and pediatric patients. Once the hospital is unveiled, Washington University doctors in St. Louis will be able to provide long-distance health-care services to patients in China through a telemedicine program.

Demographics

The population of Suzhou is predominantly Han Chinese. The official language of broadcast, instruction, etc. is Mandarin Chinese, although many speak a local dialect known as Suzhounese, a member of the Wu language family. In addition to American and European expatriates, there is a large Korean community in Suzhou. The Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) estimated that there were 15,000 Koreans in the municipality in 2014. That year 850 Korean companies operated in Suzhou, and the Koreans made up the largest number of students at the Suzhou Singapore International School.

Economy

Suzhou's economy is based primarily on its large manufacturing sector—China's first largest(from 2020)—including iron and steel, IT and electronic equipment, and textile products. The city's service sector is notably well-developed, primarily owing to tourism, which brought in a total of RMB 152 billion of revenue in 2013. Suzhou's overall GDP exceeded RMB 1.3 trillion in 2013 (up 9.6 percent from the year previous)."China Regional Focus: Suzhou, Jiangsu Province"
, ''China Briefing'', Shanghai, 2 May 2014.

The city is also one of China's foremost destinations for foreign investment, based on its relative proximity to Shanghai and comparatively low operating costs. The municipal government has enacted various measures to encourage FDI in a number of manufacturing (e.g. pharmaceutical, electronic goods, automobile) and service (e.g. banking, logistics, research services) sectors. Included among these measures is a preferential tax policy for limited partnership venture capital enterprises in the Suzhou Industrial Park.

Suzhou is a highly developed economic region in China and is the economic centre, industrial, commercial and logistical hub city of Jiangsu province, as well as an important financial, cultural, artistic, educational and transportation centre.

Agriculture

In 2013, total grain production reached 1,311,200 tonnes, a decrease of 2.9%. Grain supply was effectively guaranteed through the vigorous construction of commodity grain production bases, wholesale grain markets and reserve systems.

Traditional handicrafts

Suzhou has a long history of reeling silkworms and has always been an important base for silk production in China. Since the Song and Yuan dynasties, Suzhou has been one of the centres of silk weaving and dyeing in the country, and in the Ming dynasty, Suzhou silk was praised as the "clothing of the world".

Development zones

Suzhou Industrial Park

The Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) is the largest cooperative project between the Chinese and the Singaporean government. It is beside Jinji Lake, which lies to the east of the Suzhou Old City. On 26 February 1994, Vice Premier Li Lanqing and Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, representing China and Singapore respectively, signed an agreement to jointly develop Suzhou Industrial Park (originally called the Singapore Industrial Park). The project officially commenced on 12 May in the same year. SIP has a jurisdiction area of , of which, the China-Singapore cooperation area covers with a planned residential population of 1.2 million.

SIP is home to the Suzhou Dushu Lake Science and Education Innovation District, an area of universities and higher education institutions, including Soochow University and Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. Suzhou Industrial Park is also a popular residential district for many foreigners who work and live in Suzhou, as well as 'new Suzhou' residents who migrate to the area in search of work opportunities.

Suzhou Industrial Park Export Processing Zone

The Suzhou Industrial Park Export Processing Zone was approved to be established by the government in April 2000, with a planning area of . It is in Suzhou Industrial Park set up by China and Singapore. Inside the Export Processing Zone, all the infrastructures are of high standard.

Suzhou New District

The Suzhou New District was established in 1990. In November 1992, the zone was approved to be the national-level hi-tech industrial zone. By the end of 2007, foreign-invested companies had a registered capital worth of US$13 billion, of which US$6.8 billion was paid in. SND hosts now more than 1,500 foreign companies. Some 40 Fortune 500 companies set up 67 projects in the district.

Sports

The Suzhou Dongwu currently play in China League One, the second highest level of Chinese professional football competition. The 13,000 seat Suzhou Industrial Park Sports Arena was one of the venues for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Transportation

Railway

Suzhou is on the Shanghai-Nanjing corridor which carries three parallel railways. Suzhou railway station, near the city center, is among the busiest passenger stations in China. It is served by the Beijing–Shanghai railway (mostly "conventional" trains to stations throughout China) and the Shanghai-Nanjing intercity railway (high-speed D- and G-series trains providing frequent service primarily between Shanghai and Nanjing). It takes only 25 minutes to reach Shanghai railway station on the fastest G-series trains and less than 1 hour to Nanjing.

The Suzhou North railway station, a few kilometers to the north, is on the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway

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