Suzhou, China

Zuhou is a city in China located west and slightly north of Shanghai in the Jiangsu province. It is easily accessible from Shanghai by car and train, and is a natural destination to stop for a few hour for anyone traveling from Shanghai to Hangzhou, which we were.

According to Wikipedia: Suzhou (simplified Chinese: 苏州; traditional Chinese: 蘇州; pinyin: Sūzhōu; Suzhou dialect: [səu][tsøʏ]). The ancient name of Suzhou was Wu (simplified Chinese: 吴; traditional Chinese: 吳; pinyin: Nà; Suzhou dialect: Wú) Suzhou is a city on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Lake Taihu in the province of Jiangsu, China. The city is renowned for its beautiful stone bridges, pagodas, and meticulously designed gardens which have contributed to its status as a great tourist attraction. Since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Suzhou has also been an important centre for China's silk industry and continues to hold that prominent position today. The city is part of the Yangtze River Delta region. The name of the city have been previously transcribed in English in various ways, including Su-chou (Wade-Giles system), Suchow, and Soochow. It is occasionally nicknamed the "Venice of the East" or "Venice of China".

I know Suzhou as one of the cities we stopped in during our tour of central China during the summer of 2009. Suzhou is a very beautiful place with many of the artifacts described in the paragraph above being easily accessible. We visited many of the ancient gardens and villages scattered about the historic city. We didn't sleep in Suzhou, so we only had time to visit the most famous gardens and residences. Here are some highlights from our trip:















In addition to the gardens and ancient homes, Zuzhou also boasts a dominant silk industry across most of China. Suzhou was one of the largest cities to participate in the far east's famous "Silk Road." The Suzhou Silk Museum is a museum in Suzhou, China. It documents the history of silk production and Suzhou embroidery from around 4000 BC. Exhibits include old looms with demonstrations, samples of ancient silk patterns, and an explanation of sericulture. Of major note is a room full of live silk worms, eating mulberry leaves and spinning cocoons. I've heard rumors, though, that since December 2009, the worms have been replaced with models. Sad news! I guess I'm one of the last people to actually see the real silk worms at work in Suzhou.