First Impressions: Beautiful Suzhou

I have always felt that Suzhou was overshadowed by its neighbouring major cities of Shanghai and Hangzhou.  Shanghai is the largest and arguably the most famous metropolis in all of China and Hangzhou is a very popular domestic destination for local travelers due to the popularity of the West Lake.  For me, it’s not really fair to compare Suzhou to Shanghai, as Shanghai has a population of over 14 million compared to Suzhou’s 1.3 million residents.  Even Hangzhou is twice as large in terms of population.  However, if I had to visit the area again, I would choose Suzhou over Hangzhou in a heartbeat.

Rightfully known as the city of gardens and canals, you can’t walk 15 minutes without bumping into either a garden or a canal. Both have played a big part in the city’s development throughout the years and help define the city to the rest of China and the world. 

After spending a couple of days in Suzhou, I can safely say that the government of the city definitely likes to spend money on beautifying the city.  From street lamps to bus stops to street signs and even garbage cans, the city is decorated with intricate details that I hadn’t seen before in any other Chinese city.

Here are some examples of the details we noticed around Suzhou.

It is truly a beautiful city.  During the day, you can visit the gardens and during the night, you can spend time appreciating the city built around the canals.  Suzhou is a mere 20 minute bullet train ride from Shanghai, so you I would definitely recommend tagging this on to any Shanghai trip.