Blogs from Suzhou, Jiangsu, China, Asia
April 20th 2012
Zhouzhuang & Suzhou photos on: http://s251.photobucket.com/albums/gg311/draftwrite/China-Zhouzhuang-Suzhou-2012/ Other photos on: http://s251.photobucket.com/albums/gg311/draftwrite/ …..Zhouzhuang is small canal town about an hour by bus from Suzhou, or north west from Shanghai. After Chen Yifei, an artist from Zhouzhuang living in the USA, painted “Memories of Hometown” in 1984 it was bought by oil tycoon Armond Hammer, later presented to then Chinese Premier Deng Xiao Ping. Later still the UN made use of the image & soon everyone in China wanted to have a look at the place. It has become a rather overrated tourist trap, quite pretty but, with tickets to get in at ¥100 per head, some ov... read more
February 27th 2012
This past Saturday, Lauren and I took the train to the historic city of Suzhou. The city has been inhabited for thousands of years and is renowned for it's many canals and classical Chinese gardens. It took us about 30 minutes on the high speed rail from Changzhou to get to Suzhou Station. There are 10 million people in the city limits, so needless to say it was a little packed. We got a little impatient waiting in the long taxi line, so with limited knowledge of the city layout we hopped on a bus and crossed our fingers we'd end up somewhere near our hotel. Luckily, the bus took us into the center of the old city and we hopped off at Guanqian, a busy shopping district. After exploring a bit, we decided to look ... read more
January 23rd 2012
Whisked at the speed of 307kph between cities built and those yet to be built, we saw spanking new stations and infrastructure to support the burgeoning buildings rising like flightless birds from the land. Any small hill stands ravaged, chopped and carved for stone, slate or any other mineral which could be extracted. The remnants of a former life flung over the land but locked into a centrifugal force around the new cities springing up at the rate of at least one a month the size of Houston. Old tenements, shikumen, and hutong demolished and swallowed in the quest for new. Beijing was a place of happenstance. Thinking only of obtaining our Mongolian visa we stood in line outside the embassy for about 1 ½ hours in the bitter cold and having handed over the passports ... read more
Oh China, I love you but some days you are entirely bonkers!
Published: January 21st 2012Asia » China » Jiangsu » SuzhouJanuary 21st 2012
Forgetting the long introduction and insight into my life ambitions and dreams I’m just going to start my blog with telling you my story of this very day. After all this is all we’ve really got, today. And my ‘today’ was one to be remembered, whether I want to or not. So this story starts out in Suzhou. Suzhou is a city in China which was stamped with the label of “Venice of the East” a long time ago and later bulldozed and modified as most cities of China today are. However Suzhou is full of charming canals and side streets where bicycles glide through a China that is mixed with the present and past. Through my eyes it is a place to slow down and relax as that is exactly what I came here to ... read more
January 2nd 2012
One day this fall, I made a day trip to a city a bit to the west of Shanghai called Suzhou. Suzhou has a long history. I have heard that for many years, Shanghai was called “Little Suzhou.” It used to be a major center of trade, and is especially famous for its silks. The city gets marketed as “The Venice of the East,” which might have fit it better before many of its canals were paved over and all the concrete high-rises went up in the twentieth century. Some of its canals remain, though. I visited a stretch of one canal where there are a number of shops and teahouses in old, classically Chinese buildings. Suzhou’s appeal to tourists is now primarily in its gardens. A number of gardens are well preserved from as long ... read more
December 17th 2011
We went to the train station and bought our tickets to Shanghai and then stood in line to catch a cab to Tiger Hill. We translated the word tiger and hill but the taxi driver still didn't understand... so then another guy took our map and showed someone else and someone else, who finally said "tiger hill?" and then translated to the driver. Its always chaotic to go anywhere! Tiger Hill, also known as Huqiu Mountain (Tiger Mountain). According to historic records, Fuchai, Emperor of Wu State during the Spring and Autumn Period buried his father Helu here. It was said that three days after the burial, a white tiger was seen crouching over the grave, hence the name Tiger hill. Later during the Song Dynasty the name was changed to Yunyan Buddhist Temple, and during ... read more
December 16th 2011
We posted a post on couchsurfing last night mentioning all the things we want to see in Suzhou and asked if anyone could recommend a route for us. We woke up to an email suggesting a walking tour! Just what Tris and I love. We caught a taxi to Shi Quan Ji Street: a street known for its nightlift and went to the recommended steamed bun place for breakfast. After trying one, Tris went back for more. I had trouble keeping the juice off my hands, and dribbling down my sleeves. I must've looked like an idiot trying to eat them. We finally sat down and I ate them leaning forward between my legs so the juice would drip on the ground, rather than on me. We walked to the Master of Nets Garden. It is ... read more
Shanghai to Suzhou - chillis and gardens and a pagoda
Published: December 16th 2011Asia » China » Jiangsu » Suzhou
December 16th 2011
There was a bit of a "gap" there folks due to the fact that occasionally I have to have a rest from the (self-imposed) tyranny of the blog. I am now in Suzhou which is about 45 minutes from Shanghai on a relatively fast CRH train. You should see a picture of the actual train that I arrived on below. The trick was of course to get to the station in Shanghai and a taxi was necessary for this which cost about $3.50. Then it was a question of finding out where to buy the ticket, as the station is huge (see also picture attached of the frontage). I tried the automated machines, on which you can select English, but ground to a halt I thought when it requested me to place my Chinese ID on ... read more
December 15th 2011
My birthday fell on a teaching day so I made all six classes that I taught sing me happy birthday a few times and then make me birthday cards. I have never received 180 birthday cards on my birthday before! I was teaching at the nice primary school that Thursday too so it turned out to be a good day. After work I went for a hot pot dinner with my friend and her boyfriend. They bought me a birthday cake and some crazy Chinese birthday candle. After dinner we set off loads of fireworks at the school. Good food. Good fun. The plastic lotus flower crazy Chinese birthday candle was supposed to open when lit and play a happy birthday tune. But it didnt open, caught fire, melted plastic and the tune sounded mash up. ... read more
December 7th 2011
Ya, there is such a place in Zhujiajou, 1 hour drive out of Shanghai on the west, an old hundred years old village, called West Well Cafe. The Cafe runs by three young partners tiring of city life, hectic pressures and political struggling, set up their dream land in this quiet place. That is another kind of attitude differs from most common practice. Well, it has since become one of the best place for us to visit on and off, 120 KMs 2 hours drive, it is just worth every penny and time. Don't miss out the cozy rooms at West Well, it somehow scares you at late night as it is just so quiet and dark in the 700 years old building, sky is absolute clean. Enjoy!... read more
