Suzhou 3-Day In-depth Garden & Water Town Tour
Suzhou Beyond Gardens: Tiger Hill + Hanshan Temple + Tongli Water Town Serenity
Day-by-Day Itinerary
1
Humble Administrator’s Garden → Suzhou Museum → Pingjiang Road Historic Block
Humble Administrator's Garden
The Humble Administrator's Garden is located at No. 178 Dongbei Street, Gusu District, Suzhou City. It is one of China's Four Great Classical Gardens and the largest and most famous garden in Suzhou. It was built during the Ming Dynasty and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Humble Administrator's Garden is centered around water, with mountains and rivers winding through it, exquisite halls and pavilions, and lush flowers and trees, embodying the rich characteristics of the Jiangnan water towns. It is known as the 'Mother of Chinese Gardens'. The entire garden is divided into three parts: East, Central, and West, each with its unique features. The East Garden is open and spacious, the Central Garden is the essence of the entire garden, and the West Garden features delicate architecture. The Humble Administrator's Garden is an important window for understanding traditional Chinese garden art and Jiangnan culture.
Suzhou Museum (Main Branch)
The Suzhou Museum was founded in 1960, originally located in the Prince Zhong's Mansion of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. In 2006, it moved to its current location, designed by the renowned Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei. The new building covers an area of over 19,000 square meters, combining traditional Chinese design, Suzhou local characteristics, and modern style. The architecture features sloping roofs, traditional black, white, and grey color schemes, and white stucco walls, while incorporating glass roofs and steel structures to introduce natural light. The museum houses approximately 30,000 artifacts, including excavated relics, ancient calligraphy and paintings, and handicrafts. Permanent exhibitions include 'Treasures of Wu Land', 'National Treasures of Wu Pagoda', 'Elegance of Wu Zhong', and 'Calligraphy and Painting of Wu School'. In 2018, the number of visitors exceeded 2 million.
Pingjiang Road Historical Block
The Pingjiang Road Historical Block, formerly known as Shiquanli, is a historical area located in the northeastern part of Gusu District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China. As part of Suzhou's well-preserved old town, it was listed as a 'National Historical and Cultural Block' in China in 2015. The main street, Pingjiang Road, is built along the Pingjiang River, stretching 1606 meters from Ganjiang East Road in the south to Baitai East Road in the northwest, close to the Humble Administrator's Garden and Suzhou Museum. The entire historical block covers an area of 0.4 square kilometers, featuring 51 alleys and approximately 3 kilometers of canals. It is renowned as the center of Suzhou's artistic life, dotted with bookstores, local opera theaters, and teahouses where people enjoy traditional storytelling and 'Tanci' performances.
2
Tiger Hill Scenic Area → Lingering Garden → Hanshan Temple
Tiger Hill Scenic Area
Tiger Hill Scenic Area is located in Gusu District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. It is a famous tourist destination and a World Cultural Heritage site, renowned for its unique natural scenery and rich historical relics. Legend has it that it was named either because its shape resembles a crouching tiger, or because a white tiger appeared to guard it. The hill is over 30 meters high, covers an area of approximately 20 hectares, and boasts a history of tourism spanning over a thousand years, with numerous poems and calligraphies left by literati throughout the ages. Wu Wang Helü is buried here, and the Yunyan Temple, founded in 327 AD, is also located on the hill.
Lingering Garden
Lingering Garden is a famous classical Chinese garden, originally built in the 21st year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1593 AD), located at No. 338 Liuyuan Road, outside Changmen Gate, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. The garden is divided into four parts: East, Central, West, and North, and is renowned for its exquisite garden art, hailed as one of China's Four Famous Gardens. In 1997, Lingering Garden, along with seven other classical gardens in Suzhou, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The garden also features two UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage arts: Pingtan (storytelling and ballad singing) and Guqin music.
Hanshan Temple
Hanshan Temple, located in Fengqiao Town, Gusu District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, approximately 5 kilometers west of Suzhou Ancient City, is a famous Buddhist temple. The temple was first built during the Tianjian period of the Southern Dynasties Liang (502-519 AD) and is widely known for the poem 'A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge' by Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Ji. The imagery in the poem, 'From Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City, the midnight bell reaches the passenger boat,' has made the sound of Hanshan Temple's bell a cultural symbol, attracting countless domestic and international tourists and devotees for pilgrimage and sightseeing.
3
Tongli Ancient Town Scenic Area (including Tuisi Garden) One-Day Tour
Suzhou Tongli Ancient Town Tourist Area
Tongli Ancient Town, located in Wujiang District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, is one of the six famous ancient towns in Jiangnan. With its dense network of waterways, it is known as the 'Oriental Venice'. The ancient town was founded in the Song Dynasty and has a history of over a thousand years. It boasts unique Ming and Qing dynasty architectural complexes, including several well-preserved gardens, temples, former residences of celebrities, and ancient bridges. Among them, the World Cultural Heritage Retreat & Reflection Garden (Tuisi Garden) is one of its most representative attractions. Visitors can stroll through ancient alleys, admire small bridges over flowing water, taste local delicacies, and experience the tranquility and charm of this water town.
Tuisi Garden
Tuisi Garden is one of China's famous classical gardens, located in Tongli, Wujiang City, Jiangsu Province. The garden was built in 1885 by Ren Lansheng, an impeached official from Anhui Province. Its name is derived from an idiom in the 'Zuo Zhuan' (Commentary of Zuo): 'A gentleman, when advancing, thinks of dedicating himself to loyalty; when retreating, thinks of rectifying his mistakes.' It was designed by Yuan Long, a painter from the Wu School, and was recognized as a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO in 2001, as part of the Classical Gardens of Suzhou.
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