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| Sūzhōu Shì 苏州市 |
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| Country | People\'s Republic of China |
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| County-level divisions | 11 |
| Established | 514 BC |
| Government | |
| - Type | Prefecture-level city |
| - CPC Suzhou | Wang Rong (王荣) |
| - Mayor | Yan Li (阎立) |
| Area Table showing land area and population. Suzhou People\'s Government (2003). Retrieved on 2007-09-07. | |
| - City | 8,488.42 km² (3,277.4 sq mi) |
| - Urban | 1,649.72 km² (637 sq mi) |
| Population (2005-06) | |
| - City | 6,073,000 |
| - Urban | 2,307,500 |
| Time zone | Beijing Time (UTC+8) |
| Postal code | 215000 |
| Area code(s) | 512 |
| GDP | (2006) |
| - Total | ¥482.02 billion |
| - Per capita | ¥79,407; US$10,087 |
| City flower | Osmanthus |
| City tree | Camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora) |
| Regional dialect | Wu: Suzhou hua (苏州话) |
| License plate prefix | 苏E |
| Website: http://www.suzhou.gov.cn/English/index.shtml | |
| Classical Gardens of Suzhou* | |
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| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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| State Party |  China
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| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, iii, iv, v |
| Reference | 813 |
| Region† | Asia-Pacific |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1997 (21st Session) |
| Extensions | 2000 |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. | |
This article is about the city in Jiangsu. See also Suzhou, Anhui, and Jiuquan (formerly Suzhou), Gansu
Suzhou (simplified Chinese: 苏州; traditional Chinese: 蘇州; pinyin: Sūzhōu; ancient name: 吳) 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 has become a great tourist attraction. Suzhou has also been an important centre for China\'s silk industry since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and continues to hold that prominent position today. It is part of the Yangtze River Delta region. The GDP per capita was ¥79,406 (ca. US$10,087) in 2006, ranked no. 5 among 659 Chinese cities.
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Suzhou, the cradle of Wu culture, is one of the oldest towns in the Yangtze Basin. 2500 years ago, local tribes who named themselves "Gou Wu" in the late Shang Dynasty lived in the area which would become Suzhou.
In 514 BC, during the Spring and Autumn Period, King Helu (闔閭/阖闾) of Wu established "Great City of Helu", the ancient name for Suzhou, as his capital. In 496 BC, Helu was buried in Huqiu (Tiger Hill 虎丘).
The Humble Administrator\'s Garden
In 473 BC, Wu was defeated by Yue, another kingdom to the east that was soon annexed by Chu in 306 BC. The golden era of Suzhou was over. Remnants of this culture include the remainders of the 2,500 year old wall and the gate through it at Pan Gate.
By the time of the Qin Dynasty, the city was known as Wu County. Xiang Yu (项羽) staged his historical uprising here in 209 BC, which contributed to the overthrow of Qin.
During the Sui Dynasty, the city was renamed Suzhou in 589 AD.
When the Grand Canal was completed, Suzhou found itself strategically located on a major trade route. In the course of the history of China, it has been a metropolis of industry and commerce in the south-eastern coast of China.
During the Tang Dynasty (825 AD), the great poet Bai Juyi (白居易) constructed the Shantang Canal (called "Shantang Street" or 山塘街) to connect the city with Huqiu for the tourists. In 1035 AD, the temple of Confucius was founded by famed poet and writer Fan Zhongyan (范仲淹). It became the venue for imperial civil examinations.
In February 1130, the advancing Jin army from the north ransacked and massacred the city. This was followed by the Mongol invasion (1275) and destruction of the royal city (in the centre of the walled city) in the beginning of the Ming Dynasty (1367).
Thereafter, the city had a more prosperous time. Many of the famous private gardens were constructed by the gentry of the Ming and Qing dynasties. However, the city was to see another disaster in 1860 when Taiping soldiers advanced on and captured the city. In November 1863 the Ever Victorious Army of Charles Gordon recaptured the city from the Taiping forces.
The next crisis that met the city was the Japanese invasion in 1937. Many gardens were devastated by the end of the war. In the early 1950s, restoration was done on gardens such as Zhuo-Zheng Yuan (Humble Administrator\'s Garden) and Dong Yuan (East Garden) to bring them back to life.
In 1981, this ancient city was listed by the State Council as one of the four cities (the other three being Beijing, Hangzhou and Guilin) where the protection of historical and cultural heritage as well as natural scenery should be treated as a priority project. Since then, with suburban economic projects, Suzhou has developed into one of the most prosperous cities in China.
Classical gardens in Suzhou were added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997 and 2000. It is possible to make a virtual tour at the UNESCO site in panorama through the wonderful Classical Gardens of Suzhou.[1]
Because Suzhou is one of the most prosperous cities in China, its development has a direct correlation with the growth of its satellite cities, most notably Kunshan, Taicang, and Zhangjiagang, which form the greater Suzhou region. Suzhou\'s jurisdictional areas are home to many high-tech development entreprises.
Suzhou has jurisdiction over (at county level):
.jpg/58px-Postcard-like view in the gardens of the Hu Qiu Shan (Suzhou, China).jpg)
Entrance to Tiger Hill garden in Suzhou
, Suzhou.jpg/58px-Xuanmiao Guan (Temple of Mystery), Suzhou.jpg)
Xuanmiao Guan (Temple of Mystery) in Suzhou
Suzhou is conveniently located on the Jinghu Railway linking Shanghai and Nanjing, the provincial capital, to both of which there is hourly railway service. Suzhou Railway Station is among the busiest passenger stations in China, having 139 trains stopping daily. T-Trains only take 45 minutes to Shanghai and an hour and half to Nanjing. Driving options include the Jiangsu-Shanghai Expressway, the Yangtze Riverine Expressway, the Suzhou-Jiaxin-Hangzhou Expressway. In 2005, the new Suzhou Outer Ring was completed, linking the peripheral county-level cities of Taicang, Kunshan, and Changshu. By water, Suzhou is connected with Zhangjiagang, Luzhi, Liujia and Changshou.
Although Wuxi Shuofang Airport and Guangfu United Airlines Airport serve as two municipal airports, and the State Council approved of the construction of an airport exclusively serving Suzhou in 2003, air transportation from Suzhou continues to be at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai.
The Yunyan Pagoda, or Huqiu Tower, a tower that is now leaning due to lack of foundational support (half soil, half rock), built during the latter part of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms era (907-960 AD).
The Beisi Pagoda of Suzhou, built between 1131 and 1162 during the Song Dynasty (with later renovations), 76 m (243 ft) tall.
An exhibition of Penjing in one of the gardens in Suzhou.
Public institutions having full-time Bachelor\'s degree programs include:
Suzhou (including 7 districts and 5 county-level cities under Suzhou\'s jurisdiction) has more than 50 sister cities, twin towns and provinces:
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia
