DUBBED “Garden City” and “Venice of the East” in the past, Suzhou is still today a water town of timeless beauty. Famous for its ancient canals, bridges and traditional gardens, the city provides a glimpse into long-lived Chinese tradition and sophistication.

This ancient silk capital was always associated with high culture and elegance. During its glory days in the 14th century, it attracted generations of scholars, artists and writers who sought inspiration and pleasure.

Ancient poetry is still alive — in the reflection of a pavilion in the water, in the delicacy of the gardens and in traditional architecture. The visitor only needs to look closely and decrypt the signs.

With its 2,500 years history, Suzhou is a rare opportunity to travel into the past and get a real impression of the exceptional culture and tradition of China.

With its sweet fragrance and beautiful Zoo on an island, Suzhou also seems like a fairytale that takes the visitor back into childhood.

One cannot live or travel in Suzhou without taking the time to visit this multi-faceted city, its renowned gardens and get lost in the tiny streets of the historic center while tasting some regional delicacies.

Ou Garden retreat

Located in the historical part of Suzhou, a few meters away from the popular canal side street, Pingjiang Road, Ou Garden is less frequented than other traditional gardens in the city. And yet, its layout and romantic atmosphere are truly unique. Its beautiful courtyards, splendid pavilions and water pounds all stand for the dreamy feel of this oasis. The whole place is blessed with a serene charm explained by its passionate history.

The Ou Garden was originally laid out to become the private garden of Lu Jin, a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) official. At that time it was called She Garden. Destroyed by wars, it was reconstructed and extended in 1874 by Shen Bincheng, a retired governor of Anhui Province. This is when the garden gained its poetic touch and was renamed “The Couple’s Garden Retreat” alluding to the governor and his wife who ended their days in the tranquility of this garden. Each detail in the place is emblematic of this couple’s mutual love and of their admiration for Chinese culture.

The garden is also called Ou because in Chinese, the name lotus is synonym with couple, thus evoking a couple’s harmony. It was opened to the public in May 1965.

Embraced by waterways on three sides, the Couple’s Garden is the only one in Suzhou that is surrounded by the river. The journey to the garden starts with a scenic ride on board a traditional wooden boat. Here, time-honored architecture and ancient houses can be admired from the side of the canal. Lulled by the gentle sound of water, the visitor slowly begins to fully appreciate the garden’s atmosphere.

Even though the garden is rather small (0.8 hectares), the feeling it conveys to the visitor is overwhelming. Truly, it is hard not to fall in love with the delicate beauty of this garden.

The Couple’s Garden is divided into two parts that are linked by an elevated veranda.

The visit generally starts with the eastern part of the garden, which also used to be the entrance of the property. The two first halls are where the couple received their guests and held occasional diners and ceremonies. The corridors are decorated with poems and calligraphy demonstrating the couple’s passion for literature.

A zigzag corridor surrounding a sinuous watercourse mostly characterizes the East Garden.

Still today, the souls of the enamored couple can be felt everywhere. The visitor should use his imagination in order to picture the peaceful life they lived in this romantic nest more than 150 years ago. The long promenade along the corridors feels like walking in the governor and his wife’s footsteps, as they held hands.

The pride of the East Garden is the Yellowstone Rockery Mountains. They were assembled by grand master Zhang Nanyang at the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). This distinctive piece shows that the art of rockery pilling reached its peak in Suzhou.

Another admired attraction is the famous pavilion, Amongst the Mountain and Water, which is both above ground and water. It features a precious historical piece: a superb vegetal frieze sculpted in gingko wood under the Ming Dynasty.

Facing this pavilion is the lyrical, Listening to Sculling Boats Tower. It is said to be the spot where the wife would wait for the sound of her husband paddling back home. The construction holds two buildings that represent the husband and the wife. It seems like each pavilion’s name is more poetic than the others.

The West Garden is smaller and is said to have been designed for ladies as it features Taihu rocks rather than mountains. Taihu stones are celebrated because they are made from rocks that come directly from the Taihu Lake.

The West Garden’s pavilions hold artful objects, paintings, calligraphy and sculpted furniture.

The subtle splendor of the Couple’s Garden is in every detail, down to the stone windows carved to look like pictures taken of the outside.

It was added to the UNESCO world cultural heritage list in 2000 and declares a cultural relic of national importance in 2001.

The loveliness of the garden and the romance floating in the air both led some Chinese filmmakers to set their movies here.

Suzhou Zoo

Not far from the Ou Garden is another place to reconnect with nature — the Suzhou Zoo.

In reality, going to the zoo is not something that often comes to one’s mind especially when visiting a city. However, the Suzhou Zoo, located above the river and in a very bucolic atmosphere, makes for a very exotic activity. It is also the place for visitors to go back to childhood and find pleasure in savoring an ice cream while gazing at animals.

Opened to the public in May 1954, Suzhou Zoo is said to be the only welfare urban zoo. In its over 60 years of history, it remains popular among tourists even today.

To combine wildlife, nature and amusement, Suzhou Zoo has been divided into three parts: the Animal Exhibition Area, Leisure Area and Entertainment Area. However the focus is obviously on the Animal Exhibition Area covering 25,000 square meters. The Zoo has more than 80 different species and shelters 500 animals.

Its design is influenced by the Suzhou traits and presents an interesting blend of tradition and modernity.

The visit can start at the right side of the entrance with the stunningly elegant magnificent peacocks that are in their enclosure by the water.

The monkey exhibit is another must-see; you could spend hours observing these little animals that act so much like humans. If lucky, one can catch a glimpse of touching scenes of their everyday life: two different monkeys trying to kiss through the fences of their cage, a mother feeding her newborn child…

Another popular attraction of this zoo is the adorable red panda, a native Chinese animal.

However the real star of the Suzhou Zoo is the majestic South China Tiger. It is one of the main reasons why tourists come to visit this place. This might be a unique opportunity to see one as the South China Tiger has been ranked first in the world’s top ten endangered animals. In general, the “Beast zone” is certainly the most impressive one with the Chinese leopard, the smooth black panther and gorgeous lions.

After the thrills of animal watching, visitors can rent a small electric boat and take a cruise on the river and enjoy the natural environment. Nearby, graceful black swans inhabit the picturesque Swan Lake.

You can also get lost on the trails with the trees and bamboo forests, only guided by the scent of flowers.

Behind the Summer Scenic Area, almost hidden, there is a small tearoom. Its little terrace overlooking the water makes it a perfect place for a well-deserved break.

After the stroll, the visitor can also swing by the recreation park that offers a lot of different activities and amusements for children.

The long day can end wandering the historical center of Suzhou and its famous Pingjang road. Here, you can walk along the canal, buy some silk and souvenirs or taste the famed little sweet dumplings of Suzhou.

You might even be hypnotized at candy shops where professionals manipulate pieces of sugar and transform them into artful sweets.

More than a traditional city, Suzhou also seems to be the perfect place to reconnect with your childhood memories and pleasures.