suzhou, venice of the east

I have a vigilant teacher friend named Cheryl who voraciously watches deals on several sites for Shanghai people, typically expats. She sent us an email about an amazing coupon for a day trip to Suzhou, a small city outside of Shanghai that is famous for its canals and gardens. The bus, tour and entrance tickets were all included for 100元, or about $15. Pretty spiffy.

Our first stop was a garden of "seven lions" or something. Unclear.
 

 

 Shady grove.

This place is a prime example of what tourism is like in China. You can get nice photos like the one above just by walking about two seconds of the "beaten path" so to speak. Otherwise, the place is crawling with people, many on large tours following a jabbering tour guide carrying a flag or umbrella topped with Totoro or something. If you can manage to sneak away from your group and others, there are many quieter recesses and un-walked paths.

Furthermore, these main tourist locations attract many rural Chinese who may not have seen foreigners before now. When I took off from my group for a little stroll, I was stared at and pointed at all over. People subtly snapped my photo or just blatantly pointed their lenses at me. It was incredibly awkward, but I've decided that it must just be that I'm incredibly attractive. They are stunned by my pale beauty and striking green eyes. They want to touch my silky hair. I'm a goddess.

That's what I say anyway, because it isn't worth getting angry about. People will take photos and any outburst would simply give more action to document. So I smile shyly and walk away. Demure, coy, mysterious. The waiguoren.

 

 So many tourists.

 

 Crawling ants.

I can get frustrated and claustrophobic in these situations, but it is something I really must learn to deal with. I'm only free on weekends, so any trip I take will compete with everyone and their mother (and grandmother and grandfather).

This garden was a typical Chinese one that I've seen all over, but the system of caverns and hidden stone niches was pretty impressive.

 

 Tunnels.

Enter the dragon. Or hole. Whatever.

One of my favorite things about Chinese gardens is the architecture and landscaping. The photos are interesting to frame. I'm always practicing. The problem is people. Look! This one is people-free!

We also went to the silk factory, where our guide hustled us into paying eight bucks for a touristy lunch buffet. This was annoying, but we didn't have much of a choice. The bus dropped us off and the tour guide said, "Have fun!" I've been to the factory before, but it was still a good time. I held a silk worm and stretched out a cocoon into a downy comforter. Sadly, the epic fashion show was not playing, so our group missed out on the low-grade models and outfits I saw before.

 

Silk unwinding.

From the bus, I saw an example of classical Chinese wiring. I believe that's about 58 million wires wrapped with a silk scarf.

Danger!

We also took a trip to the Suzhou Museum, which was apparently designed by the same architect who designed the Louvre. That's what our guide David said. But some of his comments were a bit muddled so I'm not sure.

 

One of the cooler sculptures in the museum.

Lastly, we visited the famous canal streets of Suzhou. We tried a few street snacks and shopped around. I got some magnets.

 

On the canal. 

The water is very clean. Not.

Striding boldly forward.

This lovely historic scenery is famous, of course, for being the Venice of the East, with canals and pretty houses, etc. Suzhou is therefore a prime location for romantic photo shoots, specifically engagements and weddings. There were couples made up and posing everywhere! It was my turn to take photos of the locals! This gave me indescribable pleasure (a bit sick, I know).

I will now take photos of you.

 

Couples and America.

It was a lovely trip, but I'll probably explore some less traveled canal towns around Shanghai now. There are many of them, each with some unique attraction, like a snack or a temple. Updates to come!

Parting shot.

My blog is sometimes super annoying about posting photos and linking them. This post took unbearably long to sort through. But it's done. Hope you enjoyed it!

Kisses,

ellen