VIDEO - A CLASSICAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE AT SUZHOU

A classical music performance during a visit to one of the water villages in Suzhou.

SUZHOU TRIP - THE TRAIN STATION IN SUZHOU

The Suzhou Train Station was huge - it must be built to cater to the needs of the millions of train passengers in Suzhou, or for many more years to come.

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VIDEO - A CULTURAL PERFORMANCE IN SUZHOU

This was the cultural show that we watched in Suzhou. Enjoy!

SUZHOU TRIP - VISITING A WATER VILLAGE

The very last spot we were taken to was a water village but it was more like a cultural village as there seemed to be no one residing there. I didn't even know the name of that place, actually. Despite my effort to google for information, I failed. All the places in Suzhou looked just the same to me on the web.

We first went to watch a cultural performance where a man and a woman were singing a traditional Chinese song while playing string instruments.

After that we just walked around the place and took pictures. Actually we did no get our lunch as the Muslim eating stall we had gone to earlier was under renovation, so we actually were quite tired and hungry.

Then it started to rain. So we went to the shops selling locally made souvenirs to get shelter. In the shops, sometimes there were people doing demonstration on how some work of arts was produced.

catch of the day - an embroidered painting

Finally, we went on another boat ride on the canals which then took us to the waiting bus by the roadside. When I was on the boat, I had a short "conversation" with a friendly man. After telling him that I was from Malaysia, he mentioned and repeated "MAHATHIR" and that showed how our leader has become a prominent figure among the locals.

That was the end of our short trip to the small town of Suzhou. Everything was a contrast to what we had seen in the metropolitan city of Shanghai but I liked it.

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SPOT THE ERROR - SUZHOU 1

obviously...

SUZHOU TRIP - AT THE SILK FACTORY

One bad thing about going on a guided tour in China is that tourists would be forced to visit local factories/outlets, regardless of the fact that many would not be interested to purchase the items being promoted. When we were in Suzhou, we had to go to the silk factory. Lucky enough, it was just a small one and it did not cater international visitors as people there did not speak English. So we just walked quickly and saw the exhibits and nobody bought anything. By the way, it was prohibited to take photographs there but our tour guide said it was alright as long as no one saw us.

the traditional weaving machine

the cocoons

the emperor's silk robe

the silkworms

the accumulated silk thread

our tour bus in Suzhou

The other factory that we went to was the jade outlet but when we were ushered to the room for a glass of tea to listen to the briefing, my friends managed to convince our guide that we would not be able to understand a single thing as it was in Chinese, we were allowed tp leave the place for the train station.

Read about my visit to the silk factory in Beijing HERE.

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SUZHOU TRIP - BOAT CRUISE ON THE CANALS

We went on a river cruise on the canals that took us around the city. There were also other local tourists on the boat so the guide spoke Chinese all the time and that left us on our own, looking at the scenery on both sides of the canal.

 

The whole boat ride took about 30 minutes I think and then we stopped at a jetty opposite a silk factory. Guess where did we have to go right after that?

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SUZHOU TRIP - LION GROVE GARDEN

The first tourist's spot taken was the "Lion Grove Garden". It was a traditional Chinese garden with its oriental architecture, rock gardens and ponds. The guide spoke little English and he tried to explain some things to us during the early part of the visit. The rest of the time was spent exploring the place on our own. The place was quite small though.

We were told that those who touched the metal lock would be lucky. I touched it and I had a strong feeling that I was lucky and would come again to Shanghai in the near future. :)

This empty square on the wall should actually act as a painting. Whatever you see in it, that is the picture that should decorate one's house. Brilliant idea for those who do not spend more buying a painting for home.

 

The place is called Lion Grove Garden as there are many natural stone sculptures/formations that have the shape of lions in its rock gardens.

This garden is now one of UNESCO Heritage Sites, due to its historical background. Read more about this serene garden HERE.

There were people selling colourful fruits outside the entrance. However, according to our guide, he would not encourage us to buy some of the fruits as artificial colouring was used. No wonder they looked extraordinarily bright and shiny.

NEXT EPISODE: River cruise on the canals around town.

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