"Venice of the East"

There is a small town near Shanghai called Suzhou, which is called the "Venice of the East". Whoever called it that must not have ever visited Venice because it is a gross exaggeration. There are canals running through a portion of the town but it is a limited portion. And the canals are nothing to marvel at. But then, I've been to Venice.

Suzhou used to be the artistic capital during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The main attraction in Suzhou are the parks, of which I visited 2. I first went to the Humber Administrator's Garden, which is also known as the "Garden of Stupid Officials" although I haven't figured out why. The garden is beautifully laid out and peaceful. It was nice to be in such a quiet environment for a while.

The main attraction at Tiger Hill park is the 7 story leaning pagoda (the Cloud Rock Pagoda) built in 961 A.D. It is quite remarkable. According to legend, the founder of Suzhou, He Lu, is said to be buried under the pagoda and his 3,000 swords were buried in the park and was guarded by a white tiger.

My favorite site in Suzhou is the Suzhou museum which houses various treasures, writings and crafts from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The collection is not extensive but nicely presented. I really enjoyed the building and the space itself. The architecture is very modern, which is an interesting contrast to the historic buildings around it.