Suzhou - Garden City

There’s an early start today as we have a two hour drive to the Garden City of Suzhou where we are visiting one of the four most famous gardens in China - The Humble Administrator’s Garden. It’s another UNESCO World Heritage Site - as are all Suzhou’s many classical gardens. 

Suzhou was a walled town, and though only part of the walls still exists, the old moat is intact and runs around the whole of the old city which dates back 2,500 years. While much of the city outside the walls is highly developed, the old town retains much of its old character with old shop fronts along its narrow streets backing onto an ancient canal system.  One of the great things about visiting at this time of the year is that things are relatively quiet, so our boat cruise along the canal is wonderfully tranquil. Marco Polo visited here and called it ‘The Venice of the East’ and it certainly has aspects of taking a gondola ride along the smaller canals in Venice. 

As we pass these old residences - shops in the front, homes at the rear - we see women asking clothes on the canal, and clothes drying next to sausages and cuts of meat. Our guide the led us most houses have no plumbing so overnight chamber pots are emptied in the public washroom. It’s mostly the older generation who keep on these family dwellings, the younger generation preferring more modern accommodation.  Of course, it’s good to see these remnants of past life in China, but you can hardly blame people for wanting better. 

From here we go to the Embroidery Research Institute where we watch skilled craftswomen doing the most incredibly detailed work, often using single threads of silk. The designs they produce are stunning and we’re tempted by some of the work for sale - costly purchases, but more than worth it for the skill and hours put into each piece. But ultimately, we resist the temptation. 

A fairly unimpressive lunch precedes the main attraction of the day - the gardens. They’re busy - goodness knows how busy in peak season - but beautiful.  Adding to the tradition Chinese ‘feel’ of the place, there are several young girls/women dressed in traditional costumes with matching make up and hair. We’ve noticed many shops around the area displaying such outfits and this certainly explains why. They’re either taking selfies or employing a photographer to take shots of them in this picturesque location. Of course, I have to ask any that I see whether they mind me photographing them and most of them are absolutely delighted to oblige. I feel asking them to move to certain locations would be really taking advantage, so it’s a case of making the best of where I find them! 

More about Suzhou in the link below: 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202307/1294023.shtml

There’s then the long drive back to Shanghai. We were supposed to be sailing at 10.00 pm, but before we left thus morning, the captain announced that after long discussions with the pilot, he was happier with both the tidal and weather conditions if departure was delayed by 12 hours. There really is no excuse for us not to go out to explore The Bund now - though we’d have had time with the original departure.  

So shortly after arriving back, we leave the ship once more, dressed up against the cold as temperatures drop to around zero. The Bund area is busy; not only is it a popular area for both locals and tourists but Nanjing Road, one of the major shopping streets, leads off it. All the buildings are beautifully lit up to emphasise their architectural features. One of the most stunning is the Peace Hotel which is built in art deco style with a pyramidal copper roof shining green in the lights. The style continues inside  - it’s like stepping back in time with sepia photographs of days gone by. 

Across the river the lights of Pudong are quite spectacular. There is no laser show here as in Hong Kong, but the coordinated light patterns and colours across the different buildings are actually far more effective. The juxtaposition of the two river banks really is amazing. 

The riverside walk is busy with people enjoying the view, taking selfies etc. everyone seems happy and carefree. There seems to be a general affluence with fashionable winter attire on show - certainly no sign of limitations on freedom. Development takes place at an astonishing pace because there is no opposition; we value democracy for its freedom, but there is no doubt that the progress that has taken place here could not have taken place under a democratic system with the inevitable short term planning that comes with changes in government every four or five years. But at what cost? 

There is also something quite dystopian about the disembodied voices that deliver repeated messages from speakers at various places. One is particularly disturbing as a beam of light seems to shine at us as a message is delivered - we think this may be a warning not to get too close to the waterside railings. The number of CCTV cameras  is also significantly greater than anywhere we’ve been. On the one hand, everywhere seems very safe, but the feeling of constantly being watched is unnerving. Apparently China has  around 200 million cameras - not surprisingly ‘leading’ the world in surveillance. 

By now I must admit I’m feeling pretty tired, but I’m so glad we’ve managed this walk around the area. It’s back to the ship, remembering to hand in our stamped passport copies; the ship will not be cleared to sail unless every copy has been handed back k to the authorities. 

With so many experiences in one day, the photo count is pretty high and as usual I find it hard to choose my main. In the end, it’s one of the young girls dressed in traditional costume - and there are more in extras.  In addition, there are the embroiderers, a delightful little girl who had just finished having her hair plaited, a couple in the gardens, and night shots of Shanghai.