Written historical records indicate that Suzhou has a history of over 4000 years, which entitles the city one of "24 Cultural and HistoricCities" approved as the first group of its kind by the State Council.

 

For thousands of years Suzhou has been a cradle of talented people. In ancient times Suzhou gave birth to many remarkable politicians, philosophers, strategists, scientists and artists, represented by Sun Wu, Fan Zhongyan, Shen Kuo, Tang Ying, Gu Yanwu, Kuai Xiang. In modern times, prominent people from Suzhouemerge in large numbers in various fields. Suzhou's painting, calligraphy, seal cutting, opera, medicine and architecture all have different schools and achievements. Its traditional handicrafts such as embroidery and Taohuawu woodcut picture enjoy a high reputation at home and abroad.

 

With a history of more than 2,500 years, the city still stands at its original location in the Spring and Autumn Period. The double chessboard layout of "water and land in parallel, canal and street in neighbor", its network of rivers and canals composing three vertical, three horizontal and one ring, and its unique landscape of "small bridge, flowing water, white wall, black tile, cultural relics and classic gardens" are well preserved. Currently, Suzhou has 487 cultural and historical relics under municipal-and-upper level protection, of which 15 are under state-level protection and 101 are under provincial protection. Over 60 classical gardens are well preserved and 9 of them are listed in the Catalog of World Cultural Heritage, including Humble Administrator's Garden, Lingering Garden, Master-of-nets Garden, Mountain Villa of Embracing Beauty, Surging Wave Pavilion, Lion Grove Garden, Garden of Cultivation, Garden of Couple's Retreat, Garden of Retreat and Reflection. Other famous tourist attractions include Tiger Hill, Panmen Scenic Area, Shihu Lake, Lingyan Hill, Tianping Hill and Yushan Hill. Most scenic spots around the Taihu Lake are also in the city's administrative areas. In addition, thousand-year-old towns like Zhou Zhuang, Tongli and Luzhi feature the waterside sceneries in the Yangtze River Delta. In 1998 Suzhou was awarded "Excellent Tourist City of China".

 

Church (Catholic & Christian) in Nanjing

 

St. John's Christian Church  

A special section at the top balcony on the right hand side is provided for foreigners. Headsets are available to foreigners to listen to translation of the service. Very cool! After service, lunch is available at a small fee. Sunday School for children, Adult Bible Study, English Bible Study, Choir, Youth Fellowship, etc. are available for the local Suzhou Christians here at St. John's Christian Church. This church is one block from Soochow University in Suzhou City.

 

Bookstore Hours: Sunday 8-11 a.m. 65223346, No. 18 Shi Zi Jie 

 

Apostles Christian Church 

While this local church does not have English translation for foreigners, don't let that deter you from visiting. This is not a big church. However, every inch of available space, such as rooms, hallways, courtyard, are used for overflows of attendees. In the overflow areas, they all worship watching a big LCD screen. Their attentiveness will certainly impress any visitors. Sunday School is also available for children.

 

Bookstore Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday 8-2 p.m. 61092522, 65227701, No. 130 Yang Yu Xiang 

 

Shi Shan Christian Church 

Shi Shan Christian Church is a must for all visitors to Suzhou. It's a few year old. Each service accommodates over 1000 worshipers. The church is built in a Gothic style. It's beautiful inside and out. There is a large building next to the church sanctuary where church ministries are held. A chapel for about 200 serves the youth ministry where young local Suzhou Christians gather to study God's Word, music and fellowship.

 

Bookstore: Sunday 8-3 p.m.; 68787298; No. 105 Yu Shan Lu, Suzhou New District 玉山路105号

 

Buddhist Temples in Nanjing

 

Ding Hui Temple

Ding Hui Temple (DingHui Si), DingHui Temple Lane (Off Fenghuang St). A recently constructed temple on the site of a Tang Dynasty temple. Little more than two huge 300 year-old Ginkgo trees and some stone pillar bases remain from the original complex after it was demolished and a factory built atop in 1949. Free.  edit

 

Cold Mountain Temple 

Cold Mountain Temple (HanShan Si), (South of the Grand Canal. From the southern end of Suzhou Station, take the You3 Bus and get off at Laifengqiao, ten stops away). Established in the Liang dynasty (502-557AD), most of the buildings date from the Tang Dynasty except for the recently built 5 story pagoda. Next to the temple is the Fengqiao Scenic Area (25yuan entrance fee), which contains the Maple Bridge, immortalized in Zhang Ji's famous poem Night Mooring by Maple Bridge. There is also a statue of the poet, and small shops selling souvenirs. The area was an important canal port during ancient times, and has been rebuilt as it once was. It was also the scene of battles with Japanese pirates.  edit

 

North Temple Pagoda (Beisi Ta), Renmin Lu (Bus #4 from train station, second stop). Viewable from the train station, the peak of the pagoda is Suzhou's most famous. A garden and temples are on the grounds.

 

Taoist (Daoist) Temples in Nanjing

 

Temple of Mystery

Temple of Mystery, Guanqian Jie. 7:30-5PM. A large Taoist hall perpetually obscured by a curtain of joss smoke of devotes eager to placate the gods inside. The temple was established in the 3rd century and broadened to its present size in the Song Dynasty, where it became a popular spot for travelling magicians and acrobats. The erstwhile performers have given way to a multitude of stalls selling meretricious worldly goods on which you can easily make your money disappear. The main Sanxing Dian hall was rebuilt in 1811 to hold Song Dynasty deity statues, later destroyed by Red Guards they occupied the hall during the cultural revolution. The present sculptures are modern reproductions. Of greater antiquity is a stone impressed with the footprints of a Taoist god, found in the Ming dynasty. The stone is genuine, but the origins of the feet less certain.

 

Confucian Temple

Confucian Temple, (Located in the south west of the old town, near to Canglang Pavilion garden.). First established in the Northern Song Dynasty (1035 CE), the Confucian Temple has continually been one of the most important institutes for higher studies in the country. Much of its ground today is still occupied by Suzhou Middle School. Flanked by trees of hundreds of years of age, the main hall includes an impressive portrait of Confucius made of lacquer, and various ceremonial instruments. Ask the guard for the four Song Dynasty Steles(四大宋碑), each standing more than 15 feet tall, which include a Song dynasty map of the city (much of it still works today), a map of China, a sky map, and a lineage of all chinese emperors till the 13th century when these steles were carved. free.

 

Mosques (Masjid) in Nanjing

 

Suzhou Taipingfang Mosque 

The Taipingfang Mosque was first built in 1924 and has a history for over 80 years. The rebuilt and enlarged temple covers an area of 650 square meters. The temple still keeps 10 stone steles created in Qing Dynasty(1644-1911) and Ming Dynasty(1368-1644). In every Jumat Day, there will be 200 local Muslim people coming here to do prayer. In the important religious day, there will be over 1,000 people gather here to take part in the religious activities.

 

The Masque is the headquarter of Islamic Association in Suzhou.

 

Address: Taipingfang, Yanmenshi Road, Suzhou, Jiangsu