a) Suzhou City
Famed as the " Venice of the Orient", Suzhou is renowned for its beautiful stone bridges, pagodas, and classical gardens. Located in the south of Jiangsu Province , with the Yangtze River to the north, almost half of the city is covered by water, which includes a vast number of ponds and streams in addition to the city's numerous canals.
At present, more than sixty gardens are maintained in Suzhou , and a number of them, including the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Lingering Garden , the Garden of the Master of Nets, and the Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty, have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. For its special beauty and rich culture, Suzhou provides artists, scholars and painters a pleasant retreat to seek inspiration and to relax. Not far from Suzhou there are dozens of well-preserved water towns built in the Ming and Qing Dynasty. Visitors should not miss seeing the wonderful sights of such villages like Zhouzhuang, Mudu, and Tongli.
Suzhou is one of the oldest towns in the Yangtze River Delta, founded in about 600 BC but really making its fame one thousand years later when the Grand Canal was accomplished. The great location helped Suzhou become a prosperous trading area and the silk industry especially boomed here. Suzhou has been an important center for China 's silk industry since the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and continues to hold that prominent position today.
The long history of Suzhou city has left behind many attractive scenic spots and historical sites with beautiful and interesting legends. The elegant classical gardens, the old fashioned houses and delicate bridges hanging over flowing waters in the drizzling rain, the beautiful lakes with undulating hills in lush green, and the exquisite arts and crafts, etc. have made Suzhou a renowned historical and cultural city full of eternal and poetic charm.
Find more about Suzhou
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzhou
http://wikitravel.org/en/Suzhou#b
http://www.chinahighlights.com/suzhou/
Suzhou is composed of Suzhou Downtown and 5 county-level cities. Suzhou Downtown contains seven Districts: Wuzhong, Xiangcheng, Pingjiang, Canglang, Jinchang, Suzhou Industrial Park and Suzhou New Hi-tech District. The 5 county-level cities are Changsu, Kunshan, Taicang, Wujiang and Zhangjiagang. Suzhou has a population of 5.8 million, of which 2.1 million live in urban areas.
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Administrative Regions of Suzhou |
b) Some Famous Attractions in Suzhou
At present, more than sixty gardens are maintained in Suzhou , and a number of them, including the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Lingering Garden , the Garden of the Master of Nets,have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. For its special beauty and rich culture, Suzhou provides artists, scholars and painters a pleasant retreat to seek inspiration and to relax. Not far from Suzhou there are dozens of well-preserved water towns built in the Ming and Qing Dynasty. Visitors should not miss seeing the wonderful sights of such villages like Zhouzhuang, Tongli etc.
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(Click http://en.visitsz.com/ for more information.)
c) Climate
Suzhou has a four-season, monsoon -influenced humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers, and cool, cloudy, damp winters with occasional snowfall. Northwesterly winds blowing from Siberia during winter can cause temperatures to fall below freezing at night, while southerly or southwesterly winds during the summer can push temperatures above 35 °C (95 °F).
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Climate data for Suzhou (1971−2000) |
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Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
|
Average high °C (°F) |
8.1 |
9.2 |
12.8 |
19.1 |
24.1 |
27.6 |
31.8 |
31.3 |
27.2 |
22.6 |
17.0 |
11.1 |
20.2 |
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Average low °C (°F) |
1.1 |
2.2 |
5.6 |
10.9 |
16.1 |
20.8 |
25.0 |
24.9 |
20.6 |
15.1 |
9.0 |
3.0 |
12.9 |
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Precipitation mm (inches) |
50.6 |
56.8 |
98.8 |
89.3 |
102.3 |
169.6 |
156.3 |
157.9 |
137.3 |
62.5 |
46.2 |
37.1 |
1,164.7 |
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% humidity |
75 |
74 |
76 |
76 |
76 |
82 |
82 |
81 |
78 |
75 |
74 |
73 |
76.8 |
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Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) |
9.7 |
10.3 |
13.9 |
12.7 |
12.1 |
14.4 |
12.0 |
11.3 |
11.0 |
8.1 |
7.0 |
6.5 |
129.0 |
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Sunshine hours |
123.0 |
115.7 |
126.0 |
156.1 |
173.5 |
147.6 |
217.8 |
220.8 |
158.9 |
160.8 |
146.6 |
147.7 |
1,894.5 |
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Source: China Meteorological Administration [9] |
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Click http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Suzhou+China+CHXX0520 for 10-Day Weather for Suzhou , China
d) Currency
The Chinese currency is called Ren-Min-Bi (RMB) and the unit is called YUAN or CNY (Chinese Yuan). You can find 100, 50, 10, 5, 2 and 1 Yuan banknotes. Cash dispensers and money exchangers are available at the airport and hotels. Cash is most commonly used in China . Credit cards can be used at major hotels, restaurants or shopping malls.
e) ATMs:
There are many ATMs in most cities of China accepting foreign bank cards such as Master or Visa Cards. All ATMs will remit RMB (Chinese currency) notes. Remember that if you want to exchange your RMB back to your home currency on the way out (e.g. at the airport), you'll need to keep the ATM or bank receipt or the exchange won't be accepted.
f) Credit Cards:
Credit cards are becoming more widely accepted in China but you can't always depend on being able to pay with them. Certainly at international-standard hotels, upscale restaurants and shops and tourist offices you will be able to use them.
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