Suzhou: Shanghai’s Mother City Before 1860 Taiping Rebellion

Long before Shanghai rose from the sea, Suzhou stood as a major metropolis on the east shore of Lake Tai. Three millennia ago, two princes journeyed 800 miles north to Lake Tai to escape court bloodshed, settling here and founding the State of Wu. They brought the advanced Bronze-Age Zhou civilization to local indigenous tribes. Five hundred years later, the state capital moved to today’s Suzhou. The region was China’s top workshop for bronze weapons. After the Tang Dynasty, it became the country’s central silk production base, a title it still holds. From the Song Dynasty onward, Suzhou was China’s Yosemite: retired officials viewed buying land and building gardens here as the pinnacle of success, known as "secluded retreat". Countless Venice-style water towns surround Suzhou, once cargo hubs for trade with the city. Shanghai was one such outpost. Today we tour Zhouzhuang, the loveliest of these towns. We’ll wander its lantern-lit streets, ride Chinese gondolas, then return to hotel.

Important‼️ Suzhou-Zhouzhuang tours are ubiquitous, but my itinerary solves rivals’ biggest flaw: wasted hours stuck in old Suzhou traffic. It avoids detours and arranges sights chronologically from ancient to modern. 1. Tiger Hill: Enter North Gate, exit South Gate; catch Pingtan tea show if available. 2. Boat from Tiger Hill South Pier to Shantang Street. 3. Rickshaw to Lingering Garden, one of China’s Four Great Gardens. 4. Rickshaw to Suzhou Silk Museum for exhibits and silk shopping. 5. Rickshaw/car to Panmen Gate; overlook China’s grandest land-water city gate from the tower. 6. Transfer to top Jiangnan water town Zhouzhuang. Roam lit night alleys, take Chinese gondola boat, then return to Shanghai to finish the trip.