Welcome to Suzhou
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Suzhou
Suzhou is a well-known water town in the south of the Yangtze River, with rivers, lakes and tidal flats taking up 34.6% of its total area. Suzhou is nestled in a subtropical monsoon marine climate zone, mild and moist, with distinctive four seasons and abundant rainfall. Known as a land of fish and rice, famous for its silk for long, the city has earned the fame of "the paradise on earth", due to all these attributes. Suzhou has been farming rice, wheat, rapeseeds, and fruits and producing water crops including lotus root, Gorgon fruit and wild rice stem; the special local produces contain duck blood-black glutinous rice, white garlic, citrus, loquat, Chinese chestnut, plum, osmanthus flowers, Biluochun tea, etc. Dao fish from the Yangtze River, hairy crabs from Yangcheng Lake, silver fish, white fish, white shrimps from Taihu Lake are well-known aquatic products.
Location
A Diagram of the Geographical Location of Suzhou
Situated in the center of the Yangtze River Delta and the southeast of Jiangsu Province, Suzhou is bordering Shanghai to the east, Zhejiang to the south, embracing Taihu Lake towards its west and nestled by the Yangtze River to the north. It has a riverbank stretching 157.96 kilometers along the Yangtze River. The Grand Canal passes through the city from the north to the south, while the Shanghai-Nanjing Intercity railway, the Beijing-Shanghai Express railway, and the ShanghaiNanjing Expressway traverse from the east to the west.
Administrative Division
A Diagram of the Administrative Division of Suzhou
There are four county-level cities that constitute the grand city of Suzhou, including Zhangjiagang, Changshu, Taicang and Kunshan, and six districts, including Wujiang, Wuzhong, Xiangcheng, Gusu, Suzhou Industrial Park and Suzhou New District(Huqiu District).
Urban Development & Public Sector 88.88 billion yuan was spent on infrastructure in 2023. 192 urban renewal projects were implemented.
Suzhou completed the sponge city covering an area of 60.2 square kilometers. The city won the national gold award for urban information model platform. At the end of 2023, the MAN exit bandwidth was 24.2 TB/s. A total of 45,834 5G base stations had been built in an accumulative manner.
By the end of 2023, the total mileage of road reached 11322.2 kilometers. The total operation line of urban rail transit (trams included) amounted to 295.4 kilometers and the operation mileage totaled 34,358,000 train kilometers. The total line and network passenger flow reached 538.799 million. 150 bus routes have been newly opened, optimized and adjusted. The number of motor vehicles in the city reached 5.372 million.
The Shanghai-Nanjing High-speed Railway along the Yangtze River is open to traffic. Rail Transit Line 11 of Suzhou and Shanghai Rail Transit have achieved "seamless transfer". The Xiangcheng section of the Suzhou-Taizhou Expressway has been built as the country's first holographic sensing smart expressway.
The total electricity consumption amounted to 171.93 billion kilowatt-hours in 2023. The total water supply capacity of Suzhou reached 7.525 million ton per day. A total of 4.299 billion cubic meters of pipelined natural gas was supplied in the city. The city's domestic sewage treatment capacity reached 4.7405 million ton per day.
Environment Protection
The average PM2.5 concentration in Suzhou was 30 micrograms/cubic meter in urban areas; the proportion of days with good air quality in the urban area was 80.8%. 95% of the water qualification met the standard of Excellent III in the evaluation at national and provincial level. For the first time, the water quality of the heart of Yangcheng Lake reached Class III. Qiputang River in Suzhou was awarded as China's "Most Beautiful Lake in Hometown". Taihu Lake has achieved a safe summer for 16 consecutive years. With its water quality at the best level in a decade, Taihu Lake was rated as an Excellent Lake by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment for the first time. The ring road around the Taihu Lake was selected as one of the "Ten Most Beautiful Rural Roads" in China.
The newly added and renovated green spaces in urban area of Suzhou covers 2.642 million square meters. 252 pocket parks and small urban green spaces were built in the city. It also witnessed the addition of 12 "near-zero carbon" factories, 2 national green industrial parks, and 18 green factories. In the entire year of 2023, 1,835 VOCs treatment projects were scheduled. The city has achieved a full coverage for the "three fixed items and one superintendent" community in terms of domestic waste classification. And the harmless treatment rate of domestic waste has reached 100% in both urban and rural areas.
Wuzhong District was awarded the National "Two Mountains" Practice Innovation Base and ranked first in terms of GEP among all national municipal districts. Zhangjiagang was selected as the first batch of national demonstration counties (cities) for intensive natural resource conservation.
Three Great Magic Formulas of Suzhou Zhangjiagang Spirit Unite and work hard Acwance with a heavy burden Impose stress on oneself Dare to be the first
Kunshan Road Dare to explore Be practical and pragmatic Strive forward Innovale and excel
SlP Experience Leaming experience, innovation Harmony and win-win results Source: Suzhou Municipal People's Government
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From Poland to Jiangnan, heart of Karolina Pawlik lies in Suzhou
Bamboo pots, bamboo shoulder poles, woven hemp bamboo items... In the house of Dr. Karolina Pawlik, who goes by the Chinese name Song Yafeng, bamboo elements are everywhere. These objects, brimming with the vibrancy of daily life, harmonize perfectly with her identity as a teacher at Suzhou-based Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. Recent photo of Song Yafeng/Photo by Suzhou Daily Convergence Media reporter Jiang Zuhua More than a scholar, she is also a collector of over 150 traditional Chinese bamboo chairs. From Poland to Jiangnan, her passion for Chinese culture has remained unwavering. She describes Suzhou as a serene and beautiful city that offers her ample space for introspection. Her love for collecting items deeply related to Chinese life has turned her home into a unique gallery of living memories. "These are no longer sealed specimens; they are alive with the spirit of Jiangnan," Song said. 30 Years of Connection with China The Chinese name Song Yafeng is inspired by the Classic of Poetry and its parts of Feng (Ballads), Ya (Odes) and Song (Hymns). "My calligraphy teacher gave me this name to express my love for traditional Chinese culture," she explained. In 1995, due to her parents' work, Song first came to China for elementary school. She later studied Chinese in Xi'an, returned to Poland for her Ph.D., and then conducted research at a university in Shanghai. Now, she works as a teacher at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. "Everyone in my team has been incredibly kind. We get along well with each other, and I truly enjoy working with them," she said. Screenshot of Song Yafeng's WeChat Moments Till now, 30 years have passed since Song first arrived in China. "China is so big. I've traveled to many places here, but I've found that Suzhou is the city I love most," she noted. In her home, a floor-to-ceiling window frames a view of Dushu Lake—her favorite spot to sit with a cup of coffee. "This is the perfect way to unwind," she said. "I once read a book that says, 'Your mind should be like water,' which means your mental state should be pure and calm like water. In Suzhou, I've found that state." Everything about Her is Intertwined with Bamboo Song's work revolves around art and design. Her home is filled with collections of 20th-century Chinese household items, among which bamboo chairs hold a special place in her heart. Since she began collecting these chairs, Song has come to appreciate the philosophical depth of bamboo, much like the literati of ancient times. "What moves me most about bamboo is its resilience. It bends in storms but rarely breaks. This symbolizes a tenacious attitude toward adversity, a life philosophy I deeply admire," she reflected. Beyond her extensive collection of bamboo chairs, her treasures include everyday utensils like bamboo kitchenware, showcasing how bamboo culture has profoundly permeated her life. Bamboo chairs collected by Song Yafeng/Photo by Suzhou Daily Convergence Media reporter Jiang Zuhua Finding a Spiritual Sanctuary in Suzhou Gardens When Song first arrived in Suzhou, she purchased an annual pass for the city's classical gardens. "I visited the Humble Administrator's Garden or Tiger Hill at least once a week to document the light and shadows like a research study," she recalled. Her phone holds thousands of garden photos—the bamboo shadows in Lion Grove Garden, rain in Lingering Garden, and hardy banana leaves in Canglang Pavilion—and they capture Suzhou's gardens in four seasons. To her surprise, she noticed that the lattice patterns on the windows of the Humble Administrator's Garden were almost similar to those on an antique carved wooden door she had once found in a junk shop. Among her extensive collection, a noteworthy piece is an "Imperial Kiln Brick." This square brick is placed at the center of the tea table, bearing the stamp "Suzhou Lumu Imperial Kiln" on its base. When struck, it produces a metallic resonance akin to the sound of metal and stone. Song mentioned that the irregular dark patterns on its surface, which were formed by fluctuating kiln temperatures during firing, much like the growth rings of an ancient tree, are the details that fascinate her the most. Photographic works by Song Yafeng "Suzhou is a peaceful and beautiful city that gives me ample space to converse with myself." Song Yafeng loves strolling by Jinji Lake at dawn, where she sees Suzhou shrouded in quiet morning mist. She also enjoys sitting alone on her bamboo chair at home in the afternoon, gazing at the scenery outside her window undisturbed. But what she likes most is walking through the bamboo groves of Tiger Hill at dusk—a moment so timeless that she can hardly tell whether she's in ancient or modern times. It is precisely this atmosphere that allows her to immerse herself in studying traditional Chinese culture and writing books and poetry with a tranquil mind. On the bookshelf in the living room, Appreciation of Suzhou Garden Inscriptions and Couplets sits side by side with Soviet Design and Modern Chinese Artistic Lettering. "Since coming to Suzhou, I've had more time to reflect and explore the connections and influences between different cultures," she said. If she had to leave Suzhou, she would miss its cultural environment most. "Here, every artifact comes to life." She placed a latticed window in front of her bookshelf, watching sunlight filter through it and cast dappled patterns on the floor. "They're no longer sealed specimens, but living memories of Jiangnan," she remarked. Source:Yinlibo
Suzhou 'foreign son-in-law' wins silver at intl chef competition
"This is a truly prestigious competition!" Reflecting on the event, Ilario Turri remained exhilarated. The contest, endorsed by WACS (The World Association of Chefs' Societies), was a showcase for Michelin-starred chef teams from around the globe, creating a gastronomic extravaganza. To Turri, the essence of the award lies not only in his team's consistent craftsmanship but also in their exploration of a dialogue between Italian inspiration and Suzhou flavors. "The international judges unanimously praised this fusion of the East and West!" Ilario Turri told the reporter. The highlight of his creation crafted in one month was the Tea-infused Tiramisu. As a native of Tiramisu's birthplace in Italy, Turri boldly incorporated Suzhou's local Biluochen tea into the classic Italian dessert. "On the competition day, everyone was amazed. People often see matcha paired with Western desserts, but Biluochun is new to them. Its subtle bitterness perfectly complements Tiramisu's sweetness," he explained. As a "foreign son-in-law of Suzhou", Ilario Turri remains committed to blending traditional Suzhou elements with Western cuisine in a bid to elevate the taste and sophistication of Western cuisine in Suzhou. "In the future, I hope to introduce more localized innovative menus, for example, using seasonal Suzhou ingredients to create dishes that meet international standards of Western cuisine while embodying local cultural identity," he said. Beyond that, Turri actively steps onto the global stage. He competes in international contests, judges more competitions, and leverages the Suzhou Food Chamber of Commerce to connect supply chains of food. "This is about expanding the boundaries of Suzhou's Western dining scene," he told reporters, adding that he aims to inspire more stakeholders and converge more resources to help infuse "local authenticity" into the city's culture of Western cuisine and enhance its cultural connotation and taste. Source:Yinlibo