Sooo Suzhou

Shanghai, November 10, 2007 (Saturday)

Tour bus tourists, part deux. This time, I and my fellow tourists boarded a bus to Suzhou, a charming water town in Jiangsu Province, about an hour and a half south of Shanghai. This time, the whole bus was on the one-day tour, and there was no on-board tour guide, just the driver. When we hit Suzhou, we disembarked and boarded an older tour bus, where a local guide waited to greet us.

Suzhou is in the midst of an economic boom outside of the tourist industry, though it feels much smaller than Hangzhou, most likely due to the fact that there is a local height restriction ordinance in effect. Ahhh, height ordinances…petitions…checking signatures…good times! Before anyone gets too gung-ho about how progressive the height ordinance is and whatnot, it should be said that the height limit is 22 floors. I dunno about you, but 22 stories is still pretty damn high!

I’ve been so de-sensitized by the towering skyscrapers of Shanghai, that being able to actually see the sky without arching my neck back to a near-acrobatic angle, is unbelievably refreshing, and certainly gives Suzhou a small town feel. The fresher air is also a treat, though traffic is pretty gnarly. Another thing that gives Suzhou a fresh, quaint feeling is the “water town” aspect; that is, the abundance of water. Canals run throughout Suzhou, and we encountered many quaint, picturesque bridges over still water. A striking image for me was an overarching maze of elevated highways, with cars zipping crazily along them, and below those highways, was a serene canal with a lone boat drifting lazily along.

Suzhou’s local administrators must work hard to keep Suzhou looking pretty. In addition to the building height restrictions, public areas are kept sparkling clean and immaculately landscaped. Also, public buildings and spaces are designed in the overarching Suzhou garden theme (Suzhou is famous for its beautiful gardens). Imagine bus stops designed to look like garden pagodas and corridors, with beautifully carved eaves and dashing calligraphy denoting the bus stop name and route.

One additional note about Suzhou. It recently hosted the Chinese equivalent of the Oscars, the (I kid you not) Golden Roosters. Lots of Chinese movie stars had flocked to the area a couple weeks ago, not only for the awards ceremony, but for the film festival. I had been hoping to get tickets to some related event, but was too late. Alas, I had watched clips from the event on TV. Tony Leung, his gal Carina Lau, Jacky Chan, Alan Tam, and Karen Mok were a few of the stars who attended.

Our first stop on the tour was a small, intimate home and garden from the late-Ming Dynasty, called Ou Yuan. The main buildings were in tact, and we saw the reception hall, the bed chambers, a man’s study, and the lady’s saloon. Each room or building had a grand name, which was written in beautiful calligraphy and hung above the main entrance. Each room was furnished, and cordoned off so visitors couldn’t mar the antiques. The heavy, dark wood furniture sported intricate carvings, and accessories were sparse; a vase here, a calligraphy hanging there. Each room was simply decorated in order to highlight the garden view, I expect. Each room and building opened onto the garden, or was connected via airy corridors lined with art or open wooden screens. Indeed, one room had two large picture windows that acted as frames, that opened onto the garden.

And now to the garden…lovely, lovely, lovely. Beautiful rock sculptures (which are believed to be lucky) are one distinctive feature of the Suzhou garden. The use of water and greenery, especially bamboo and willow, is also common. The effect is a serene, beautiful space where every angle brings a delightful view, and every spot allows unique enjoyment of the garden. I think I’d be able to create lovely art and poetry, like the original owner, if I had a garden like this!

The garden connects to a canal, and has a small dock attached. Small boats, piloted by sturdy, strong, middle-aged ladies wearing huge bamboo hats, awaited us. We boarded the boats, which had a 10 passenger-capacity, and were taken on a short, charming voyage along the canal to the opposite shore where our tour bus awaited. The voyage was a little choppy, but our boat’s lady captain was an absolute delight, singing Shanghai folk songs while propelling out boat with a sturdy bamboo pole. This was one of those magical, indescribable moments: bouncing merrily along a clear canal in a boat with crisp cloth roof, willowy trees framing the shores, a plucky, tanned woman singing and rowing cheerfully, without missing a beat.

Our next stop was lunch. Another tourist lunch spot, with a set menu. Only it was a single restaurant, and we were the only tour group, which made it feel less like a cattle drive. And no restroom gang fights! The food was so-so, edible. One thing to note was that our individual place settings (chopsticks, ceramic plate, bowl, spoon and teacup) were all neatly cellophane wrapped, and marked as costing 5 yuan. Dudes, that’s 68 cents. How can they possibly afford to do that?!

After lunch, it was like déjà vu…we were taken to a silk factory…and given a hardsell. Seriously, they did the same “pull on the silk webs” demo as in Hangzhou! I must say though, it was interesting to see a fully operational silk production line (the on in Hangzhou was a single person doing demo, not a full production line), and the royal dragon robes on display in the silk museum (Suzhou produced the imperial family’s embroidered silk robes) were stunning. I picked up a few embroidered trinkets, since Suzhou’s silk embroidery is so famous.

After that retail interval, coupled with restroom stop, we hopped onto the bus and made our way to a larger garden, the Lingering Garden (Liu Yuan). This one was even more gorgeous, and crowded than the other garden. It had a larger body of water, with a little rowboat, and several bridges. Tall rock plateaus dotted both shores, and four pavilions named for the four seasons were strategically placed in the garden. Each pavilion was designed to be enjoyed for a particular season, and would take into account the elements and the landscaping. The pavilions were beautifully designed with carved wood and eaves, and included a stone table and seats. I can imagine sitting in this garden, in one of the pavilions, a soft breeze blowing, enjoying tea or rice wine, armed with a good book, perhaps calligraphy brushed and soft paper scrolls. Or an iPod, wireless TV and DVDs.

Gorgeous rock sculptures were prevalent throughout the garden, framing the views, as well as creating natural divisions between areas of the garden. Like the other garden, every step, every turn of the head, brought a different, stunning picture, and this garden could be enjoyed at any and all points. Open air, roofed corridors ran along all four edges of the garden, connecting the various buildings, and allowing people to enjoy the garden from an elevated perspective.

We briefly stopped by a Buddhist temple next, called Winter Mountain Temple. The guide warned us that there would be no independent exploration. We followed her like ducklings, and she gave an interesting spiel on some of the major points of interest in the temple. The towering pagoda was the main event here, as well as the bell ringing. We entered through the back door and exited through the front door, which was a little odd, but it sounded like that was customary.

After that whirlwind visit, we were herded to a nearby pottery factory for yet another hardsell. They sold special “purple sand” teapots that were exquisitely crafted, that floated in water, and didn’t drip a single drop down the spout when you poured. I was tempted, especially when I saw the one shaped like dragon, head and tail and all, but ultimately did not succumb.

Our last stop of the day was Tiger Hill (Huqiu), where the King who founded the city way back when (I think in the early ADs or late BCs?) is buried. There is a huge, leaning pagoda, a stunning sight, at the top of the hill. It mocked us as we huffed and puffed our way up the hill via narrow, and potentially slippery, stone steps. It was quite a hike, but worth it when we got up there. A little below the crest, where the pagoda sits, is a dark, cavernous pool called the Sword Pool, and has been featured in legendary mystical stories. Supposedly the King, or some heroic figure who served him (I wasn’t entirely sure – my Mandarin still bu tai hao; not so good.) had buried a magical sword in the pool. The rock walls surrounding the pool had several carved inscriptions on them, and the guide mentioned that several ancient poets, moved by the beauty and mysticism of the pool, risked their lives to inscribe the walls with verse.

We had an hour of independent exploration there, and I spent the time poking around the Sword Pool and around the tower, before finally making my way down the mountain, where I admired another creek and canal (how beautiful is calm water, willow trees wisping over the shore, a stone bridge, and dusk?). Our bus was late (the local bus had taken its leave, and we were waiting for the bus from Shanghai) so we were left in the parking lot, waving off the food (roasted chestnut and yam), and tchotsky (gourd shaped flutes and lace cloth) vendors and solitary beggar. The only plus to having to wait in the parking lot as darkness fell, was the leaning pagoda, which is lit up dramatically at night. What is it about light, twinkling, bright light, at night? The flashing neon signs in Shanghai do the same thing to me….I am like a moth to a flame, or a mosquito to a bug zapper lantern. It’s so purty.

An hour or so later, we were back in Shanghai, grumpy, hungry, and needing to pee. Oh this is the life of a tour bus tourist….