Suzhou is located in the center of the Yangtze Delta, in the south of Jiangsu Province, with Shanghai to the east, Zhejiang Province to the south, Wuxi City to the west and the Yangtze River to the north.

The total area of Suzhou is 8,488.42 km² with the populatioin of 6,073,000 among which 2,307,500 are urban population .

Suzhou has jurisdiction over (at county level):
Districts: Canglang , Jinchang , Pingjiang , Suzhou Industrial Park , Suzhou High & New Technology Development Zone , Xiangcheng , Wuzhong

County-level cities: Changshu , Taicang , Kunshan , Wujiang , and Zhangjiagang

Hangzho and Suzhou are called ‘paradise on earth.

History

Built in 514 BC, Suzhou is an ancient city with a 2500 years’ history. The unique characteristics of the past are still retained in present-day Suzhou.
The double-chessboard layout of Suzhou, with ‘the streets and rivers go side by side while the water and land routes run in parallel’, are preserved basically intact. Strolling the streets, you can feel the unique lingering charm of this landscape left by its long history.Many of the famous private gardens were constructed by the gentry of the Ming and Qing dynasties. However, the city was to see another disaster in 1860 when Taiping soldiers advanced on and captured the city. In November 1863 the Ever Victorious Army of Charles Gordon recaptured the city from the Taiping forces.

In 1981, this ancient city was listed by the State Council as one of the four cities (the other three being Beijing, Hangzhou and Guilin) where the protection of historical and cultural heritage as well as natural scenery should be treated as a priority project. Since then, with suburban economic projects, Suzhou has developed into one of the most prosperous cities in China.

City flower Osmanthus

City tree

Camphor laurel