Traveling to Jangsu province to recah the great city of Suzhou, China

Arrived in Jiangsu Province as a stage of extensive touring in China in the company of 4 friends and other 5 persons for a total of 9 traveling companions. With us ever since Beijing, the young Chinese leaders of the group that we call conventionally Franco and the leadership of Shanghai, a girl who accompanies us in this province. We enter the land with the Jiangsu microbus with which we started from our hotel in Shanghai. (For the other stages of the Tour in China see schedule relative)

 

Suzhou

Morning arrival in Suzhou with the minibus at our disposal after about an hour's drive from Shanghai. We are in Jiangsu Province, but far more distant from the capital Nanjing to the west. Suzhou is famous for its houses whose gardens are the prototype for all the green areas of classical China. We get close to the narrow channel that runs along the old town lined with small boats to tourists. Canal houses overlooking decaying that make the atmosphere pleasant. A prelude to the first garden we visit, that of Administrator. I do not understand why this former official was genuinely humble since his house was quite nice. Soon after we visit another of the many gardens in the city, that of Master of Networks that offers views over a pond really romantic. Both gardens are very interesting although it is not the blooming period, nor that of the autumn colors. It is obvious that in winter these places lose much of their charm but he is still the grace of the architecture, small pagodas, the fake rocks, bonsai and jumpers zig zag. In China, the most beautiful bridges have an erratic because they are built with the Feng Shui technique whereby thus ward off evil spirits. The main element of these gardens is water in the form of artificial lakes and streams that make it all very romantic. Walking seems to be in a landscape painting on ceramics as those who yesterday we saw in the Shanghai Museum. Let's take a brief walk in the narrow alleys of the old Suzhou between stalls and shops of junk then just get on the minibus that takes us to the silk factory. In addition to the gardens here made in Ming and Qing, the city is famous for silk. Spartan lunch in the canteen of the factory, the meal is not great but Franco, our Chinese leaders, he offers us a bottle of wine and cake to celebrate the birthday of one of our traveling companion. Then we visit the factory where we can watch the entire production cycle of the silk, extraction of the yarn bug to create the "fabric". The visit is very interesting, not only passively but we see we become partakers of the process. Are then used in the large exhibition halls where you can find everything that you can produce silk clothes, blankets, sheets, bags, neckties, etc.. We find that the silk is not thrown anything since the spread is used instead of feathers to fill the "feather dusters". The prices are obviously lower than the Italians, the quality is guaranteed and I myself to buy something. From here we went to the Tiger Hill Pagoda to see the slope in a kind of Tower of Pisa Chinese hanging to one side. Get there by climbing the hill on which are also ancient archaeological remains as evidence of the millennial history of Suzhou. And 'our last visit to China, from there take the road to Shanghai Province and the international airport through which return home (See itinerary Shanghai).