Okay, so you weren’t on the ball enough to book that tropical getaway, but you may just be able to motivate and activate enough to get to Suzhou. You’ll be disappointed by the first impression—almost everyone is—but there are many beautiful, unique sites to see which will leave you elated.

Suzhou Proper

Tiger Hill--Playing with Tigers Expat experience of major tourist spots usually ends in disappointment. Not because the sights are bad, but because expats pick the wrong times to go. Tiger Hill, Suzhou’s “Number 1 Scenic Area” is best seen in fall, after the summer crowds make it insufferable. The highlight of Tiger Hill is a 70 meter, 1,000-year-old pagoda, dubbed “The Leaning Tower of Suzhou” because it tilts at a crazy angle. But before you make the climb, though, turn left after entry and skirt the canal surrounding the park. Half a km and you’ll come upon a waterfall tumbling out of a bamboo forest—perfect picnic spot. Head up to the pagoda from the north gate, then wind through the ancient sites which dot the east slope. You’ll lock elbows with the crowds, but the bubbling springs, soaring bridge and the grotto covered in genuinely ancient calligraphy is truly special. Entry: RMB40, bring a picnic lunch or buy some steamed nuts and local taffy (麦芽糖) outside the gate

Hanshan Temple -- Ring the Bells When the emperor fled south in 900 AD, Suzhou became a boomtown, resulting in many exquisite Buddhist temples, some of which still stand today. Our favorite temple, the Hanshan Temple, actually dates back to the Tang Dynasty, and bears an inscription from the famed Tang poet Zhang Ji (“flowing water and bended reed”). The temple echoes with the deep boom of bells, the ringing of which signifies communion with loved ones in the underworld. The temple houses an excellent collection of massive bells cast throughout the ages. Though the temple itself has been almost too well restored, the stone bridge which spans the canal has seen centuries of feet pass over. The real highlight (as far as The Weekender is concerned) is the little park across the street where you’ll find the excellent Hanshan Teahouse (0512-6533-2295). Sit on the verandah in the warmer months or inside around low tables if the weather is cooler and select from a wide array of quality teas ranging up from YY100. Plus, for a little extra, you can check out some traditional pingtai performance, renditions of arias from classical Chinese dramas, sung by a retired opera star from Shanghai. Entry: RMB20

Panmen – Acres of Green Originally the site of a Buddhist temple, the area has grown to resemble a city park. Inside find half a km of ancient city wall, an pagoda, a small temple as well as numerous other scenic spots. At the temple, for a small fee you can watch a performance of Chinese opera, a love story between. Stroll atop the old wall accompanied only by a flock of pigeons. Sit under weeping willows by the side of the canal. For a little privacy, use the back exit located inside the wall area to access a beautiful green space edging the old city moat. There’s a great view from the top of the soaring stone arch bridge which crosses it. Entry: RMB40

Food—Suzhou Style Guanqianjie in the middle of town is the culinary epicenter of town. Something like Nanjing Xilu, but without all the touts and tourists. For a fantastic rendition of songshu guiyu, one of Suzhou’s most renowned dishes, head to Xinjufeng (RMB120). The fish is plump and crispy, the sauce is tangy without being too ketchupy. For something a little off the beaten path, Lao Suzhou Tea and Wine Restaurant. The shoubo xiaren (RMB88) is the specialty. The Suzhou special duck (xiangsu ya is the best duck in China and a steal at RMB40. For tofu fans, try the Doufu Hua (RMB22). Somewhere between soup and solid, it goes great with the four mix-ins they provide. Songshulou Restaurant is also one of the highest rated by Dianpiang.com. The crab sauce doufu (xiehuang doufu) is great as is the songshu jueyu (RMB138) a variation on the songshu guiyu

Classical Gardens—Bang for your Buck The tourists come to see Suzhou’s classical gardens and for good reason: they are truly beautiful examples of Chinese refinement which are uniquely accessible to visitors. All gardens are not alike. Start with Surging Waves, which is the oldest of the existing gardens. It’s quite large, rolling over an artificial rock hill and meandering around before seizing up against a wall. You’ll notice that the fish pond doesn’t play the kind of central role that it does for the later gardens which seem to be built just for enjoyment of the pond. Surging Waves has another unique point: the cave room. It’s a wonderful place for a bit of lunch. Master of Nets is the garden everyone visits and what everyone thinks about when they say Suzhou gardens. It’s always crowded with groups, so don’t expect too much meditation time. But the representative example of the gardens simply shouldn’t be missed.

Taihu Environs

I highly recommend getting out of Suzhou and seeing Taihu. It remains one of my favorite places in China. Here’s an easy day trip from Suzhou:

Guangfu Temple—The Copper Buddha After turning your nose up at the din and ruckus of Mudu, hop a cab to Guangfu Temple (光复寺(铜观音寺与光复塔), RMB15). Built on a small hill, it’s not as big as even the Hanshan Temple in Suzhou, but it’s very quaint and, unlike Hanshan, active monks still live there. The treasure of the temple is a 1000 year old copper Buddha of Mercy housed in the main prayer hall. Legend has it that it was unearthed in the area during the Song Dynasty. Standing about 1 meter tall, it would probably pass notice if you weren’t clear on the history. For me the real treasure was the short hike up the hill behind. With great views of Zhenhu (a small islet hemmed off of Taihu), a spacious courtyard and a small teahouse, it’s perfect for an hour’s worth of contemplation, i.e. lunch. Then scamper up the seven story tower for excellent aerial views and your first real look at what you’ve come for: Taihu! The tower is genuinely old, several hundred years at least (my Chinese guidebook only specified that it was originally built in 1400, but had been renovated somewhere along the line. There is also an interesting photo at the base of the tower which shows the structure standing in the middle of greenery: clearly the temple complex itself, though originally founded in 500 A.D., had been rebuilt from scratch recently). The twinkling of the bells hanging at the eaves in the strong winds blowing in from the lake is intoxicating on a beautiful day like today.

Taihu—Eat Your Weight in Fish Taihu is famous for seafood, and my guidebook mentioned a place called Taihu Boat Food Street (太湖船菜街). It sounded promising so I figured out which direction it was and began to walk hoping to get a public bus or find a minibus which wouldn’t rip me off. That’s one thing about traveling on a budget (and frankly who doesn’t travel on a budget?), you have to balance adventure with possible expense. After a few minutes I got my minibus and after negotiating them down to RMB25 I was off. I should have paid about 10. Oh well. Taihu Boat Food Street is hilarious. It’s 10 restaurants, each four stories tall, each built on a separate barge and moored to the wooden promenade right on Taihu proper. Big, garish, it’s everything foreigners don’t really like nor understand about the Chinese way of eating. Whatever, it was on the water and they were sure to have good stuff fresh from the lake. After first ascertaining when the last public bus of the day to Guangfu was, I made a gamble and pushed on down the road on foot to see what was what. That turned out to be the best move of the day.

Yunfeng Zen Buddhist Temple—Monkin' Around I’m walking on a paved road with the lake yawning out to my right and farmland backed by small foothills to my left. I rounded a bend and came upon a sleepy little water town. But lo, what is that on the promontory? The gilded yellow walls said temple immediately. Nothing about this in my guidebook! I wound my way through some alleys and then through some fields before coming upon the temple wall and four solemn graves. I followed the wall until I got to the entrance: 云峰禅寺—Yunfeng Zen Buddhist Temple. The gate was wide open, but there wasn’t a monk to be seen. I made straight for the prayer hall where I did something I normally never do: 拜佛--thrice kneeling to pay your respects. I guess I was just happy that Buddha had let me find this intriguing place. Coming on a working temple is fantastic, they feel so much different than the museum pieces foreigners usually go to. I wandered around a bit and then finally spied the monks: they were shooting pool! Seriously, the monks were shooting pool. Laughing, I took off.

Tuhua Resort Hotel—If You Can Swing It, Spend a Night Here The little town at the foot of the hill is named Chongshan (冲山) and I found out to my amazement that they have one industry there: making Buddhas. In every courtyard you’ll see cords of wood, huge trunks, half finished torsos of Buddhas and massive Laughing Buddhas just needing a coat of paint. So that’s where all those Buddhas come from! Chongshan! I asked someone how much to have one custom made. They hemmed and hawed so much I knew they were trying to figure out how much they could take me for so I took off. Freaking locals. Anyway, you can have them custom made.I’d spied an interesting looking complex on the next promontory into the lake. Someone told me it was a hotel so I went to check it out. Readers, you should thank me for doing the hard work for you because otherwise you’d never know about the Tuhua Resort Hotel. It’s freaking awesome and I found it because I crossed a vegetable farm and scaled some big rocks wet with surf. This place is crazy, a four or five star caliber hotel almost totally empty with the most amazing view of Taihu ever. It faces due west so the sunset is ALL YOURS. It’s totally Overlook Hotel stuff. I thought I had stumbled into one of those resorts only for officials. It used to be the exclusive property of the Chinese National Petroleum Corps, but went public in 2006. Standard rooms are RMB560. I inspected two of them and they are great; the bathrooms even have bathtubs!

Get There:

Hint 1: There aren’t many free floating cabs in Mudu so have your hotel arrange one or just jump on 64 or 65 public bus which lets off just down the road from Guangfu Temple). Hint 2: Guangfu to太湖船菜街 take bus 651. Amazingly, you can swipe your Shanghai metro card! Go China!