Suzhou is a city in Jiangsu province, famed for its beautiful gardens and traditional waterside architecture. The town has many canals and has been called the Venice of the East.
Suzhou is a prefecture-level city in the Chinese system of administration, which makes the name "Suzhou" somewhat ambiguous; it can refer either to the city itself or to the entire administrative area. This article covers the city; some towns within the administrative area, like Kunshan and Wujiang, have separate articles.
In Imperial China, Suzhou was a popular destination for retired scholars and officials, many of whom built classical Chinese gardens around their homes; even lesser houses and some commercial buildings often have lovely small gardens or courtyards. The Classical Gardens of Suzhou are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
- Wikivoyage
![Image by Mesut Kaya](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_490346639cfb46f49bf7f979c8914a7b~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_476,h_317,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/nsplsh_490346639cfb46f49bf7f979c8914a7b~mv2.jpg)