Located about 100km west of Shanghai, Suzhou is famous for its canals, bridges and classical gardens; collectively an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
With the Yangtze River Delta to the north-east and surrounded by lakes, it's not surprising Suzhou is often called 'Venice of the East'.
There's even a Grand Canal running through Suzhou, north to south, connecting Beijing with Hangzhou.
While many tourists might choose the easy option and take a boat tour on the Weichang River, it's easy enough to walk around on foot and discover the quiet backwaters of this 2,500 year-old city; founded in 514 BC as Helu, in the Kingdom of Wu.
An old Chinese proverb says, 'In heaven there is paradise, on earth there are Hangzhou and Suzhou'.
