Suzhou areas
(View from the hotel room, the Panmen Gate Scenic area, Backdrop of factory chimneys)
On our first night, we were treated to dinner and a Suzhou introduction by one of Ying’s workmates. They have all been so welcoming and have worked hard to make us feel at home. Suzhou is mad up of several main areas. The old town (where the hotel is situated) is the heart of Ancient Suzhou and is moated by a canal running right around the perimeter. It is one of the busiest areas with the craziest rush hour traffic. Outside this is ‘downtown’ which is obviously the main shopping and eating district, but is still part of the older town. To the West, SND (Suzhou New District) which is dirty and busy and packed with hotels, businesses, high rises… Then there is SIP (Suzhou Industrial Park) which is fifteen years old in it’s oldest parts. The newest parts are shooting up wherever a nearby building has just been finished! It’s an incredibly fast growing town. I’ll try to get some pictures of all the construction soon – it is everywhere, at every hazy horizon.
