With quite a few free Mondays appearing on my schedule, I jumped at the chance to explore a city I'd never been to before, that was only around 2 hours away - Suzhou, the Venice of China. Not really knowing that much about it, other than it was on the way to Shanghai, has a rich cultural history, was visited by Marco Polo, has lots of canals, and has a large expat population, I hit the online guides and made a a rough itinerary of places to go, things to do, food to eat. Disembarking from the train at Suzhou North Station, I was greeted by clouds of cigarette smoke. In a matter of minutes, I'd found the connecting Metro station, fumbled around on Alipay for the Suzhou Metro QR code (using the Alipay Transport app for the first time), then hopped on a train. I knew that my hotel, the Sun Plaza, was somewhere near the popular Shantang area, some 10 stops south on Line 2 Half of the train ride was above ground, and I got a fantastic view of tiny tree-lined canals flowing in between residential buildings. Sadly the weather was cold and grey.
I exited at Shantang Street Station, and found myself in a car park and market area. At the main road, I turned left and walked up to a bridge where quite a lot of people had gathered for photos. Not realising this was the famous Shantang River and Shantang Street area, I still posed for a selfie and took some shots, then continued on my way to the hotel, a few hundred metres ahead, beyond an overpass, and down a side street. On the ground floor, I was greeted by a concierge in casual clothes who spoke quite good English. I realised later on he most likely was the only person who spoke some English at the entire hotel. I went up to the 5th floor reception to check in. I was two hours early but managed to check in ok, except that the staff couldn't communicate information about the room's wifi or what services the hotel offered.
A Little Stroll
My room was basic but comfortable enough and the bathroom had lived up to the lofty online reviews - spotless, nice and with a large bathtub. Although I was on the 14th floor, the view wasn't that spectacular, just housing sprawl. I rested for a while, then around 2pm, armed with my itinerary, battery pack, and a bottle of water, I headed out into the cold. Famed for its classical landscaped gardens, some dating back hundreds of years and representing specific styles of the prevailing dynasty. I planned to visit some of them and see what else I could find along the way. The guides had said Suzhou is quite accessible on foot, with most places within easy reach or a few km from one another. I began by walking east along the bustling Shangtang Street on which my hotel was located. This street was lined mainly by restaurants, with a large pedestrian shopping precinct nearby. I kept walking, parallel to the Shantang River, and in ten minutes, came across a bridge, with hundreds of people in each direction. I continued east and Shantang Street now became Xizhongshi through a humongous stone gate over the road with short pedestrian tunnels. The area on the other side noticeably had less restaurants and more of a residential feel, but was bustling like a kind of High St, with bicycles, scooters and mini public buses all honking at each other.
One thing I noticed was that the majority of buildings were painted white. I crossed the street and went down a side street named Tangjia Lane, which must have had some significance as it had a plaque with information about it on a wall. Now I really was in a residential area. The lane reminded me of similar commerical side streets I'd seen in cities in Punjab, such as Bathinda. I was also reminded of the never-ending 'shoutengais' in Osaka, (where time seems to stand still). I walked by intricately painted entrances to blocks of apartments and lots of tiny stores. One that stood out was a mini butcher shop with carcasses hanging at the entrance. When I came to a main road, I turned left and walked and walked until I reached a huge boulevarde - Renmin Lu, which runs north-south through Suzhou's centre. I went down an underpass and arrived at Guanqian Street, the most famous pedestrian shopping street in town.
Bad Joss For You
Not particularly liking large pedestrian shopping streets, and finding them largely the same, in China anyway, this one was no exception. There was loud music everywhere and shop assistants clapping their hands, some even badly singing, all to attract the attention of shoppers. I ignored them all, more occupied with finding something to eat, as it had been over seven hours since breakfast. I went past some large temple complex, then realised that it was the Xuanmiaoguan Temple or Temple of Mystery. This ochre-coloured Taoist temple, established in the 3rd century, happens to also be the only wooden temple left in Suzhou. I'd read that there was a perpetual wall of joss smoke from devotees obscuring the deities inside. I bought a ticket and was handed some joss sticks. The last time I'd heard the term 'joss' was in James Clavell's masterpiece, 'Tai Pan', loosely based on the real-life goings on of the trading families who founded Hong Kong. I walked through the complex to the temple but wasn't sure exactly where to light the sticks. I certainly didn't see any wall of smoke. I went inside and took photos of some Buddha statues and finally found someone who pointed out where the fire was to light the joss sticks. The problem was it was so windy and cold that the sticks instantly went out. It then turned out I was trying to light them from the wrong end. Whoops. I then tried from the right end but it still wouldn't work. Succumbing to the notion I'd probably unveiled years of bad joss to come, I crumpled the sticks in my pocket and made a hasty exit.
The Garden of the Master of the Nets
Despite my hunger, I now walked south, eventually arriving on Shiquan Street, Suzhou's main bar area. I wasn't after any drink, but was trying to locate The Garden of the Master of the Nets, one of the major classical gardens to see. I found it eventually, following the crowds entering an alleyway. At the front were a few enclosed gardens, then the path opened out to a pond surrounded by gabled buildings, blossoms, and other trees and plants in bloom. Overall, the house and garden complex was quite small but beautifully landscaped, as indeed described in the online guides. And to think it was originally created in 1140! Given just how crowded it was, I didn't spend too much time there, perhaps 20 minutes in total. I'm not sure which I found more impressive, the garden or the name itself. And how does one become a Master of the Nets?
A Rookie Mistake AKA Pingjiang Lu on a Saturday
My next port of call was Pingjiang Road, an ancient cobblestone street, more than a thousand years old, running alongside a canal. It took about half an hour to walk north to Ganjiang Road, which runs east-west through the centre. A little bit to the east was the southern end of Pingjiang Rd. Murals were painted on the far side of the canal on buildings. Shops were everywhere, mainly selling snacks and trinkets. Posing young women and girls, with elabrate hairstyles and white traditional costumes, were providing lucrative business to all the stores offering them a chance to look like some courtesan from perhaps the Han Dynasty. Every so often the canal would narrow and become a street food market. Other streets, some with canals, criss-crossed it. I passed a couple of establishments with cats perched on the window sills on the 2nd floor, peering out at the millions of people below. And yes, there were close to a million people, all ambling at snail's pace along this narrow street. I think I may have found half of Suzhou's population, all congregating in one place. In other words, madness! I did my best to march past everyone. I think it took at least an hour to reach the northern end, there were just too many people. I'd made the mistake of visiting a major tourist hotspot on the weekend when all the hordes come out! It was quite scenic nonetheless but also a bit too touristy.
More Crowds
I was on a mission actually, to reach another garden not far away - The Humble Administrator's Garden. I got to another pedestrian street lined with big trees and realised I only had 40 minutes before closing time. Realising my limits, I went into a Starbucks and ordered a cappuccino and a croissant in English with no problems, before resting my feet for half an hour upstairs. I headed west back in the direction of my hotel, going along Baita Rd, with its traditional store frontsc, passing the Northern Pagoda, and coming across the humongous gate again, this time all lit up. I crossed over one of the forks in the river, taking in the view from atop the bridge, and admiring the nice surroundings. I was now near the Shantang area. The alley before veering to the bridge led north, with hardly anyone around, and nice looking restaurants and fancy looking establishments following the course of a canal. I rounded a few corners and found myself in the heart of Shantang, with all the people left over from Pingjiang earlier. People everywhere! The Shantang River was nicely lit up, but it was impossible to walk along Shantang Street, another gimmicky little pedestrian only tourist hotspot. I eventually went up some stairs and realised I was at the same place I stopped and took photos when I first arrived earlier in the day.
Boom Crash Opera and The Squirrel Fish
I went back to the hotel, and asked the receptionist if the restaurant served dinner. Of the three ladies on duty, the first one laughed at the embarrassment of being confronted by a foreigner. The older more stern of the three glanced at my phone's Chinese translation and rudely said 'no restaurant' and said something like 'outside'. Thank you very much. I charged my phone a bit then went out for much needed food. I walked up and down the restaurant street and down another street trying to work out what I wanted, and to find something without a long line. One of the initial places I saw had a menu with pictures as well as a billboard with a dish of squirrel fish, I'd read about that's meant to be a Suzhou speciality, consisting of a fish that's been cut, breaded, fried and smothered in a sweet and sour mandarin sauce and reassembled to look like a squirrel's tail. I ended back at this place and thought what the hell, fish it is, despite the exorbitant price. I ordered a bottle of beer and a vegetable dish as well, which I thought consisted of cucumber strips.
I sat at the only empty booth, with 3 booths in front and directly next to me a table with four adults and a baby. Everyone was letting out their inner Chinese hillbilly. One of the main guys was smoking, talking loudly on the phone while eating, then yelling at the only lady to do a 'ganbei', while the others were acting in a similar fashion, and every 10 seconds or so there'd be a 'bang' as a glass or dish got banged on the table. Then again, 'bang', and again, 'bang', then more yelling, and 'bang', then one of the waitresses was bang crashing around next to them trying to pull something out of the wall, and then 'bang'. I kept staring, my nerves reaching their limit, and the lady at the table holding the baby looked back, bemused. Then 'bang'. By now, other patrons in the other booths kept looking over at all this banging and loudness. I caught the waitresses eye, and asked "wèi shén me" and motioned a banging plate action. She thought I wanted something, and then the hangriness took over. I again asked 'why' in Chinese and banged my glass down on the table 5 times while looking at the hillbillies. They were silent now, but I didn't care. I may have let out a swear word or tow, but also didn't care. A minute later the waitress whispered to me something I didn't understand and motioned for me to move tables. The restaurant was tiny, but I was moved to a table on the other side and out of sight of the yokels. I apologised in Chinese, and seemed to get some understanding.
My vegetable dish soon arrived and tasted like Chinese medicine, kind of like some ancient elixir. And it wasn't cucumber, in fact I don't know what it was. Healthy by virtue of its earthy taste but not exactly palatable. Next my squirrel fish arrived. It was impressive looking, but clearly a tourist trap, reminiscent of the beer fish served in many of Yangshuo's restaurants - fancy looking, fancy sounding, but lacking substance. I ended up eating all the fish, but wasn't sure that it even tasted like fish. Perhaps there was too much mandarin glaze, or too much bread and not enough fish. Perhaps this is what fish is like in China, as I also recall going to a seafood restaurant almost twenty years ago, and being far from impressed at the flavour of everything. I took a final spoon of medicinal vegetables and finished my beer, then went back to the hotel to crash.
Shiquan (Empty) Bar Street
Feeling I'd crashed enough, and wanting to go explore a bar or two along the main bar area, Shiquan Street, I ordered a Didi and asked the driver for his recommendation of a place to have a drink. Shiquan Street was completely empty when we arrived, save for the gnarled trees along the footpath and a few open stores. We stopped at The Pub Bar, a tiny bar which according to the guides is a major expat hangout. I walked in and there were three people inside - the owner,a customer, and someone completely passed out in front of the fridges. I was greeted by the owner and asked to sit at the bar, on one of about four stools. I was asked what beer I'd like, then told not to worry about the perosn sprawled on the floor. This person was then dragged to a corner of the bar where someone unsuccessfully attmpted to wake her up. I was told she'd drunk too much. I ordered a simple Corona, and answered twenty questions, before the other cutomer proceeded to tell me all about the history of her relationship with an Aussie guy, but not all Aussies are bad, just him. I inquired from the owner about other bars, in particular one named Pulp Fiction, but was told it had now closed. Another place called Jane's bar was meant to be good.
I politely declined a second drink and walked all the way down the street, almost to the canal at the end, a good 1.5km one way, ignoring the odd calls of "hey mister" from a few bars, then croseed over and headed back to try and find this Jane's place.. A few more "hey mister","hellos" (I'd read that one stretch has some insalubrious bars, with girls appearing from nowhere to lure in customers", and not really in the mood to visit insalubrious places, I ignored them and kept going, quite shocked at how desolte this supposed bar street was. In fact I'd hardly seen any foreigners at all since arriving. Had they all left since the Great Leveller of a few years ago, or simply moved to the nicer Suzhou Industrial Park area on the east side of town? Ultimately I never located Jane's Bar, and didn't want to go into some other place I found with a 100rmb entry and all you can drink, and so called it a night and went back to the hotel.
Bang!
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