Suzhou has been praised as a “paradise on earth" since ancient times. Two hours away from Shanghai, Suzhou has enjoyed great prosperity and recognition over the years. It is a great and elegant city, founded in about 600 BC and is one of the oldest towns in the Yangtze basin. Making it famous one thousand years later when the Grand Canal was up and running. Its great location helped Suzhou become a prosperous trading area with the silk industry especially booming here. By the 14th Century, Suzhou had become the leading silk producer in China and this quaint little retreat became popular with visitors from the imperial court at Hangzhou. Artists, scholars and painters all retreated to this "Venice of the East" to seek inspiration and to relax.

Suzhou was one of the few cities in China to escape the ravages of the Cultural Revolution and its famous gardens survived almost intact. It is the gardens here, which are the most famous attraction in the city. The gardens embody the harmonious principles of Chinese garden construction, which dictate that gardens should attempt to create a microcosm of the universe in a confined space.