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Suzhou and Hangzhou "Heaven above, High praise, indeed; so we checked it out.... |
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First we took a car from Shanghai to Suzhou, 'the Venice of the east'.
Well, Venice needn't worry (about Suzhou, anyway). While there are many picturesque canals and bridges here, they are relics of the past; attractive but impotent. No, the real highlight of Suzhou is her gardens. There are
dozens. |
| These Southern Chinese gardens look like they were designed
for channel surfers. Every turn presents a different view. Buildings, rocks, water, plants, bridges, hills, caves, windows, benches; everything is eye candy. The maze-like design turns the tour into a Christmas party, as you wonder what the designer will unwrap next. If Kyoto stands as a monument to the simplicity of the Japanese Garden, then Suzhou can stand as a testament to the creative possibilities of the Chinese Garden. Suzhou is also famous throughout China for her beautiful women. I didn't see any
indication of that beauty, but we did see some very attractive women from Hangzhou. |
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On another weekend, we took a pleasant train ride to
Hangzhou. When we arrived, we took a taxi to West Lake, the jewel of Hangzhou. |
As a day trip from Shanghai, though, it's
very pleasant. I didn't shoot many pictures in the rain, but I took this lotus shot as almost an afterthought, not expecting much from it. It's ironic, because the lotus is a very important flower to Buddhists, It
shows that something pure and beautiful can grow from impure, muddy origins. |
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