Founded around 600 BC, Suzhou is one of the oldest settlements in the Yangtze basin. Often referred to as the "Venice of the East," its neighborhoods and interconnected waterways are truly a masterpiece.

Pan Gate is part of the ancient city wall built in 514 BCE that surrounded and protected Suzhou. Pan Gate was the only entrance to the wall that surrounded ancient Suzhou. It is also known in China for its architecture. It is so famous for its complex of both land and water city gates that many times, people directly refer to it as the "Land and Water Gate".

The Grand Canal is the oldest and longest canal in the world. It flows from the northern Beijing to the southern Hangzhou with hundreds of thousands of ferries for over 2,500 years. The 1,794-kilometer-long water conservancy project, is regarded one of the two greatest ancient project in China (together with the Great Wall). So far it's still the artery of China's economy and culture between the northern part and the southern part of China. Grand Canal in Suzhou serves as the most convenient traffic web that covers the whole city.

Well known for its beautiful natural environment and simple architecture, this city has remained remarkably well-preserved for over 900 years. The majority of the town's residences were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties; nearly 100 classic courtyards and 60 carved-brick archways from those periods are still in use!