Private Tour: One Day Suzhou Profound Culture Tour

Tour Itinerary

Pick up from your hotel lobby in Suzhou or Suzhou train station with a welcome signage "Suzhou Private Tour", one day tour in Suzhou includes the following activies:

Our pick up sign"Suzhou Private Tour"

Suzhou Silk: Suzhou is known as the "Paradise on Earth" and also "the hometown of silk". Suzhou Silk was developed throughout the Paleolithic and Neolithic age in the Taihu Lake Basin. Forefathers of Suzhou had mastered the technique of breeding silkworms and spinning silk back in the Spring and Autumn period. According to "The Records of the Grand Historian" (a comprehensive history of ancient China) in 519 BC, Wu and Chu kingdoms were engaged in large scale wars fighting over mulberry trees, which reflected the important roles of silkworms and mulberry trees in the economy at that time.The silk products were first transported to the other regions when the Silk Road originated in Han Dynasty. Silk rapidly became a popular luxury fabric in the many areas accessible to Chinese merchants because of its nice texture and lustre. Suzhou became the center of silk production in China since Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, and the city offered most of the silk and relevant products for imperial families in Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.You can go to Suzhou Silk Museum,Suzhou Silk Factory to experience the silk culture

Su Embroidery: Su embroidery is the most celebrated of the four main styles of Chinese silk embroidery(the other three:Xiang Xiu in Hunan,Yue Xiu in Guangdong and Shu Xiu in Sichuan), hailing from Suzhou and surrounding towns of Jiangsu province. Compared to the other three embroidery styles, it is characterized by distinct stitching techniques, use of split silk threads and a breadth of art themes. Su Embroidery is famous for its vivid presentation in which the landscape is in perspective, pavilions and towers are exactly the same as their real counterparts, figures show facial expression and birds and flowers are lifelike. Su embroidery has a history of about 2,000 years, originating in the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280). According to historical records, Su embroidery became so popular during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) that people even named lanes with names associated with silk and its embroidery. Almost each family bred silkworms, and made embroidery works. Some families even lived by embroidering. Su embroidery reached its peak during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and Suzhou was named the Embroidery City at that time .We Recommend you to Suzhou Zhenhu Embroidery Art Museum.

Kunqu Opera: Kunqu Opera is one of the oldest forms of opera still existing in China, with its origins dating back to late Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), about 600 years ago, in the lower Yangtze Valley. And it is said to be the mother of all Chinese operas. During the period of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty, it came into its golden era. Kunqu Opera is acknowledged as an elegant opera in terms of music, recitation, and the performers' movement. It is foremost acclaimed as "watermill song" because of its soft arias and the graceful movement of its performers. Carrying forward the tradition of ancient poetry and common speech, the art is also of very high literary value. However, the opera has suffered some of a decline since the 18th century because it requires a high level of technical knowledge from the audience. Today, it is facing fierce competition from mass culture and a lack of interest amongst the young people. Of the 400 arias regularly sung in opera performances in the mid-20th century, only a few dozen continue to be performed. And it is listed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO since 2001. We recommend China Kunqu Opera Museum.   

Pingtan: Suzhou Pingtan is a general term denoting Suzhou pinghua and tanci, namely, storytelling and ballad singing in the Suzhou dialect. It is well known for its story telling, joke telling, music playing and aria singing. Flourishing in Suzhou, it is also quite prevalent in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces as well as in Shanghai, the biggest metropolis in East China. The art has a long history. Pinghua developed from the storytelling art of the Tang and Song dynasties, and performers only spoke instead of sang during the performance. In the late years of the Ming Dynasty and the early years of the Qing Dynasty, actors and actresses began to perform in Suzhou dialect, hence emerged Suzhou pingtan. Suzhou pingtan reached its peak in the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1739-1796) in the Qing Dynasty. In the subsequent more than 200 years, the art form saw much improvement. It still enjoys great popularity today. In Suzhou,there scatters a great number of teahouses such as Ouyuan Garden, Quyuan Garden, Yiyuan Garden etc.

After the tour ends, drive you back to your hotel or Suzhou train station.

Others
Wu Ballads
Wu Ballads is the general name for folk songs and folk music in the Wu area.  These ballads can be dated back to over 3200 years ago, and are an essential part of Wu culture.  The beautiful Jiangnan area (south of the Yangtze River) is the original home of the Wu ballads.  Since ancient times, Wu ballads have been a valuable part of oral literature, and an art form for the local folk.  In 2006 they were listed as part of the intangible cultural heritage of China.

Wu Dialect
The Wu language is the most ancient dialect of Chinese language.  It can be dated back to the Spring and Autumn period, and was used as an official language of the Wu and Yue states over 2,600 years ago.  The Suzhou dialect is a typical Wu language and was the very first dialect of the Han language to be studied. It is considered to be soft, light, and flowing.  As a language of literature, the Suzhou dialect was used in many popular novels in the nineteenth century, such as Magnificent Dreams in Shanghai.

Taohuawu Woodblock Print
Taohuawu is located in the north of Suzhou city. Woodblock Prints are a traditional folk art with a long history, which can be traced back to the Song Dynasty. They were further developed during the Ming Dynasty, and reached their peak during the Qing Dynasty with an annual production of millions. Incorporating auspicious themes with colourful portraits of mother and child, local fables and religious motifs, these prints are highly decorative.

Suzhou Fan
Suzhou Fans have enjoyed a long history, and there are more than ten styles; such as the exquisite sandalwood fan, the folding fan, the silk palace fan, and the paper fan. Those fans are crafted according to vastly different production characteristics. Take a sandalwood fan for example: a zigzag-shaped steel thread is fixed on the two ends of a bamboo bow, and flowers or Chinese characters are ironed onto the spread sandalwood fan with an electric pen. Then, patterns like women, flowers, birds, mountains or waters are drawn on the upper half of the fan. The ancient-style fans are impossibly elegant, which made them famous both at home and abroad.

Suzhou Colored Lantern
The lanterns in Suzhou are exquisite and colourful, featuring portraits of human figures, landscapes, birds and   flowers.  Among Suzhou's various lanterns, the galloping horse lantern is probably the most famous.  The lantern has a revolving circle of paper cuts depicting story characters or other figures.  When the candle is lit, the circulation caused by the fire makes the inner circle revolve.

If you visit Suzhou from Shanghai, there are some useful Tips for you to Puchase Train Ticket:

From Shanghai to Suzhou:
Option 1: G7104 Shanghai Hongqiao Station to Suzhou Station: Depart at 08:54AM and arrive at 09:30AM
Option 2: G7006 Shanghai Station to Suzhou Station: Depart at 09:00AM and arrive at 09:25AM
Please choose one of the above options according to your hotel location

From Suzhou to Shanghai
Option 1: G7119 Depart at 17:56 from Suzhou Station and arrive at Shanghai Hongqiao Station at 18:32
Option 2: G7243 Depart at 18:02 from Suzhou Station and arrive at Shanghai Station at 18:27

Note: Plz book the train ticket in advance in case sold out, especially on weekend or public holiday

Price Per Person in US Dollars