The new mall

The most famous modern building in Suzhou is probably the pants building, thanks to its curious shape and also because it is the highest building in the city. Its construction lasted longer than… Continue reading →

The Beisi pagoda

Last Saturday I woke up to a gorgeous blue sky. C. was in a meeting and I didn’t have anyone else to go out with, but that didn’t stop me. If I have… Continue reading →

Family visit VI: Suzhou

Finally! We reached the end of my family’s China trip last month. The last stop was Suzhou, where I live and where our Chinese wedding took place. I hope I can write about… Continue reading →

Sightseeing around Suzhou: Luzhi

Last Saturday we went to Luzhi (甪直), a small town close to Suzhou. Luzhi is one of the many water towns around Suzhou, among which the most famous are Tongli and Zhouzhuang. I… Continue reading →

The Panmen scenic area

2017 has not had a great start if we think about air pollution. The PM2.5 index has been over 150 (unhealthy) every day for now. Sigh, this is winter in China. But we… Continue reading →

The Suzhou gardens

What is the most popular tourist attraction in Suzhou? Ask any Chinese person and they will reply it’s the Suzhou gardens, of course. So I thought about writing a post about them. I don’t… Continue reading →

Discovering new places

I have been living in Suzhou for over 4 years now, but there are still some places that I haven’t been to. For example, I haven’t been to all of the famous Suzhou… Continue reading →

Sunday by the lake

It’s that time of the year again! The beginning of summer means the rainy season is here. It has been raining a lot the last couple of weeks and there were also several… Continue reading →

The Lantern Festival

Yesterday it was the Lantern Festival or 元宵节 yuanxiaojie. This festivity marks the official end of the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival and it is celebrated with fireworks and lantern displays. It is… Continue reading →

Suzhou on the cheap (and vegetarian!)

Two weeks ago, a couple of my workmates came to Suzhou to spend the weekend with us. I asked what they wanted to visit in the city, they only said “old things”. Well,… Continue reading →