Shopping in Suzhou

Suzhou is home to some of China's most popular and well known sights. While you are here therefore, it's a good idea to pick up any of the "typically" Chinese souvenirs you want to take home with you!

The most well known souvenirs from here include, Suzhou embroidery (which is regarded as some of the best in the country), Suzhou tea (which has a distinctive aroma and delicate flavor), the Song brocade, writing brushes and Taohua Wu wood carvings.

Suzhou has been recognized as a world leader in silk production since ancient times. The variety and quality of silk available here is almost unbeatable in China. Along with Hangzhou, this is THE place to buy silk dresses, silk fans, jackets, pajamas, underwear....the list is endless. There are numerous souvenir shops selling all these things. Try the night market next to the Temple of Mystery for good priced silk and a fair selection. There are tailors all over town who can whip you up a creation in a couple of days and most cloth shops have in house tailors.

Guanqian Tour and Shopping Street

A famous poet once said, "I would always dream of Suzhou for 3 living times", which fully shows the charm of Suzhou. Since long, long time ago, Suzhou has been a prosperous place in Jiangnan area, with notable reputations as a "Country Flowing with Honey and Milk" and a "Home of Silk". Guanqian region is located in the center of the Ancient Town of Suzhou, occupying an area of 0.52 square kilometers. Within the area, the commerce is flourishing. There is a great congregation of famous shops and historical relics. In the modern city construction layout of Suzhou-"Gardens in the east, stores in the west and the ancient town in the center. It is like one body with two wings". Guanqian Region plays an irreplaceable leading role.

Guanqian Street got its name from the fact that it lies in front of Xuanmiao Guan (temple). Its formation has already had a history of more than 150 years up to this day. It is famous for being the gathering place of many outstanding and unique shops boasting of a 100-year-long history, such as Daoxiang Village, Qiantaixiang, Caizhizhai and Huangtianyuan, etc. The Food Street, located in Green Phoenix Mill-Eunuch Lane, is appraised throughout Jiangnan area for its unique Su-style food. Xuanmiao Gao, a place with rich cultural relics under national key protection, attracts tourists from home and abroad with its deep implications of Taoism culture.

Fengqiao Commerce Street

Fengqiao Street and Hanshan Temple are cultural tourist commerce streets with strong local characteristics in Fengqiao Scenery Resort Area. Ming-Qing buildings there have primitive and simple style and features. The forest of shops assembly exhibit almost all of Jiangnan art and craft products, such as silk, Su Embroidery, calligraphy and paintings, four treasures in the study, pad auk cuttings, and sandalwood fans, etc. In addition, there are all kinds of antique shops, pearl shops, teakettle shops and calligraphers and painters' art galleries for them to sell their own works. You can also appreciate "Long-brush Calligraphy" performances recorded in Shanghai Guinness Book of Record. The beautiful things are too many for your eyes to take them all in.

Fengqiao Commerce Street has a history as long as Hanshan Temple and Feng Bridge. Described as Tang poem "Night-anchoring at Feng Bridge", famous writers in the past and at present one after another came here for a stay to seek historic interests and nature beauties and Fengqiao Ancient Town gradually prospered. Today, with the development of tourist industry, the pink-wall and black-tile buildings, signboards in ancient style and art and craft products with Wu Culture characteristics, altogether form a humanistic scene with rich inner meanings, which is worthy for you to wander unhurriedly and appreciate in details.

Biluochun Tea

Suzhou's Biluochun Tea is one of the ten most famous teas in China. It is locally known as "Fearful Incense" due to the strong aroma of the brew!

During the Qing dynasty, Emperor Kangxi visited Suzhou and praised the flavor of this aromatic tea. The tea leaves are picked from the Biluo Mountain near Tai Lake, and are collected traditionally in early spring between what is known as "Tomb-sweeping Day" and "Grain Rain Day"!

The technique for collecting tea leaves is very complex. Only the tender tip of the leaf is used for the tea making process. This part of the leaf should be no longer than one inch long and shaped like the tip of a spear. One tin of tea uses 60 thousand spears! It's no surprise then, that some of the finest Chinese teas are very expensive. The next step in the process is to repeatedly knead, rub and roll the leaves by hand. The Biluochun tea involves a particularly labor intensive process but the end result are leaves that are compact, tender and wonderfully fresh and aromatic.

If you have never sampled Chinese green tea, the Biluochun is a good one to start with. Chinese tea not only smells and tastes great but is reportedly very good for you! Take a few tea leaves and sprinkle them at the bottom of your cup. Next, cover them with boiling water until the tea leaves sink. Leave it to rest for a minute and then fill the cup to the top. The tea will then change color, to a light green shade and should taste delicious! It is an acquired taste but certainly one that grows on you, and is much healthier and more refreshing than black tea. The tea is quite expensive and can cost between RMB 200 and RMB 5000 for a kilogram. There are numerous tea houses around the city selling the leaves, particularly try some of the shops near Renmin Lu.

Suzhou Embroidery

Along with the Xiang embroidery from Hunan, embroidery from Sichuan and Yue embroidery from Guangdong, Suzhou Embroidery is one of the best types of embroidery in China. Suzhou embroidery has developed as a result of unique workmanship throughout the past 2,600 years. Common subject matter depicted in the embroidery includes characters, scenery, flowers and birds. Inheriting the workmanship and elegant designs of the traditional embroidery, craftsmen in Suzhou further developed the art when they invented the technique for double-sided embroidery after the foundation of the People's Republic of China. Marked by exquisite craftsmanship and elegant colors, the products include handkerchiefs and screens.

Suzhou Silk Fan

In China, there are really only two authentic places to buy fans; Suzhou and Hangzhou. The variety and selection of fans available in both these cities is incredible and they make a beautiful gift for yourself or someone else.

The folding fan (or sandalwood fan) is very elegant and actually originated in Korea. During the Tang Dynasty this type of fan became fashionable in Suzhou and was mass produced for visiting aristocrats and artists who bought the fans to cool themselves or just to pose with! The surface of the fan is made from a very delicate rice paper. Some fans are painted with intricate pictures of scenery.

Suzhou also produces "Gong" or silk fans. During the Han Dynasty in China, only noblewomen were permitted to use silk fans! In the Tang Dynasty, standards were relaxed a little and the fan became very fashionable and popular. There are many different types of silk fan including the hand painted silk fan, the single sided embroidered fan, the double sided embroidered and the dyed silk fan. Most are round in shape but a few more unusual ones are styled to resemble plum blossom or lotus leaves. The handles of the fans are usually made from bamboo, hardwood, animal bones or ivory.