Suzhou, crisscrossed by rivers and canals and filled with gardens and alleyways, has long been known as "paradise on earth." Summers here are not exactly cool, but Suzhou locals have their own way of passing the season: slowing down, quieting the mind, and savoring each day. If you are traveling in China, why not spend a day in Suzhou like a local and experience "Suzhou-style living"?

Suzhou's mornings and evenings are made gentle by its ancient lanes and softened by the tender glow of lamplight. Visit Gusu to try your hand at Suzhou embroidery in the morning, enjoy Kunqu opera and pingtan, sample Suzhou-style pastries at noon, and end the day with a romantic summer night tour...

Suzhou Embroidery Handcrafting

Along Zhenhu Embroidery Street in Suzhou, embroidery shops of all sizes line the road. Inside, you will find finished embroidery pieces on display, and you can also try it yourself. Don't worry if you have never held a needle and thread before; beginners are more than welcome.

Hands-on embroidery sessions usually run one to two hours. Embroiderers will guide you through basic stitches step by step. You can choose a fan, a scented sachet, or a small double-sided embroidery ornament, then take your finished piece home with you. The shops provide silk threads, embroidery hoops, scissors, and other tools, so there is no need to bring your own materials.

Suzhou embroidery
Photo by Tuchong Creative

Suzhou embroidery
Photo by Tuchong Creative

Kunqu Opera and Pingtan

Suzhou pingtan and garden Kunqu opera are among the gentlest sounds of Jiangnan culture. Performances are held almost daily at the Pingtan and Kunqu Museum in the Qili Shantang Scenic Area, Guangyu Storytelling House, and Suzhou Park. Classic pieces include Sheng Sheng Man, The Legend of the White Snake, and The Wandering Songstress. In the Humble Administrator's Garden, the sound of the dongxiao flute accompanies the graceful tones of Kunqu opera. Each phrase rises and falls with lingering resonance, capturing the tenderness of The Peony Pavilion: A Walk in the Garden, the deep affection of The Palace of Eternal Life, and the refined elegance of The Peach Blossom Fan in every line of song.

A round of folk pingtan and an act of garden Kunqu echo each other, gently wrapping the entire city of Gusu in their softness. In misty Suzhou, nothing is more moving than leaning beside a waterside pavilion and taking in all the tenderness of Jiangnan through a single melody.

Pingtan

Photo by Tuchong Creative

Gardens in Bloom

The Humble Administrator's Garden, Master of the Nets Garden, Couple's Retreat Garden... Suzhou's gardens have flowers in every season. Spring brings magnolias and crabapples; in summer, ponds full of lotus flowers; in autumn, red maples; and in winter, wintersweet blooming against the snow.

This June, the Humble Administrator's Garden is hosting "Flowery Suzhou, Lotus Charm of Jiangnan," the 2026 Suzhou Lotus Exhibition. The exhibition features several newly cultivated lotus varieties, including "Listening to the Rain," "Seeking Melody in Distant Fragrance," and "Tracing the Past at Fragrant Isle."

Summer mornings are the best time to visit the gardens. Heat has not begun setting in, the breeze comes across the water, lotus leaves sway gently, and the pavilions, bridges, corridors, and towers in the garden seem to be slowly polished by the morning light. Remember to bring your camera: every casual shot looks like a postcard.

Suzhou garden

Photo by Tuchong Creative

The beauty of Suzhou lies in the charm of late autumn

Photo by Tuchong Creative

Humble Administrator's Garden

Photo by Tuchong Creative

Suzhou-Style Pastries

A trip to Suzhou would not be complete without trying Suzhou-style pastries.

Qingtuan is the most fitting treat in spring. Mugwort is kneaded into glutinous rice flour, giving the skin a glossy green, jade-like color. Soft, sticky, and springy, it reveals a smooth red bean paste or fragrant sesame filling when bitten into. The fresh herbal aroma mingles with the sweet filling, creating a taste unique to spring in Jiangnan. White magnolia pastry resembles a magnolia just beginning to bloom, with layers of pastry as thin as snowflakes. It crumbles delicately in the mouth, crisp and sweet without being cloying. The humble tiaotougao is soft, chewy, and dense, with the wholesome aroma of rice. It is the everyday flavor that old Suzhou residents have grown up eating. In addition, there are dingshenggao, plum blossom cakes, double-stuffed rice dumplings, water chestnut cakes, and many more varieties than one can count.

To taste the most authentic Gusu rice cakes and pastries, there is no need to queue at internet-famous shops. Wan Fuxing, Mingyue Lou, Jinshui Lou, Huang Tianyuan -- these time-honored shops passed down through generations preserve the purest flavors of Jiangnan. Find an old street-side shop and sit down, let go of the rush of travel, and slowly savor a soft, chewy rice cake. Let that touch of gentle sweetness soothe the whole journey.

Qingtuan
Photo by Tuchong Creative

Chongyang cake

Photo by Tuchong Creative

Gusu Night Tour

As dusk falls, the evening breeze brushes away the heat of the day, and the whole of Suzhou takes on a gentler expression.

Lights along the banks begin to glow as a painted pleasure boat gently leaves the shore and slowly glides into the middle of the canal. As the boat moves forward, white walls, black-tiled roofs, and mottled ancient bridges line both sides, their scattered lights reflecting one another and layering the scene with a sense of ancient charm. The evening breeze brushes your face, carrying the moist warmth unique to Jiangnan. There is no need to look deliberately for scenery; sitting in the boat, you are already part of the painting.

Suzhou's night holds many forms of elegance. You can join a night tour of the Humble Administrator's Garden, where moonlight falls on pavilions and terraces, winding water curves around corridors, and lights trace the delicate outlines of the garden. Each step reveals a new view, quiet and timeworn. You can visit the Master of the Nets Garden by night, where the small garden is refined and tranquil, the night gentle, and the shifting light and shadow reveal the graceful vitality of Jiangnan gardens. You can also stroll along Shantang Street, where the thousand-year-old street glows with brilliant lights, ancient lanes and flowing water pulse softly, and the evening breeze passes through the streets carrying both everyday warmth and old-world grace.

By day, Suzhou is the gentle, lived-in Jiangnan of everyday life. By night, it reveals its most moving and unforgettable ink-wash tenderness.

Night view of Shantang Street, Suzhou

Photo by Tuchong Creative

Night view of Qili Shantang

Photo by Tuchong Creative