Suzhou
- Other Names: Soochow
- Chinese/Japanese: 蘇州 (Sūzhōu / Soshû)
Suzhou is a major city in China's Jiangsu province, located near the mouth of the Yangtze River, just west of Shanghai. One of the major cities of the Jiangnan region, it was traditionally one of the chief centers of "southern" Chinese culture. Suzhou is famous especially for its gardens, and a great many Chinese gardens outside of China are patterned after those in Suzhou. The city has been highly regarded since ancient times, being featured in the famous saying "Above there is Heaven, but here on Earth, there are Suzhou and Hangzhou" (上有天堂, 下有蘇杭, Shàng yǒu tiāntáng, xià yǒu sū háng).
The State of Wu was based in that area in ancient times, and the region continues to be called "Wu" today. For example, the Ming Dynasty Wu school of painting was based in Suzhou.
In the Tang Dynasty, Japanese embassies to China departed for their return to Japan from Suzhou.[1]
The Donglin Academy, a prominent center of political thought, was established in 1604 to the northeast of the city.
A significant site known as Tiger Hill (虎丘, Hǔqiū) sits in the northwest of the city. The shape of the hill is said to resemble a crouching tiger. The hill is also said to be (or contain) the tomb of Helü, King of Wu (r. 514-496 BCE), and it's said a tiger appeared and crouched there during his funeral.[2]
References
- ↑ Gallery labels. Imperial Envoys to Tang China : Early Japanese Encounters with Continental Culture Exhibition. Nara National Museum. April through June 2010.
- ↑ Ono Masako, Tomita Chinatsu, Kanna Keiko, Taguchi Kei, "Shiryô shôkai Kishi Akimasa bunko Satsuyû kikô," Shiryôhenshûshitsu kiyô 31 (2006), 236.
