Shopping in Suzhou
Local Specialties and Souvenirs
Hailed as the World’s Barn and the Land of Milk and Honey, Suzhou gave birth to the colorful Wu cultures and Suzhou particular customs as well as the treasured specialties. Su Embroidery, Su Silk, Biluochun Tea and Brasenia schreberi will catch your picky eyes.
Su Embroidery
Suzhou Embroidery, a member of the four famous Chinese embroideries, met its heyday in Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). People in the Wu District commonly use the Su Embroidery as the decoration of the Robes, curtain, screen, stage costumes, Wedding costumes or as gifts.
Suzhou Silk
Suzhou lies on the shore of Lake Taihu, which is one of the advantages in breeding the silkworms and producing the superior silk. What’s more, it is said that 6000 years ago, the people lived here have mastered the skill of breeding the silkworms and spinning the silk. Therefore, with centuries development, Su Silk has been enjoying a high reputation at home and abroad. The quality and style of the Su Silk are not long the matters you need to worry about.
Candy
The Suzhou people have a preference taste in sweet, thus the dishes in Suzhou taste slightly sweet. It is no doubt that there are 150 kinds of candy in Suzhou, including 4 categories which is thought highly of from the north to south in China.
The most renowned sweet shop is Caizhizhai on Guanqian Street, established in 1870. Apart from its colorful bonbons, Caizhizhai also sells various kinds of preserved fruits and melon-seeds.
Tea
Biluochun produced in Dongtinghu District, is also the member of the Top 10 Chinese Tea. The excellent geographic and climate conditions benefits to the growth of the tea and makes the tea succulent and taste fragrant. The Biluochun Tea is renowned at home and abroad for its exquisite shape, delicate color, strong fragrance and pure aroma.
Daily Articles Shopping
Guanqian Pedestrianized Shopping Street
A modern street, like the Teemall in Guangzhou and Chunxi Road in Chengdu, develops from a 2500-year-old temple street, is a comprehensive shopping center with entertainment, gourmets and business services. The street is well known for many one-century characteristic shops such as Daoxiangcun Confectionery Shop, Qiantaixiang Silk Shop, Huangtianyuan Round Dumpling Shop.
Shilu Pedestrianized Shopping Street
The marvelous pedestrian mall once was a quay as the bridge of Suzhou and oversea in business in Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). For some reasons, this street was paved with cobbles from which the name Shilu (a road carpeted with cobbles) was derived.
In the year 2004, Shilu Pedestrian Street was face-lifted to be a modern shopping mall with the magnificent fountain and sophisticated neon lighting system, large-size shopping center, top grade bars and pubs, the western restaurants as well as the local dinning stores. All these are designed specially for you to experience a different shopping day.
Shiquan Street
Next to the Canliang Pavillion Garden, the Shiquan Street appeals to a growing number of tourists. This 1800m long street is named after the ten natural springs around this area. There strew many Ming-and-Qing-Dynasty-style architectures which are actually the characteristic restaurants and craftwork shops.
Gourmet paradise, shopping center and sightseeing resorts co-exist in this centuries-old street where, definitely, local cuisines and foreign cuisines, as well as such local specialties as Suzhou Embroidery, chinaware antique, silk, rosewood articles etc. are there waiting for your experience.
Note: start from the railway station, the bus No. 101 can take you there.
