Shantang Street 山塘街8:30am - 5pm
Sometime about two years ago when we had just made the move to Suzhou and were still trying to get our heads wrapped around the new city we went online to... Address: Shantang St. Lvmenwai 阊门外山塘街 Tel: 0512 6723 6980
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Suzhou Zoo 苏州动物园 8am - 5pm
Tickets: 10RMB
Busses: 301, 305
Zoos are a funny thing, so are people. We can be pretty uncaring towards each other. We too are just animals. For us,... Address: 5-1 East Baita Road 白塔东路5-1号 Tel: 0512 6727 5937
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Bird & Flower Market 皮市街花鸟市场8:30am - 6pm
We’ve all been there before. You move into a new apartment because the last one had mold on the wall that was growing its very own mold (in your lungs) or... Address: 172 Pishi Street 皮市街172号 Tel: 0512 6727 9047
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Tiger Hill 虎丘7:30am - 6pm
More than 2,500 years ago the king of Wu, He Lu, died in a battle fighting the Yue. His son buried him on the hill. The story goes that three days after he... Address: 8 Huqiu Mountain 虎丘路8号 Tel: 0512 6532 3488
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Suzhou Pingtan Opera House & Theatre Museum 苏州戏曲博物馆8:30am - 4:30pm
It started out like things often do, with a joke. A 5 kuai ticket purchased. We sat down in the front row surrounded by dozens of Suzhou's friendliest... Address: 14 Zhongzhangjia Lane 中张家巷14号 Tel: 0512 6727 3741
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Baitang Arboretum 白塘生态植物园
The weather is quickly changing, and now is the time of year that most of us start to think about all of the things that we didn’t get done this summer.... Address: Shitang Rd. 石唐路
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West Garden Temple 西园寺7:30am - 5:30pm
Recently, through no fault of our own, we became the caretakers of four tiny little turtles. They weren’t eating, so we turned to Google for a little help.... Address: Xiyuansi Rd. 留园路西园弄18号 Tel: 0512 6533 1860 Tel: 0512 6534 9825
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Lion Forest Garden 狮子林7:30am – 6pm
In 1342, the monk Tianru wrote in a poem, "People say that I am in a city, but I suspect that I am among thousands of mountains." He was either inebriated or... Address: 23 Yuanlin Rd. 园林路23号 Tel: 0512 6727 8316
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Pinjiang Lodge 平江客栈24 hours
Since the beginning, we’ve been givin’ you the skinny on hotspots around town. Unfortunately, most of these places charge an admission, so we’ve... Address: 33 Niujia Lane, Pingjiang District 平江区钮家巷33号 Tel: 0512 6523 3888 Tel: 0512 6523 3868
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North Temple Pagoda 北寺塔8am - 6pm
Over 1,700 years ago, during the Three Kingdoms period, Buddhism finally began to take root in China. It was at this time that Sun Quan ruled the kingdom of... Address: 652 Renmin Road 人民路652号 Tel: 0512 6753 1197
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Suzhou Taihu National Tourism Vacation Zone 苏州太湖国家旅游度假区7:30am – 6pm
Sometimes it's good to get out of town and go to a place where there are no taxis, few busses and no flashing lights. Lake Tai is just the spot. It is the... Address: Lake Tai National Tourism and Holiday Zone, 2 Wanghu Road 太湖国家旅游度假区望湖路2号 Tel: 0512 6651 4700
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Suzhou Amusement Park 苏州乐园Happy World:9:00am – 5:00pm, Water World:9:00am – 9:00pm
Last month we decided to go and check out the new amusement park that opened on the east side of Jinji Lake, right next to Time Square. If you haven’t... Address: 87 Jinshan Rd., SAP 高新区金山路87号 Tel: 0512 6825 2036 Tel: 0512 6825 3719
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Lingering Garden 留园7:30am - 5pm
Okay. Last month we said no more gardens for a while. Things changed when friends showed up from out of town and we got snowed in. We weren't looking for the... Address: 79 Liuyuan Road 留园路79号 Tel: 0512 6557 9466
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Garden of the Master of the Nets 网师园8am - 5pm
The Master of Nets Garden is tucked right behind Shiquan street. It is one of the smallest gardens in Suzhou but also one of the best. On warm nights the... Address: 11 Kuojiatou Lane 阔家头巷11号 Tel: 0512 6529 3190
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Humble Administrator's Garden 拙政园8:15am -4:15pm
The Humble Administrator’s Garden was started in the fourth year of the Ming dynasty's Zhengde period, that’s round about 1509 A.D. Along with the Summer... Address: 178 Dongbei Street 东北街178号 Tel: 0512 6753 9869 Tel: 0512 6753 7002
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Canglang Pavilion (Blue Wave Pavilion) 沧浪亭Mar 1st – Nov 15th 7:30am - 5:30pm; Nov 16th – Feb 29th 7:30 - 5pm
Let us preface this by saying that next month we will not be featuring hot spots that include any of the following: bamboo gardens, strange rocks, brightly... Address: 3 Canlangting Street 沧浪亭街3号 Tel: 0512 6529 3109
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Han Shan Temple 寒山寺7am - 6pm
A temple is a temple, and at all too many of them, be they Daoist, Buddhist or Confucian, the monks have disappeared and been replaced by annoying people... Address: 24 Hanshansi Lane 寒山寺弄24号 Tel: 0512 6533 6634
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Evening Garden Entertainment 网师园夜间娱乐园7:30pm - 10pm
It’s a bit pricey, but strolling around this quaint garden at night is, well, dare we say romantic. There are great performances of traditional music,... Address: Garden of the Master of the Nets, Off of Shiquan Jie (near Fenghuang Jie) 网师园内 Tel: 0512 6529 3190
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Temple of Mystery 玄妙观7:30am - 4:45pm
Address: Guanqian Street 苏州观前街 Tel: 0512 6770 6327
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Coiled Gate 盘门
Address: 2 Dongda Street 东大街2号 Tel: 0512 6526 0004 Tel: 0512 6530 0827
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East Garden 东园8am - 5pm
Having been in Suzhou for a long time, we thought that we had been to or at least heard of all of the UNESCO World Heritage Site gardens in Suzhou. A couple... Address: 5-1 East Baita Road 白塔东路5-1号 Tel: 0512 6777 9664 Tel: 0512 6729 5184
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Suzhou Water Park 苏州水上乐园
One sunny Tuesday morning we hopped on that trusty, old 511 bus on old Shiquan Street and we made our way out to the old Suzhou Water Park, but our simple... Address: Junction of Shishan Rd., SAP 新区狮山路口 Tel: 0512 6825 6453
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Cheng Huangshan Daoist Temple 苏州吴中城皇山道院
Address: Chenghuangshandao, Zhangqiaocun, Wuzhong Economic Development Zone 吴中经济开发区张桥村城皇山道院 Tel: 0512 6655 3722 Tel: 0512 6655 2565
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Da Cheng Men 大成门8am - 5pm
Sometimes you never know what you're going to find when you go walking in this city. The maps are hard to read and almost never to scale. But on those days... Address: Across from Canglang Pavillion 沧浪亭对面
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Tongli Town 同里镇8am - 5pm
Tickets: 80RMB
Busses: The South Bus Station has busses to Tongli Town every day from 6:30am to 5pm (8RMB). The North Bus Station has busses to Tongli Town... Address: Tongli Town is located in Wujing, Jiangsu (east on the Grand Canal) 18 km from Suzhou 位于江苏吴江市,太湖之畔古运河之东,距苏州市18公里 Tel: 0512 6333 1154 Tel: 0512 6333 3998
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Wetland Folk Museum and Garden 定园7:30am - 5:30pm
We don’t want to talk about the goose. We don’t want to talk about it, but we feel obliged to do so here. Just once. If we don’t look out for you, who... Address: 1 Pufu Road, Huqiu Road 虎丘路普福路8号 Tel: 0512 6557 3228 Tel: 0512 6583 1947
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Guihua Gongyuan 桂花公园5:30am - 10pm
This park is covered in flowers during most times of the year. Here you catch a glimpse of people doing tai chi and water brush calligraphy. You can also see... Address: 1 Zhuhui Rd. 竹辉路1号 Tel: 0512 6519 3556
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Loyal Palace 太平天国忠王府
There have been a few changes over at I.M. Pei’s Suzhou Museum. Entrance to the museum is now free everyday but it will be closed on Mondays. Another... Address: 204 Dongbei Street 娄门内东北街204号
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Suzhou Baimajian Ecology Garden Dragon Pond Scenic Spotlandscape 苏州白马涧生态园龙池风景区景观
Address: 83 Beiyuan Rd. 北园路83号
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Tianping Mountain 天平山8am - 5pm
A good plan for living a long, healthy life is to make a list of all the things you've always wanted to do but could never work up the courage to try and... Address: 14km on the west of Suzhou 苏州城西约14公里 Tel: 0512 6626 1382
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Huangshan 安徽黄山
Address: Tangkou, Anhui 安徽汤口
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Master of Nets Garden 网师园9am - 6pm
Originally known as the Hall of a Thousand Scrolls, it was built during the Southern Song Dynasty when north China was under the control of the Mongolians.... Address: 11 Kuojietou Lane, North of Yinxing Bridge
银杏桥北阔街头巷11号
Tel: 0512 6529 3190
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Art Garden 艺圃7:30am - 5pm
December was a beautiful month, all things considered. On the first of the month we spent most of the day outside and we even managed to get a little sunburn... Address: 5 Wenya Ln. Tiankuqian 天库前文衙弄5号 Tel: 0512 6727 1614
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Coco Beach 可可海滩
Taking a vacation in Southeast Asia is something of a must for anybody who lives in China on a long-term basis. November and the few months following are,...
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Maple Garden Gallery & Teahouse 听枫园10am - 6pm
Suzhou’s gardens are many and well known and until we made it to the Garden of Harmony we thought we had been to all of them. There are so many places that... Address: 12 Qingyuanfang 庆元坊12号 Tel: 0512 6522 1985 Tel: 0512 6522 8905
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Luzhi Town 甪直镇8am - 5pm (Monday to Wednesday), 7:30am - 5:30pm (Friday to Sunday)
When it comes to lifestyle, Suzhou swings both ways. Not in the biblical sense, of course, but we are quickly acquiring all the trappings of a modern city.... Address: 25km on southeast Suzhou 苏州城东南25公里 Tel: 0512 6789 4747 Tel: 0512 6969 2636
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Ruiguang Pagoda 瑞光塔8am - 4:45pm
Ruiguang Pagoda has a history that dates back longer than any other structure in Suzhou. It, like the Tiger Hill Pagoda, dates back to the Wu Kingdom and... Address: Pan Men, Southwest side of Ancient Wall Gate 古城墙西南角的盘门 Tel: 0512 6526 0004
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Linwu Cave on West Mountain 西山林屋洞
On what was probably the hottest day in August, we went to West Mountain Island on Tai Lake. No boat is needed because a road connects the island to Suzhou.... Address: Linwu Cave Scenic, Jinting Town, Wuzhong District 吴中区金庭镇林屋洞景区 Tel: 0512 6521 7360
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Twin Pagodas 苏州双塔8:30am - 5:30pm
Tickets: 3RMB
Busses: 2, 27, 46, 47, 51, 68, Tourist 2, Tourist 5
We’ve been constantly surprised this month. Suzhou is sprouting up new restaurants,... Address: 22 Dinghuisi Ln., Fenghuang St.
凤凰街定慧寺巷22号 Tel: 0512 6522 7778
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Sanshandao 三山岛7:30am - 5pm
Sanshandao, sometimes called, “Fairy Island,” is one of the largest of Taihu’s 90 islands. Located just a few kilometers from the Wuxi-side of the... Address: Inside Tai Lake, Dongshan Town, Wuzhong District 吴中区东山镇太湖之中 Tel: 0512 6637 3358
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Zhou Zhuang 周庄
Address: Zhouzhuang, Kunshan, Jiangsu 江苏昆山市周庄镇
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Turtle Head Island 金龟山7:30am - 5pm
In China, a quality tourist attraction that is not perpetually jam-packed with the heaving masses of too many an impolite tour group is hard to come by.... Address: Inside Tai Lake, Dongshan Town, Wuzhong District 吴中区东山镇太湖之中 Tel: 0512 6637 3358
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Qionglong Shan 穹隆山8am - 6:30pm
Normally we avoid the mountains around this time, but this December’s weather was very conducive to outdoor activities. It has been so warm that we’ve... Address: South of Guangfu Town 吴中区光福镇南 Tel: 0512 6624 5716
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Suzhou Children's Park 苏州儿童公园
Address: West Taihu Rd. 太湖西路
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Jinghong 景洪
Jinghong, more of an overgrown town than a heaving metropolis, more Bangkok than Beijing, more banana tree than bamboo. The capital of Xishuangbanna Dai... Address: Jinghong is a 10 hour bus ride from Kunming. Sleeper buses (216 RMB) can be booked in Kunming) and leave at 8:30 pm nightly.
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Mudu Old Town 木渎古镇8am - 5pm
Moving slightly away from our philosophy of going off the beaten path, we offer you this introduction to Mudu’s Old Town. It’s a miniature version of... Address: East Yanjia Garden, Mudu Town, Wuzhong District 吴中区木渎镇严家园东侧 Tel: 0512 6656 1218
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Garden of Harmony 怡园7:30am - 9:30pm
This December is going to be cold and we feel a little bit bad about including the Garden of Harmony this month, but you never know, there’s always the... Address: 43 Renmin Rd. 人民路43号 Tel: 0512 6515 5415 Tel: 0512 6524 9317
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Osmanthus Park 桂花公园6am - 10pm
Guihua (Osmanthus) Park is on eastern most part of Zhuhui Lu. While much of the ancient city wall that surrounds Ruigang Pagoda is original, very little of... Address: 1 Zhuhui Rd. 竹辉路1号 Tel: 0512 6519 3556
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St. John's Church 圣约翰堂8:30am - 4:30pm
St. John’s Church is the oldest and largest church in Suzhou and is as quiet and peaceful as anyplace that we have ever encountered in the city. The... Address: 18 Shizi St. 十梓街18号 Tel: 0512 6522 3346
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The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty 环秀山庄8am - 5pm
Celebrated for its wonderful limestone mountain, Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty as it‘s called in English, covers only a small area but the signs say... Address: 262 Jingde Rd. 景德路262号 Tel: 0512 6522 4723 Tel: 0512 6522 2415
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Temple of Mystery 玄妙观9am - 5pm
We are well aware that anybody who has been in Suzhou for more than a few months has probably been to Guanqian Street if for no other reason than to go to... Address: 94 Guanqian St. 观前街94号 Tel: 0512 6727 1695 Tel: 0512 6727 6984
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Lingshan Grand Buddha 灵山大佛6:30am - 6pm
Address: Linshan Rd., Mashan, Hubin District, Wuxi 无锡市滨湖区马山灵山路 Tel: 0510 8568 6166
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Kunming 昆明
You’ve surely heard about funky Kunming, capital of Yunnan province. It’s arguably a rival to Chengdu for top spot as China’s southwest cultural... Address: Travel Information:
To go to Kunming, you may take a train to Shanghai, then take a plane or train to Kunming.
Train schedule:
(Suzhou to Shanghai South Railway Station) K463/K462, T177, N408/N405, 5071, 1344/1341, N457, T284/T281, N401/N404
Shangha 云南省昆明市
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Stone Lake Scenic Area 石湖风景区8am - 4:30pm
The morning we woke up to go to the Stone Lake Scenic area, we should have known it was going to be one of those days. The coffee maker was broken and the... Address: 117 West Stone Lake 石湖西路177 Tel: 0512 6823 0300
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Suzhou Canal Tour 苏州运河游
The local saying states that visiting Suzhou without seeing Tiger Hill is tantamount to a wasted life but, in our opinion, no visit to Suzhou is complete... Address: 506, 739 Panxu Rd. 盘胥路739号506
Tel: 0512 6752 6931
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Lingyan Mountain 灵岩山6:30am - 5:30pm
Since moving to Suzhou it’s been part of our spring and fall rituals to explore the mountains and hills that surround Mudu. In the last few months that has... Address: 13km on the Southwest of Suzhou, 5km away from Tai Lake
Busses: 2, 64, 69, 511, 512, Tourist 4 位于苏州城西南十三公里处,西南距太湖5公里
公交:2, 64, 69, 511, 512, 游4 Tel: 0086 - 10 - 6626 1310
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The May Farm 五月田
Address: 10/F,Huikangxindi 221 North Dongwu Rd. 东吴北路221号惠康新地(汉庭楼)10楼 Tel: 0512 6915 9918 Tel: 0512 6915 9928
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Grand Canal Park 苏州运河公园8am - 9am
The Suzhou Grand Canal Park is a narrow island on the on the northwest side of town just next to Hanshan Temple. The park itself resembles a picturesque... Address: East Shishan Bridge, 1346 Sanxiang Rd., Jinchang District 金阊区三香路1346号狮山大桥东堍 Tel: 0512 6827 5497 Tel: 0512 6821 9538
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SMP Skatepark 滑板公园9am - 5:30pm
Address: 2100 Songhu Rd., Shanghai 上海淞沪路2100号 Tel: 021 5525 0901
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Suzhou Amusement Land 苏州乐园
Address: 87 Jinshan Rd. 金山路87号 Tel: 0512 6805 5654
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Dinosaur Park 恐龙园
The China Dinosaur Park is a strange mixture of natural history museum, garden, outdoor art exhibit and plastic. One of the only things in the world that can... Address: 1 Hanjiang Rd., New District, Changzhou 常州市新区汉江路1号
Tel: 0519 8512 0812 Tel: 0519 8510 7896
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The Ferris Wheel Amusement Park 摩天轮游乐园9am-9pm,(On Friday and Saturday the park is open until 9:30.)
On the eastern side of Jinji Lake is a place called Moon Harbor. It is within walking distance of Time Square and is the location of Suzhou’s newest... Address: East Side of Jinji Lake., SIP 工业园区金鸡湖东 Tel: 0512 6258 0088
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White Horse Gorge 白马涧生态园7:30am - 5:30pm
The White Horse Gorge Ecological Park is a great place to spend an afternoon getting back in touch with nature. After paying for our 50RMB ticket we picked... Address: Nanlongchi Scenic Area, Huashan Rd., Fengqiao St., Gaoxin District 高新区枫桥街道华山路南龙池风景区
Tel: 0512 6665 8111
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Naked Retreats
Address: 395 Village, Moganshan 莫干山395村 Tel: 021 6431 8901
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Guangfu Temple 光福寺(铜观音寺)8am - 4:30pm
Address: Guishan, Dengweizhong Rd.,Guangfu Town, Southwest of Suzhou 苏州市西南光福镇邓尉中路龟山 Tel: 0510 6695 9638
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Chongyuan Temple 重元寺8:30am - 4pm
Address: Qianshuiwan, Weiting Town, SIP. 工业园区唯亭镇浅水湾 Tel: 0512 6289 0886
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Baitang Arboretum 白塘生态植物园9am - 5pm
Address: 188 Wangdun Rd. 旺墩路188号 Tel: 0512 6660 8999
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Tinglin Garden 亭林园4:45am - 5:30pm
Address: 1 Maanshan Rd., Kunshan 昆山市马鞍山路1号 Tel: 0512 5751 0070 Tel: 0512 5755 2138
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Hubin Park 湖滨公园
Address: Suxiu Rd. 苏绣路
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Heshan Park 何山公园
Address: 462 Changjiang Rd. 长江路462号
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The Serendipity Inn 风和日丽1号
Address: Gaoping Village, Mashan, Yuqian Town, Linan 临安於潜镇马山高坪村停车场旁 Tel: 0571 6382 6228 Tel: 138 5718 6066
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Wuzhong Chenghuangshan Daoist Temple 苏州吴中城皇山道院
Address: Chenghuangshandao, Zhangqiaocun, Wuzhong Economic Development Zone 吴中经济开发区张桥村城皇山道院 Tel: 0512 6655 3722 Tel: 0512 6655 2565
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