Suzhou History, China

The city of Suzhou in China is located near Yangtze River and in the Lake Taihu shores of the Jiangsu province, China.

The town is famous for its gorgeous stone bridges, meticulously gardens and pagodas that contribute to its position as a huge tourist attraction.

From 960 to 1279 during the Dynasty of Song, the city become a significant center for the silk industry in China and continuously holds that famous position today. The town is the branch of the Region of Yangtze River Delta. The city’s GDP per capita in year 2006 was placed to rank number 5 out of six hundred fifty nine Chinese cities.

Suzhou is the Yangtze Basin’s oldest Town. During the time of the Shang Dynasty, about 2,500 years later, some native tribes who called themselves as “Gou Wu” lived in the place until it became the new town of Suzhou. At the time of the autumn and spring period on 514 BC, the king named Helu Wu built the great town of Helu, which is known as Suzhou,its capital.

By 473 BC, The kingdom of Yue conquered Wu. It was the empire at the east that was soon acquired by Chu on 306 BC. Suzhou’s golden era has ended through this conquest. During the period of Qin Dynastic, the town was recognized as Wu County.

The Xiang Yu dynasty in 209 BC staged his momentous uprising, which contributed in overthrowing of the Qin dynasty. By 589 AD, the time of Sui Dynasty, the town took his name again as Suzhou. The Grand Canal of Suzhou has been placed to the main trade route. Through the China History, it serves as a metropolis for commerce and industry in the coast of south-eastern in China.

In 825 AD, the period of Tang Dynasty, Bai Juvi, acknowledged as a great poet, built the Canal of Shantang that is named as the Shantang Street to link the town to Hugiu for vacationers. The famous writer and poet Fan Zhongyan founded the Confucius temple on 1035 AD. The structure was used as a quarter for the examinations of the imperial civil. In 1130, month of February, the army of advancing Jin from north massacred and ransacked the city. In year 1275, Mongol invasion also destroyed the town and the Royal city was destructed in 1367 of Ming Dynasty.

The State Council in 1981 listed the old town as one of the four towns where the fortification of the cultural and historical heritage and its natural scenery should be given much priority.

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