Fresh from Suzhou: My 'You've Been Warned' List!
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Hi, everyone, this isn't just clickbait; I genuinely recommend that you (temporarily) avoid visiting Suzhou.
- The famous Suzhou gardens, like the Lion Grove Garden and Master of Nets Garden we visited, are simply overrun with crowds!
- These gardens represent classical southern Chinese gardens, renowned for their intricacy and ever-changing scenes as one moves through them. However, once there are too many people, all sense of the gardens' atmosphere is lost.
- It's nearly impossible to savor the beauty of these gardens when all you see in front of you are crowds of people; the experience feels empty.
- Also, every tourist attraction requires ticket purchases, which can be quite expensive! (I can't help but complain)
- I understand paying for tickets, but at least control the number of visitors within a given time frame? Nothing was done!
- We five people spent over $150 (RMB) and, in the end, saw nothing but a myriad of fellow tourists squeezed inside, not being able to see anything. We really feel cheated.
️Special note on commercial shooting issues
- This was truly unbearable for me! There were teams conducting commercial photography everywhere — they were often dressed in rented traditional costumes or wedding gowns, accompanied by professional photographers taking photos for hours, typically for commercial purposes.
- In the Lion Grove Garden, Tiger Hill (an scenic mountain with an ancient pagoda and historical stories), and Master of Nets Garden, almost all favorable locations for photoshoots were taken up by them.
- Ordinary tourists find it extremely hard to capture a shot without strangers' faces in the frame. No staff seemed to be there managing the situation.
- How to avoid: Choose non-holiday periods, or visit early in the morning when the parks open; things may be a bit better then. But if you encounter such situations, only patience while waiting or changing angles could help.
- ️Night-time Shantang Street: Caution advised if bringing kids along!
- Shantang Street, a well-known riverside old street, looks wonderful late into the evening with its lights on. However, because of its popularity, the crowd gathers intensely!
- It was jam-packed as shoulders touched, and moving forward or trying to retreat became extremely challenging.
- Warning: If you bring your children, I strongly advise against participating in the hubbub. With so many people around, it might lead to separation, or the child might become uncomfortable from being jostled in the crowd.
- How to avoid: Either visit in the daytime to avoid the crowds or prepare yourself mentally and keep a close watch on your children.
- Although photographs online showcase Suzhou's breathtaking beauty, perhaps I'll admire it through "virtual travel" online instead.
- Visiting Suzhou this time felt like "touring among heads"!
- The famous Suzhou gardens, like the Lion Grove Garden and Master of Nets Garden we visited, are simply overrun with crowds!
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This garden offers the best value and isn't too crowded, even on weekends.
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Yipu Garden is getting crowded too. When I went last week, there were tons of commercial photoshoots.
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If you get there by 7:30 AM, you can pretty much get all the empty shots you want.
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Humble Administrator's Garden.
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If you wanted shots without crowds, you should've come five years ago. Before the pandemic, apart from the elderly tour groups during Qingming Festival for tomb-sweeping and spring outings, it was really quiet. You could look down Shantang Street and see fewer than five people. You're too late!
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I don't know why, but ever since the pandemic, all the tourist spots are packed! Before, they were pretty empty except during Golden Week and public holidays.
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Commercial photoshoots are really annoying, don't you think...?
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I agree... More regular tourists aren't really an issue, but it's annoying when commercial photoshoots are unregulated...
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Try to travel during off-peak times! Don't miss out on Suzhou!
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Is it crowded on weekdays?
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Any locals here? Is it crowded on weekdays? I'm planning to go on a Tuesday.
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Yes, super crowded! Just got back, and it was absolutely packed.
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When I go to Suzhou, I skip those overhyped 'influencer' spots. I prefer wandering the streets and alleys of the old town.
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Going from Shanghai to Suzhou tomorrow or the day after. Any recommendations?
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Just got back, and honestly, if you're from the Jiangnan region, I'd say don't bother. The gardens aren't as magical as textbooks make them out to be, and we couldn't really appreciate the architectural beauty as non-experts. It was incredibly crowded, and the construction tarps everywhere made the streets feel a bit grimy. The food was decent, though. Shiquan Street is definitely worth visiting – lots of cool and diverse shops to check out.
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And then came the worst part of my trip. I was just in Suzhou for two nights over the Qingming Festival. It so happened that 'Chengguan' (city management officers) were inspecting guesthouses and hostels. One of them stopped me without a word, demanding my ID, phone number, and room number. Even in uniform, how can you be so overbearing? He didn't question the middle-aged men with suitcases nearby, but he just had to single out me, a college student. I told him I had to catch a train and to let me pass, but he kept blocking me. Then, without even asking, he started filming me with his phone. I told him not to, and he got all sarcastic and snide... So what if I'm a college student, maybe a bit poorer, staying in a less fancy place? Does that mean I deserve to be mocked?
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I was already on the fence because of the high prices, and now I'm even less inclined to go.
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Avoid going during public holidays.
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You don't have to keep filming the crowds, you know? I just got back from Suzhou myself.