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Roots Earth in Suzhou: audio stories about 44 places

Roots Earth has audio stories about 44 places in Suzhou, China, in Asia. The Suzhou stories are in all seven Roots Earth languages: English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian. The app needs no account: open Suzhou, pick a place on the city's map of places and play. Download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection. The stories are written by local people.

The 44 places are listed below in the order the app shows them, and again further down with their coordinates. The lists were taken from the Roots Earth catalogue on 15 September 2026.

Published 16 September 2026. Markdown: suzhou.md

The 44 places in Suzhou with audio stories

In the order the app shows them.

  1. Humble Administrator's Garden
  2. Lingering Garden
  3. Tiger Hill
  4. Suzhou Museum
  5. Lion Grove Garden
  6. Master of the Nets Garden
  7. Pan Gate
  8. Beisi Pagoda (North Temple Pagoda)
  9. Hanshan Temple
  10. Canglang Pavilion
  11. Couple's Retreat Garden
  12. Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty
  13. Xuanmiao Temple
  14. Suzhou Confucian Temple
  15. Twin Pagodas
  16. Tiger Hill Pagoda (Yunyan Pagoda)
  17. Suzhou Silk Museum
  18. Precious Belt Bridge (Baodai Bridge)
  19. Lingyan Mountain
  20. Tianping Mountain
  21. Gate to the East
  22. Jinji Lake
  23. Suzhou Industrial Park
  24. Lake Tai
  25. Tongli
  26. Luzhi
  27. Mudu
  28. Yangcheng Lake
  29. Dushu Lake
  30. Pingjiang Road
  31. Shantang Street
  32. Guanqian Street
  33. Gusu District (Old City)
  34. Wuzhong District
  35. Huqiu District
  36. Xiangcheng District
  37. Pingjiang District
  38. Soochow University
  39. Suzhou Railway Station
  40. Suzhou Metro
  41. Shilu
  42. Daoxiangcun (Suzhou)
  43. Songhelou Restaurant
  44. Grand Canal (Suzhou section)

Is there an audio guide for Humble Administrator's Garden?

Yes. Humble Administrator's Garden has its audio stories in the Roots Earth app: a short introduction and a deeper story, in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian.

It is place 1 of the 44 Suzhou places in the app, at 31.32672, 120.62564. Every one of the other 43 places in the list above has the same two stories.

Roots Earth is not a guided tour: you choose the place on the city's map of places and play its story yourself.

How to use Roots Earth in Suzhou

Open Roots Earth and choose Suzhou. The city has its own map of places with all 44 of them on it. Tap the place you are standing in front of, or any other, and play its short introduction or its deeper story. You decide what to listen to and in which order.

You can listen in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian, and there is no account. Download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection.

In full

All 44 places in Suzhou, in the app's order, with their coordinates.

All 44 places in Suzhou, with coordinates

Every place below has a short introduction and a deeper story in the Roots Earth app, in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian. The names, the coordinates (latitude, longitude) and the one line descriptions are the app's own catalogue values of 15 September 2026; a place without a line here has none that this page can print.

1. Humble Administrator's Garden

Coordinates
31.32672, 120.62564
In one line
The largest of Suzhou's classical gardens, begun in 1513 by a retired Ming official. Ponds, islands, and linked pavilions fill more than five hectares of water-centered landscape, a celebrated UNESCO World Heritage masterpiece.

2. Lingering Garden

Coordinates
31.31753, 120.58811
In one line
A Ming-era Suzhou garden begun in 1593, famous for its 700-meter covered walkway and a towering scholar's rock called the Cloud-Capped Peak. Four linked sections of framed views earned it UNESCO World Heritage status.

3. Tiger Hill

Coordinates
31.33753, 120.57617
In one line
A 30-meter hill said to hold the tomb of a 5th-century-BCE king of Wu. It is crowned by the leaning Yunyan Pagoda and ringed by legends of buried swords, rock-carved poetry, and ancient terraces.

4. Suzhou Museum

Coordinates
31.3252, 120.62353
In one line
Founded in 1960, the museum gained a celebrated new home in 2006 designed by Suzhou-born architect I. M. Pei. White walls, grey stone, and crisp geometry reinterpret the city's classical style around antiquities and a modern garden.

5. Lion Grove Garden

Coordinates
31.32322, 120.62506
In one line
A Yuan-dynasty Buddhist garden created in 1342, famous for its labyrinth of lion-shaped Taihu rockery. Nine winding paths thread through 21 caves on three levels, encircling lake pavilions in this UNESCO World Heritage site.

6. Master of the Nets Garden

Coordinates
31.30033, 120.62989
In one line
Among the smallest of Suzhou's classical gardens, first laid out in 1140 and recreated in the Qing. A central pond, intimate courtyards, and masterful use of space make it a UNESCO World Heritage gem.

7. Pan Gate

Coordinates
31.28917, 120.61194
In one line
First built in 514 BCE and rebuilt in 1351, Pan Gate is China's only surviving intact combined land-and-water city gate. Twin gateways, ancient ramparts, and the nearby Ruiguang Pagoda mark Suzhou's southwest corner.

8. Beisi Pagoda (North Temple Pagoda)

Coordinates
31.31889, 120.61806
In one line
Rising roughly 76 meters at Bao'en Temple, this octagonal nine-story brick pagoda is the tallest south of the Yangtze. Rebuilt in the Song dynasty, its climbable tiers crown the old city with a sweeping panorama.

9. Hanshan Temple

Coordinates
31.31241, 120.56483
In one line
Founded in the early 6th century west of Suzhou near Maple Bridge, this Chan Buddhist temple is famed for a Tang poem about its midnight bell. Rebuilt by 1906, it draws pilgrims who still listen for that legendary toll.

10. Canglang Pavilion

Coordinates
31.29703, 120.62114
In one line
Built in 1044 by the disgraced poet Su Shunqin, this is the oldest of Suzhou's classical gardens. Its double corridor, 108 latticed windows, and borrowed canal views earned it a place on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

11. Couple's Retreat Garden

Coordinates
31.3183, 120.6345
In one line
Ringed by canals on three sides, this small Qing-era garden built in 1874 pairs an east and west garden around a residence. Its twin design evokes a married couple, earning it a place among the UNESCO Classical Gardens of Suzhou.

12. Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty

Coordinates
31.31317, 120.609
In one line
This tiny Qing garden of about 2,180 square meters is famed for the finest Taihu-rock mountain in Suzhou, built in 1807 by master Ge Yuliang. A UNESCO site, its grotto, cliff, and pool recreate the great mountains of China in miniature.

13. Xuanmiao Temple

Coordinates
31.31444, 120.62194
In one line
Founded in 276 during the Western Jin dynasty, this great Taoist temple sits at the heart of old Suzhou on bustling Guanqian Street. Its vast wooden Sanqing Hall and statues of Taoist gods make it one of China's foremost Taoist sanctuaries.

14. Suzhou Confucian Temple

Coordinates
31.296, 120.619
In one line
Founded in 1035 by the statesman Fan Zhongyan, this Song temple pioneered the union of Confucian shrine and state school. Now a stone-inscription museum, it guards famous Song steles, including an ancient star map and a detailed city plan of medieval Suzhou.

15. Twin Pagodas

Coordinates
31.3089, 120.6297
In one line
Two slender brick pagodas built in 982 during the Northern Song, rising side by side in near-perfect symmetry. Each climbs seven octagonal stories to roughly 30 meters, crowned by unusually long iron spires.

16. Tiger Hill Pagoda (Yunyan Pagoda)

Coordinates
31.3381, 120.5764
In one line
Completed in 961 atop Tiger Hill, this seven-story brick pagoda rises 47 meters and leans roughly 3 degrees. Known as the Leaning Tower of China, its top sits about 2. 32 meters off true after more than a thousand years.

17. Suzhou Silk Museum

Coordinates
31.32556, 120.61417
In one line
Opened in 1991, this national first-level museum traces silk production and Suzhou embroidery back roughly 4,000 years. Antique looms run live demonstrations, while historic fabrics and sericulture displays tell the story of a city built on silk.

18. Precious Belt Bridge (Baodai Bridge)

Coordinates
31.2589, 120.6495
In one line
First built in 816 during the Tang dynasty and largely rebuilt in 1446, this stone causeway-bridge stretches 317 meters across the Grand Canal on 53 low arches, among the longest ancient bridges in China.

19. Lingyan Mountain

Coordinates
31.2775, 120.5281
In one line
A 220-meter hill near Taihu Lake, once the site of King Fuchai's palace built for the beauty Xi Shi. Today its summit holds Lingyan Temple and the Duobao Pagoda, with sika deer roaming the wooded slopes.

20. Tianping Mountain

Coordinates
31.275, 120.515
In one line
A 201-meter hill west of Suzhou, tied to the Song statesman Fan Zhongyan and famous for three wonders: strange stones, clear springs, and red maples. Its oldest maple grove was planted in the Ming dynasty.

21. Gate to the East

Coordinates
31.31889, 120.67472
In one line
A 301. 8-meter, 66-floor skyscraper in Suzhou Industrial Park, completed in 2015 by the firm RMJM. Its arch-shaped twin towers, nicknamed the Pants Building, frame a symbolic gateway beside Jinji Lake.

22. Jinji Lake

Coordinates
31.31361, 120.69167
In one line
Jinji Lake is a 7-square-kilometer urban lake at the heart of Suzhou Industrial Park, reshaped in 2003 into one of China's largest lakefront parks, ringed by malls, towers, gardens, and a giant Ferris wheel.

23. Suzhou Industrial Park

Coordinates
31.324, 120.7233
In one line
Suzhou Industrial Park is a planned district east of the old city, launched in 1994 as a China-Singapore joint venture. Spanning 278 square kilometers around Jinji Lake, it grew into one of China's most successful high-tech zones.

24. Lake Tai

Coordinates
31.23333, 120.13333
In one line
Lake Tai is China's third-largest freshwater lake, a vast shallow expanse of about 2,250 square kilometers west of Suzhou. Dotted with some 90 islands, it is the source of the prized Taihu rocks that shape classical Chinese gardens.

25. Tongli

Coordinates
31.1597, 120.715
In one line
Tongli is an ancient canal town near Suzhou, laced with waterways and crossed by 55 stone bridges. Its highlight is the Tuisi Garden, a UNESCO World Heritage classical garden built in the 1880s and ringed by water.

26. Luzhi

Coordinates
31.27476, 120.87915
In one line
Luzhi is an ancient water town 18 kilometers east of Suzhou, famed for its canals and old stone bridges, some dating to the Song dynasty. Its Baosheng Temple, founded in 503, holds Tang-era clay arhat sculptures considered national treasures.

27. Mudu

Coordinates
31.2507, 120.52358
In one line
Mudu is a 2,500-year-old water town west of Suzhou, near Lake Tai and Lingyan Mountain. Tied to the legend of King Fuchai and the beauty Xi Shi, it preserves classical gardens and a travel palace once favored by the Qianlong Emperor.

28. Yangcheng Lake

Coordinates
31.43083, 120.81306
In one line
Yangcheng Lake is a shallow freshwater lake northeast of Suzhou, about 20 square kilometers in area. It is China's most famous home of the Chinese mitten crab, the prized hairy crab harvested each autumn during its migration toward the Yangtze.

29. Dushu Lake

Coordinates
31.273, 120.7
In one line
Dushu Lake anchors the southern Suzhou Industrial Park, a 9-square-kilometer expanse ringed by universities, a sculptural library, and lakeside parks. Once farmland dotted with ancient wells, it now mirrors the city's modern ambitions.

30. Pingjiang Road

Coordinates
31.317, 120.629
In one line
Pingjiang Road runs 1,606 meters beside a quiet canal in Suzhou's old city, its line unchanged since a 1229 stone map. Bookshops, teahouses, and stone bridges make it one of China's best-preserved historic streets.

31. Shantang Street

Coordinates
31.325, 120.595
In one line
Shantang Street follows a canal dug in 825 by the poet-governor Bai Juyi, running roughly 3. 6 kilometers from Changmen gate to Tiger Hill. Stone bridges, old shopfronts, and red lanterns line one of Suzhou's most storied waterways.

32. Guanqian Street

Coordinates
31.313, 120.62
In one line
Guanqian Street is Suzhou's busy downtown pedestrian artery, its name meaning "before the temple," for the Taoist Xuanmiao Temple at its center. Century-old confectioners and famous restaurants draw crowds to roughly 760 meters of shops and snacks.

33. Gusu District (Old City)

Coordinates
31.3193, 120.5918
In one line
Gusu District is the historic core of Suzhou, formed in 2012 by merging three older districts. Across roughly 85 square kilometers it holds the ancient walled city, the classical gardens, and the famous canals, streets, and gates.

34. Wuzhong District

Coordinates
31.1783, 120.4106
In one line
Wuzhong District spreads south of central Suzhou across roughly 745 square kilometers, reaching the shore of Lake Tai. It blends water-town heritage at Luzhi and Mudu with green hills, lakeside scenery, and a population near 1. 4 million.

35. Huqiu District

Coordinates
31.3195, 120.4083
In one line
Huqiu District lies west of central Suzhou, named for the famous Tiger Hill within it. Also branded the Suzhou High-tech Zone, it pairs ancient heritage with modern industry and is the world's leading center for wedding dress manufacturing.

36. Xiangcheng District

Coordinates
31.4433, 120.5735
In one line
Xiangcheng is the northern district of Suzhou, where lakeside towns and farmland meet new development zones. Spanning roughly 484 square kilometers, it edges Yangcheng Lake, famous across China for its hairy crabs.

37. Pingjiang District

Coordinates
31.31389, 120.62972
In one line
Pingjiang was a historic district of central Suzhou from 1955 until 2012, when it merged into Gusu District. Its name survives in Pingjiang Road, an 800-year-old canal street that remains the city's best-preserved old quarter.

38. Soochow University

Coordinates
31.30694, 120.63972
In one line
Founded in 1900 by American Methodist missionaries, Soochow University is one of China's oldest modern universities. Its historic Tianci Zhuang campus, now part of a large public institution, blends Western collegiate architecture with the surrounding water city.

39. Suzhou Railway Station

Coordinates
31.32694, 120.6175
In one line
Suzhou Railway Station opened in 1906 north of the old city. Rebuilt and expanded, it now serves the Beijing-Shanghai line and high-speed intercity trains, handling roughly 100,000 passengers daily through seven platforms and a modern grey-and-white concourse.

40. Suzhou Metro

Coordinates
31.305, 120.59
In one line
Suzhou Metro opened its first line in 2012, making Suzhou the first prefecture-level city in China to run a subway. The network now spans nine lines and hundreds of kilometers, carrying close to two million riders daily.

41. Shilu

Coordinates
31.312, 120.595
In one line
Shilu is a busy commercial quarter in Suzhou's western old town, near the historic Jinchang area.

42. Daoxiangcun (Suzhou)

Coordinates
31.313, 120.621
In one line
Daoxiangcun is a celebrated time-honored Suzhou confectioner on Guanqian Street, the city's historic commercial heart. Famous for its pastries and seasonal cakes, it stands among the century-old brands clustered around the Xuanmiao Temple.

43. Songhelou Restaurant

Coordinates
31.3135, 120.6205
In one line
Founded in the 18th century beside Xuanmiao Temple, Songhelou is one of Suzhou's oldest restaurants, famed for refined Su cuisine and its signature squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, a sweet-and-sour classic linked by legend to Emperor Qianlong.

44. Grand Canal (Suzhou section)

Coordinates
31.28, 120.61
In one line
The world's longest artificial waterway threads past western Suzhou, part of a system begun in the 5th century BCE and unified under the Sui. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014, it still carries working barges through the canal city's bridges and gates.

Roots Earth in short

Roots Earth has audio stories about 5,665 places in 130 cities, 25 countries and 6 regions, written by local people.

  • No account
  • Download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection
  • Audio stories in English and German in every city, and in Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian in 126 of the 130 cities

Roots Earth for Android is available on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rootsearth.app.