# Roots Earth in Suzhou: audio stories about 44 places Canonical: https://rootsearth.com/cities/suzhou Published: 16 September 2026 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. ## 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](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rootsearth.app). ## More from Roots Earth - [Asia in the Roots Earth catalogue](https://rootsearth.com/cities#asia): every city in Asia with its number of places and its languages. - [What Roots Earth is](https://rootsearth.com/app): the app in one page, how it works and what is in it. - [Questions travellers ask](https://rootsearth.com/faq): the cities, the languages, the account, listening without a connection. - [The 7 languages](https://rootsearth.com/languages): the seven languages with their codes and how many cities each one covers. - [Beijing](https://rootsearth.com/cities/beijing): 55 places in China with audio stories. - [Hangzhou](https://rootsearth.com/cities/hangzhou): 46 places in China with audio stories. - [Shanghai](https://rootsearth.com/cities/shanghai): 50 places in China with audio stories. - [Xian](https://rootsearth.com/cities/xian): 48 places in China with audio stories. 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