[MrChills]

I am currently working in the US for an International company. We have been growing a lot in Asia recently and there is a possibility that I mave be moving there. Our larger offices are in Seoul, Nagoya and Shenzen, but we have a new locaiton in Suzhou and chances are the position could be there.

Could anyone provide info on this city, photos and pros and cons of being a Canadian citizen and thinking about make a move there?

Many thanks!

[Ronin]

There is the old Chinese legend about Su Zhou having the prettiest girls in China. I don't know if it is 100% true, but from what I've seen when I was there, it does have some merit. =)

The city itself is not as modern as nearby Wu Xi or Hang Zhou, but it's not a bad place to stay. At least the people are down to earth.

[Urban Zombie®]

The actual city of Suzhou itself is pretty much nothing more than an entity that thrives off of tourism--and if you're an obvious foreigner (or even a mere out of towner), then most likely you'll be perceived daily as a walking wallet with everybody in town trying take a bite out of it...that said, it does have some interesting sights to see, but they do somewhat lose their effect when you're squished up against 5 million other tourists at the same time.

Depending on how much you understand about chinese culture/society will probably make all the difference in how you view your time there. Suzhou may very well seem like an insane asylum upon first arrival, but depending on the length of your stay, your view may change drastically once you accustom yourself to living there.

I'd also check out the Mainland China subforum at SSC as it is loads more active than the one here, and you'll probably be able to communicate with some actual Suzhou/Jiangsu residents.

Here are a few pics I took last spring:

http://ct.pbase.com/o4/45/599045/1/59912444.IMG_3276.jpg

http://ct.pbase.com/o4/45/599045/1/59912448.IMG_3283.jpg

http://ct.pbase.com/o4/45/599045/1/59912449.IMG_3289.jpg

and an extremely fogged-in overview of most of the city----------->:
http://ct.pbase.com/o4/45/599045/1/59913281..jpg

ps, pbase has been on crack today, you might have to refresh, right click 'show image' or come back later if you're getting red-x's.

[PuyoPiyo]

and an extremely fogged-in overview of most of the city----------->:
You called this a "extremely fogged"? I have seens much extremely fogged than that. In Washington, where I am at, at some of the times it gets very fogged that I COULDN'T see in about only 50 feets away from me. It happens especially at the falls during the morning.

And Nice picture :)

[DasAutoKerl]

There are a ton of Ancient Stories about Suzhou / Hangzhou but I don't see all the hype. I spent a few days there this summer and was thoroughly underwhelmed (sorry to those potentially moving there). This isn't to say the cities are bad, not by any means, but certainly not China's best. The women, in my opinion are prettiest near Chongqing, but Suzhou's definitely not bad. ;)

Oh, and if you do move there try to find a Chinese friend who can show you the ropes so you don't get scammed to bad by those wanting to take advantage of your wealth.

[superchan7]

My tour guide says that Suzhou's "girl" myth is either 1) not true and had never been true, or 2) is no longer true in modern society.

Suzhou is known for its rivers, ancient bridges and preserved architecture from as far as 2000 years ago.

Its downtown is not large, and many large corporations have set up offices and factories in the countless suburban technology parks.

It is a relatively laid-back city and you may not find all the facilities and "atmosphere" of a major international city in Suzhou. You may have to make a trip to Hangzhou or even better, Shanghai, for the "big-city" feel.

[Ronin]

I think the myth is pretty well known, so it must have some merit to it. It goes something like "Go to Suzhou to get married (for the beautiful women), and Canton to eat (for having the best cuisine in China). The third part is bad though, as it deals with death, so I'll omit it here. heheh

Hangzhou is famous for the West Lake, which was very unimpressive to me. Blame Golden Harvest and all those HK movies for making it look like some fantasy land. It was extremely dirty, and more like a tourist trap.

[Jiang]

http://files.photojerk.com/generalhuo/Jiangsu/018661D5.jfif

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http://files.photojerk.com/generalhuo/Jiangsu/n4.jpg

[QUOTE=General Huo

[archiwei]

wow...Suzhou is amazing city. Unfortunately I just spent 2 days in Suzhou looong time ago. As I remember, it's a very pretty city with clean streets and fantastic parks. Anyone can tell me what's the population for Suzhou? Thanks.

**************************
Built many houses, None is mine.
http://www.archiz.com
http://archihome.blogspot.com
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[excel]

amazing place.