苏州拙政园

I went to Suzhou in May for wedding dress hunting with few friends from the States, after the bride-to-be almost broke into tears when she had no luck finding it in Shanghai. It was quite an experience. And the best part is not just my friend were able to find her dream dress for less than $150, but we were able to spend couple hours at the famous Zhuo-Zheng Yuan (Humble Administrator's Garden).

Suzhou is a city on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Lake Taihu in the province of Jiangsu, China. The city is renowned for its beautiful stone bridges, pagodas, and meticulously designed gardens. Since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Suzhou has been an important center for China's silk industry, as well as a metropolis of commerce on the south-eastern coast of China.

Many of the famous private gardens were constructed by the gentry of the Ming and Qing dynasties。In 1997 and 2000, the classical gardens in Suzhou were added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is possible to make a virtual tour at the UNESCO site in panorama through the wonderful Classical Gardens of Suzhou http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/813.