]> http://www.irishasia.com/taxonomy/term/14/0 en-US http://www.irishasia.com/countries/china/suzhou <!-- google_ad_section_start --> <ul id="page_anchors"> <li><a href="/node/15#living">Living</a></li> <li><a href="/node/15#dining">Dining Out</a></li> <li><a href="/node/15#entertainment">Entertainment</a></li> <li><a href="/node/15#nightlife">Nightlife</a></li> </ul> <p>Suzhou is a city about 80km west of Shanghai with about 6 million inhabitants. It is most renowned in China for its gardens and canals. Some of the gardens are worth a visit and canal trips can be good if you want to get a feel for the city as it used to be.<br /> Much has changed however, and partly due to the construction of a massive industrial park/export zone the city is now starting to fill with foreign ex-pats, and as a consequence more foreign bars and restaurants. Unfortunately the air and water pollution have spun out of control, also as a result of the industrial park. All in all though, it's not the worst place to live and if you get bored you can escape to Shanghai very easily.</p> <!-- google_ad_section_end --> China Local Report Suzhou Fri, 23 Sep 2005 05:50:32 -0600