Lingshan Great Buddha at Wuxi

Another must-see place for visitors to Suzhou is the Great Buddha at Lingshan, near Wuxi. Situated on Lake Tai or Tai Hu, Wuxi feels almost like a second home to many of us. The Cat facility is located here, and many expats live in Suzhou but commute daily to Wuxi. A town as steeped in history as Suzhou, Wuxi is fast evolving into a major industrial town in China!

A little further from Wuxi is the Great Buddha - somehow, I always felt that anything related to Buddhism must be ancient, but the Ling Shan site is fairly new - completed in the 1990s, with some elements added as late as 2008. The drive is pleasant - after the turnoff a long uphill road, and an awesome view of Tai Hu right at the top! Drive along the lake for about 10 minutes - Tai Hu is the largest lake in China, and is absolutely spectacular - then head to the Long Mountain, and there it is, the first glimpse of the Great Buddha nestled in the hills!

The entry tickets for this 'Buddhist Wonderland' are probably the highest I've paid here in China - 210 RMB, about $35! Still, once you've driven all the way there, it's hard to turn away just because of the cost - and it definitely is worth it, at least once! They do have a discount for senior citizens, but the only proof of age accepted is a passport. Children under 1.4m are half price - Manasi made that, just barely! At an additional 25 RMB is the ticket for the battery car, which will take you around the entire park - would definitely recommend walking though!

Buddha's feet

The Chinese absolutely outdo themselves with names - walk past the Great Screen Wall to the Soul Cleaning Basin, where visitors can wash their hands and presumably, symbolically clean their souls before entering this spiritual place! Bow your heads before the imprint of Buddha's feet, try your luck - toss a coin into one of the toes, and have your wish granted! The Pancajnana (wait a minute, that sounds like a Sanskrit word!) Gate opens up to the Bodhi Boulevard - Buddha's path to enlightenment.

Bathing by nine dragons

The Bodhi Boulevard leads to a curious sight - a fountain with sculptures of dragons, and in the center a bronze lotus bud on a tall pedestal. Wait for show time - 5 times a day - I'll bet you've never seen anything like this before! It starts off as a regular musical fountain, keep an eye on that lotus bud, though! As the show progresses, the bud slowly opens to reveal a cherubic Baby Buddha - the music reaches a crescendo, and huge jets of water shoot out from the mouth of the nine dragons to bathe the Buddha. The statue revolves around one time, and then subsides back into the lotus - until the next show! Enactment of the mythical birth of Buddha in a lotus bud - of course, Buddha didn't become 'Buddha' until well into adulthood - so a myth this will remain!

The actual 'bathing'!

Moving on - the next attraction is a huge copper frieze - the central image is a serene Buddha, surrounded by what looks like a horde of demons with weapons raised, attacking Buddha. I'm sure there's a story that's being told here - wish I could find out more about this! There are also flocks of pigeons here, and just like in India, little stalls where you can buy grain to feed the pigeons. One thing you won't see in India though - a sweeper dedicated to cleaning up after the pigeons! That's China for you!

A familiar and beloved symbol is on display right behind this - King Ashoka's pillar, 16.9 m high and carved from a single piece of granite weighing over 200 tons. Of course, these pillars were built during King Ashoka's reign to spread the word of Buddhism, so it should come as no surprise to find one here! Nevertheless, it is heart-warming, a little whiff of India in the heart of China! This is a good place to take a seat, catch your breath, maybe enjoy some green tea from one of the little shops. The statue of the Maitreya or Laughing Buddha and a replica of the hand of the Great Buddha are right after the Ashoka pillar - touching both will bring good luck and happiness, so get in line!

The Xiangfu Temple is probably the only ancient place in this Wonderland. Buy incense to burn, or tie a wooden amulet to one of the screens here. A smaller replica of the Great Buddha statue is located here, the temple houses another statue of Buddha, and also those of his disciples. Despite the crowds, there is peace and serenity here - a truly spiritual haven in this overwhelmingly tourist milieu!

Ling Shan Great Buddha

Finally, there it is - the Ling Shan Great Buddha - not so fast, though! There are 217 steps to climb to get to the base of the pedestal. A further elevator ride brings you inside the lotus, where you can walk around the giant statue, dwarfed by even the feet! At 88m, this bronze statue is one of the tallest in China - it is also the last of the Five Great Buddhas in China. The serene and composed expression of the Buddha truly captures the essence of Buddhism - a really wonderful depiction of Buddha! The Museum of Buddhist Culture and the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas are also located inside the pedestal. Worth a look, but nothing really special!

Hungry after all the walking, we headed to the Lingshan Vegetarian restaurant - what a treat it is to find a veg restaurant anywhere in China! We were in for a disappointment, though - the name of the restaurant is 'Vegetarian' - absolutely nothing veggie on the menu! Lucky we brought a picnic, but that would have to wait till we got back to the car! There are still plenty of things left to do - the Lingshan Buddhist palace, which is actually an art museum, the Ci'en Pagoda, the Flying Dragon tower, the Five Seal Mandala - if you still have any energy left!

To the exit, then - not before walking through Lingshan Plaza! This is one of my pet peeves - after paying a hefty entrance fee, why do I have to walk past so many stalls selling overpriced, generic souvenirs, handicrafts and speciality foods to get to the exit? Enough already, I just want to leave now, thank you very much!

Found a good picnic spot right by the lake on our way home. It was just sandwich fixings and chips, but even the most ordinary food can taste ambrosial with the right setting - and though the chilly breeze off the lake made for a really short stay, the picnic was probably the high spot of the day! A perfect ending to a good day of walking!

National Day 2013

National Day 2013 - the busiest travel day in the entire year! All the highways are toll free for entire Golden Week, and almost all of China goes on vacation! The roads are jam packed with cars, everyone going somewhere! For this reason, many expats choose to fly out of China for the October break - escaping the crowds in all the cities. This year, we planned to be here in Suzhou with our guests, and try to do some local sight-seeing.

For the first day of Golden Week, we had planned to go to Hangzhou. Unfortunately, there had been an accident on the expressway to Hangzhou, and all traffic was clogged. Unfazed, we decided to head to Wuxi - again, our intrepid driver, listening to traffic updates on the radio, informed us that the Wuxi road, too, was completely blocked! New destination? Since, we had a day earmarked for Shanghai, and that was the only place we could go to without horrendous traffic, Shanghai it was!

Hongqiao Pearl City

First stop in Shanghai - Hongqiao Silk & Pearl City! The name is misleading, though - sure they sell pearls and silks, but for the greater part, the Hongqiao market is a fake brand market. Leather bags, watches, clothes, electronics, and of course, all possible kinds of souvenirs are available here! It is a bargain-hunter's paradise, and I cannot stress this enough - to get a good deal, it is a must to bargain really, really hard. Often, what you pay might be as low as a tenth of the first quoted price! The 2nd floor is the pearl market - a number of jewellery stores to buy pearls, of course, but also a good selection of jade and other semiprecious stones. Although, when it comes to pearls or jade, I'm a complete ignoramus - I have no idea which ones are better, or even what the right price should be! The third floor has a plethora of tailors - you can get a good handmade suit for less than $100, with free home delivery thrown in. Ajey just had a jacket made here, and he's so happy, he's thinking of updating his entire wardrobe!!!

Cool Docks

Hongqiao is also a really good place to grab a quick lunch while shopping. Located right in the market is Bukhara, a really upscale Indian restaurant. Fantastic food, but way pricey! In the mood for something else? Right across the street from the market is Lao Wat Jie - an international food street. Here you'll find all kinds of cuisine - Chinese, Thai, Korean, Iranian, Mexican, German, French and Indian - take your pick! We had had an early start to our shopping, so by lunch time we were about done with Hongqiao. Lunch for us was at an Indian restaurant (no surprises there!), but closer to the Bund - Kebabs on the Grille at Cool Docks.This was the first time I came here, and I'm sure it's going to be one of my favorite places in Shanghai! Located just a little south of the Bund, the Cool Docks appears to be a courtyard of an old house. Fountains playing in the middle, and all four sides lined with a multitude of restaurants - a perfect place to while away the afternoon with friends! The cuisine available is varied and international - Kebabs on the Grille is a must if you want to try Indian food in Shanghai!

View of Pudong from the Bund

Sated by a heavy lunch, and refreshed after a short rest in the car, we headed to the Bund. As expected, there were tons of people - enjoying the spectacular view of Pudong and the cool breeze. To cross over to the Pudong side, we took the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel - other than driving, this is probably the best way. It is very touristy and cheesy, and you can't really see anything underwater - but it is good for a laugh! If we thought the Bund was crowded, the Pudong side was beyond anything that can be imagined! The pedestrian walkways near the IFC Mall were a solid river of people - it was almost a little scary! The Oriental Pearl Tower observation deck is one of the top tourist destinations in Shanghai - and after waiting a couple of hours in line to just get to the entrance, we wisely gave up and decided to head home!

A memorable day for sure - but after seeing first hand the crowded highways and the number of people in the city, note to self - on National Day, stay at home! Signing off!

Exploring Suzhou - Silk Museum & North Temple Pagoda

The Indian fascination with silk is well known - no surprise that India is the largest consumer of silk in the world! It is also well known that silk fabric was first developed in China - thanks to Empress Lei-Tzu who dropped a cocoon into her steaming cup of tea! Suzhou has been one of the most important centers of China's silk industry for centuries - not only for the softest fabric, but also for the exquisite silk embroidery! So for all silk-lovers, the Suzhou Silk Museum is one of the top attractions here! I've been wanting to go for ages, and Anand Kaka's visit was just the perfect time!

Before that, however, the most famous spot in Suzhou - Tiger Hill! This time around, we hired the services of an English speaking guide - I was hoping to get a real sense of this historical location, but was really disappointed! The guide only parroted information about Tiger Hill - most of which is available online. Any other questions were met with a blank stare - what a waste of 200 RMB! Another rip-off is the buggy ride - it was supposed to be a ride around the entire site, ending at the pagoda on the top of the hill. Actually they took us straight up with no stops on the way - completely missing the Mountain Villa, the bonsai gardens and the tea gardens! Anyway, this was more of a check on the list - and we were off on our next cab ride to the Silk Museum.

Live silkworms

The Suzhou Silk Museum is located on Renmin Street. After the crowds at Tiger Hill, the museum appeared to be almost deserted. There are some interesting displays of samples of ancient silks, different weaving patterns from the various dynasties, the silk and damask costumes of royalty, the land and sea silk trade routes and the huge silk looms where you can watch the rich brocades being made. The live silkworms are probably the biggest draw, but for the most part, you would have to be a die-hard textile fan to appreciate the charms of this museum! They do have a little shop where you can buy bedspreads, silk quilts, silk embroidery - be ready to dig deep into your pockets, though - the price tags are fit for royalty!

North Temple Pagoda

A hop, skip and jump away from the Silk Museum is the North Temple Pagoda. Like the Tiger Hill pagoda, this too is one of the iconic symbols of Suzhou. One of the most ancient Buddhist temples in Suzhou, with a history dating back 1700 years - this 9 storey pagoda with a height of 76m is the tallest pagoda south of the Yangtze. It is a very picturesque location - the octagonal pagoda as a perfect backdrop to the Laughing Buddha or Maitreya statue at the entrance. What I liked best was that you can actually climb up a rickety wooden staircase to the upper levels - a bird's eye view of the surrounding gardens, and even a glimpse of the SIP high rises in the distance! A very tranquil spot right in the middle of one of the busiest parts of Suzhou!

Guanqian Jie

Another must-see tourist spot in Suzhou is the Walking Street or Guanqian Jie. This street is one of the Four Most Famous Walking Streets in China - the other 3 being in Beijing, Shanghai & Nanjing. It is a very popular spot not only for tourists, but for locals too. To be honest, I for one, don't find this street to be very special - a prosaic touristy shopping area is really all that it is. The main street is lined with brand stores, both international and Chinese - the big attraction is the new Marks & Spencer's opening soon. The Xuanmiao Temple which opens onto the street hosts a kind of bazaar in its courtyard - again very run of the mill souvenirs - pearls, wall hangings, silk scarves, and half a dozen others! A number of Western restaurants - Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonald's, Costa Coffee - make this a good place to break for lunch. For the more adventurous, there are a number of Chinese places - from the very upscale to the street vendors! Playing safe as usual, we had a rather late lunch at Pizza Hut - ready to call it a day!

Next week is Golden Week - we have a number of different activities planned in and around Suzhou, so lots more updates coming up! That's all for now!