Have you ever been to Suzhou? Have you ever longed for Suzhou? In your eyes, Suzhou is like the misty rain of Jiangnan, the babbling and melodious Pingtan? Or is it a livable place that everyone yearns for, with heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below? As someone who has been on multiple business trips to Suzhou, I no longer have a lingering understanding of the term Suzhou. However, this brief one and a half day trip to Suzhou during National Day has made my heart feel a new sense of excitement towards this ancient and distant city, as the changing scene unfolds.

It has to be said that the hotel reservation this time was very successful. The Suzhou Wugong Pan Pacific Hotel has a unique style, with its south gate in the moat and connected to the Panmen Scenic Area, complementing each other. The hotel is designed in a palace layout, with city gates, pink walls, and black tiles, exuding a youthful atmosphere, but by no means rustic luxury. Even more intricately, several large garden landscapes are integrated with water curtain walls, ponds, pavilions, swimming pools, rockeries, green plants, and shadow walls. They are divided into several parts and complement each other. Each building and room on each floor can see different scenery, with a long corridor connected in the middle, staggered and connected into one. It cannot be said that the design is exquisite, and the beauty of Suzhou gardens can be appreciated through the beauty of scenery. Around the characteristics of the Wu palace, elements such as city towers, Bagua, and Wencheng are also combined. The receptionist at the front desk is well-trained, proficient in business, and capable in handling affairs. She has upgraded the exclusive room on the third floor for free. It turned out that the window was under construction, and it seems that there is no free lunch in the world. The flaws do not hide the beauty. The hotel we stayed in suddenly brought us closer to Wu Culture.

The first stop at Hanshan Temple is a poem that has been recited by every Chinese person with a slight literary literacy for thousands of years. The poem reads: "The moon sets, the crows cry, and the frost fills the sky. The river maple and the fishing fire sleep with sorrow. Outside of Gusu City, Hanshan Temple, the sound of the bell reaches the passenger ship at midnight." The artistic conception in the poem is captivating, with countless twists and turns. Life is like a white horse passing through a gap in the world, and even if there is only one sentence in such a short time, it is not worth this trip. Perhaps Zhang Ji has not been to Hanshan Temple, and he has flowed downstream from the Grand Canal. As the sky gets late, the passenger ship sails into the sheltered Maple Bridge. In the middle of the night, awakened by the cold wind, he walks out of the cabin door and stands at the bow of the ship under the moonlight, listening to the ethereal bell of Hanshan Temple, which touches the heart and leaves a timeless saying. Nowadays, the Hanshan Temple is bustling with people, and it is no longer a pure Buddhist temple. Just like many highly popular temples in China, it can only be reached through long commercial streets, and can only be left through countless commercial streets hanging Suzhou silk, fans, antiques, and plum blossom cakes for food. This is almost a standard feature of Chinese temples with strong incense. And these are not important either. We can still use imagination to piece together scenes from a thousand years ago, except that night has been replaced by day, passenger ships have been replaced by cruise ships, and the bell that emits a pleasant bell sound has been lined up in the temple. The scenes in Zhang Ji's works are added, perfected, and moved in the hearts of every Chinese person who has visited or wants to visit Hanshan Temple and Fengqiao. At least, the rippling blue water remains the same, and the lonely and desolate state of mind repeats itself.

Huqiu is the most exciting place on this trip. Perhaps it is because that tower was built in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and was completed in the Northern Song Dynasty. This tower without decoration is as old as the old one. When the tower, known as the second leaning tower in the world, stands in front of us, the vicissitudes of history and shock come. Thank you for not repairing it into red walls and yellow tiles, or into cornices and arch of wooden architecture. The symbol of this Suzhou city, I have watched countless calendars, New Year paintings, and documentaries when I was a child. There is a tower standing on this slow hill, which is not very eye-catching. Indeed, it is right in front of me, familiar yet unfamiliar. Without reaching the foot of this tower, you will not feel the dialogue of history; If you haven't seen this slightly tilted tower, you won't feel the marks left by time; If you haven't seen the mottled tower bricks, you won't be able to imagine the past. The temple has been destroyed, the tower is still standing, standing for thousands of years. The ghost axes in the sword pond are skillful, and the thousand person stone is completely natural, making it unforgettable to leave.

It was close to six o'clock when we left Huqiu. The entrance boat invited us to go to Shantang Street, but we were still hesitating. Comrade Zhang had already taken a heart attack, and the fact proved that this was a very wise decision. It not only relieved the fatigue of afternoon play, but also solved the transportation from Huqiu to Shantang, and also appreciated the charm of Suzhou on the water. Just after getting on the boat, the boat set out. About half of the tourists on the boat walked slowly along the narrow river. It is said that this waterway was built by Bai Juyi. The West Lake is called "Bai Di". If it is called "Bai He" here, it seems a bit scary. There are scenery introductions along the river. Suddenly, I heard the introduction of "memorial archway of the Shell Festival". The original generation of architect I.M. Pei is also behind the famous family. From Qili Mountain Pond to Huqiu, amidst the babbling water, the lights on both sides of the river lit up. When we reached Shantang Street, the lights were already brightly lit, and the lanterns hanging on both sides of the river lit up, reflecting in the river water. It was Shantang Street amidst the sound of paddles and the shadow of lights. Boarding the boat, I felt the crowds of people traveling on National Day. As the crowd moved forward, the horns on the stone bridge shouted loudly, "Many people are dangerous, please don't stop on the bridge." Along the way, there were shops and bars attracting tourists, and numerous signs of internet famous shops stood tall, with many young people dressed in Hanfu coming and going. At the time-honored brand, we ordered red bean Yuanxiao (Filled round balls made of glutinous rice-flour for Lantern Festival), duck blood vermicelli, special braised dried pork, and fresh meat dumplings. Comrade Zhang came to a bowl full of fried fish and stewed meat noodles. The three were satisfied and continued to move forward with the flow of people.

It took some trouble to take a taxi from Shantang Street to Pingjiang Road, and it was only after walking and walking that I managed to get a taxi. The characteristic of Pingjiang Road is that on one side there are ancient buildings and commercial streets, and on the other side there is a long inland river. When arriving, the taxi driver casually said it was only about 100 meters, but after strolling, there were even 1000 meters. After walking, it felt like there was no end to it.

The next day, the sun was shining brightly. There was a small gate in the garden of the Wu Palace Hotel that was connected to the Panmen Scenic Area. The focus of the Panmen Scenic Area was on the Water and Land City Gate. Outside the city gate, there was a well preserved Wencheng, with the water and land gates crisscrossing north and south. It is said to be the only well preserved ancient city gate in China with both water and land gates. Although the size of the city gates and walls cannot be compared to Xi'an and Nanjing, the important position of Suzhou as the center of Jiangnan can still be imagined. The scenic area is large, and there is a place where a gondola cruise ship gifted by Venice is placed. It is reminiscent of Suzhou being known as the Venice of China. The city of Suzhou, with its wide or narrow inland rivers passing through the city, winding through the parapet walls of the streets and alleys, diverse and translucent green flower windows, scattered rocks, and a few delicate bamboo poles, is a landscape that can be seen everywhere, forming the Chinese people's representation of the concrete landscape of Jiangnan. Just like the landscape of this city, after a brief interaction, Suzhou's service industry is developed, and the quality of its employees is also very good, friendly, polite, and flexible.

The morning itinerary was arranged exceptionally tight by Comrade Lao Zhang. After making choices, he chose Canglang Pavilion, Shuangta, Xiyuan Temple, and later unexpectedly acquired a Wu Zuoren Art Museum. Canglang Pavilion is the only garden in China named after a pavilion, and also one of the four major gardens in Suzhou. Compared to Humble Administrator's Garden, Canglang Pavilion appears small and unique. The word "Canglang" is taken from Qu Yuan's "The clear water of Canglang can wash my tassels; The turbid water of Canglang can wash my feet". There is a "Canglang Bridge" in Xinghua, my hometown. When I was young, I heard my father mention several times that there is a Canglang Pavilion in Suzhou. There is no evidence to prove whether this Canglang has a connection with that Canglang. However, every time I sleep in my hometown, I say that I go to Suzhou. At that time, I was curious about what Suzhou people say when they sleep? According to our elders, many people in Xinghua fled from Suzhou to Xinghua. In their dreams, they dream of returning to Suzhou, so sleeping is called "going to Suzhou". On the Canglang Pavilion, there is a couplet inscribed with the words "The clear breeze and bright moon are priceless, and both near water and far mountains have emotions". With just one sentence, perhaps this is the essence of Suzhou gardens.

The Twin Towers are located in Dinghui Temple Lane. Although it is National Day, there are few tourists. The two towers closely adjacent to each other are both over 30 meters high. It is said that they were built during the Northern Song Dynasty. The main hall only has the ruins of the foundation, and various stone carvings are displayed in the side rooms on both sides. It is unknown whether they are relics. Next door is the Wu Zuoren Art Museum, which is also a stroke of inspiration for this trip. The exhibition section of the museum is not large, and there is no raised exhibition hall on the second floor. A circular painting window is set up on the wall leading from the first floor to the second floor. Looking through the window, the twin towers next door come into view. The newly renovated twin towers are set against the blue sky and white clouds, creating a wonderful circular landscape painting. Finally, you can appreciate the technique of borrowing scenery from Suzhou, and collect it into the limited space, using a snail shell as a dojo. This is not the most wonderful thing yet. Comrade Lao Zhang has done a lot of homework, and after enjoying the art museum, he didn't leave in a hurry. Instead, he took us to the glass door on the other side, opened the door, and found a small courtyard. What's amazing is that the two towers once again come into view. Although they are outside the wall, they blend with the scenery in the courtyard. The courtyard is usually filled with mountains, water, bamboo, corridors, and towers, creating a different realm. The art museum also thoughtfully placed tea tables and chairs for rest, and the courtyard admires the two towers, creating a different scenery.

The incense in Xiyuan Temple is very lively. It is said that there is a millennium old divine turtle in the release pond. I haven't seen it, but I saw a copper divine turtle shining brightly by the children's town by the pond. The Arhat Hall is very unique. Five hundred Arhat are of different sizes and shapes. There are also thousands of hands of Avalokitesvara, four sided Buddhas, Guan Gong and Ji Gong enshrined in the Arhat Hall. It feels like there are all kinds of gods in the hall.

Coming out of Xiyuan Temple and heading straight to the train station, one can see the towering diamond shaped roof of the station from afar. Was it inspired by Master I.M. Pei to abstract the form of ancient Chinese architectural culture with lines and geometric shapes; I am reminded of Master Wu Zuoren's painting, which showcases the artistic conception of Chinese painting through Western perspective and ink splashing; I recall the exquisite design of the Wu Palace Hotel, which blends seamlessly with the scenic area without any sense of discord; I remember both sides of Shantang Street, with Pingtan on one side and bar resident singers on the other.

After returning, I realized that the West Pavilion of Suzhou Museum had just opened during the National Day holiday, known as the Ten Boxes. However, my previous studies were still insufficient, and I had a hint of regret in my heart. On second thought, perhaps it gave me a reason to go again next time. There will always be something that attracts you to this city, and I look forward to meeting her again.