Suzhou - Poetic Water Town South of the Yangtze River
Suzhou, first built during the reign of King Helü of Wu (on the throne from 514 BC to 496 BC) in the late Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC) was the capital of the Wu State. In the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220), the Jin Dynasty (265-420) and the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it was an important large and populous city in the southeastern coastal region. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), shipping business, industry and commerce were highly developed and prosperous in Suzhou. At that time, Suzhou was called "Pingjiang Prefecture."
Suzhou's city layout is clearly reflected by Map of Pingjiang carved on a stele in the 2nd year of the Shaoding Period of the Southern Song Dynasty (1229). This city was a very regular rectangular city, and the north-south axis was longer than the east-west one. The city walls were slightly bent.
There were five city gates in total with water gates nearby. A wide moat was outside the city walls. The city's roads formed a grid. The streets in parallel with the main river courses constituted the main roads leading to the city gates.
People called them "three horizontal ones and four vertical ones." Many branches were ramified from them, leading to various residential neighborhoods. There were bridges on the rivers and streets, markets and houses along the rivers characteristic of water towns south of the Yangtze River. There was a city trench in and out of the city walls as both a ring road and moat. The city's river courses formed a complete traffic network and drainage system.
About the book
Chinese Architecture Written by Cai Yanxin Published by China Intercontinental Press
Suzhou, first built during the reign of King Helü of Wu (on the throne from 514 BC to 496 BC) in the late Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC) was the capital of the Wu State. In the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220), the Jin Dynasty (265-420) and the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it was an important large and populous city in the southeastern coastal region. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), shipping business, industry and commerce were highly developed and prosperous in Suzhou. At that time, Suzhou was called "Pingjiang Prefecture."
Suzhou's city layout is clearly reflected by Map of Pingjiang carved on a stele in the 2nd year of the Shaoding Period of the Southern Song Dynasty (1229). This city was a very regular rectangular city, and the north-south axis was longer than the east-west one. The city walls were slightly bent.
There were five city gates in total with water gates nearby. A wide moat was outside the city walls. The city's roads formed a grid. The streets in parallel with the main river courses constituted the main roads leading to the city gates.
People called them "three horizontal ones and four vertical ones." Many branches were ramified from them, leading to various residential neighborhoods. There were bridges on the rivers and streets, markets and houses along the rivers characteristic of water towns south of the Yangtze River. There was a city trench in and out of the city walls as both a ring road and moat. The city's river courses formed a complete traffic network and drainage system.
About the book
Chinese Architecture Written by Cai Yanxin Published by China Intercontinental Press
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