We started our visit at one of many temples, called Beisi Ta (North Temple Pagoda). Of course, a temple isn't complete without a Buddha near the entrance. The boys enjoyed getting their first picture taken with Buddha...and Alex decided to show off his "Buddha belly" as well!
Just inside the temple area, there was a beautiful little pond with flowers, koi, and much greenery.
The temple was quite elaborate on the ground floor, with at least a dozen Buddha statues around the circle. The pagoda is, at 76m, the tallest Chinese pagoda south of the Yangzi, though it retains only nine of its original eleven storeys . We climbed up to the highest point that was maintained, and the view of all of Suzhou was spectacular!
Alex and Derek posed like their favorite statue...
The next stop was to the Suzhou Silk Museum. The museum was under renovations, so much of it was temporarily closed off to the public. We did get to see some interesting displays...
A statue of Leizu, who was described as the inventor of silkworm raising in Chinese legend. She taught sericulture to the people 5,000 years ago!
Ancient writing on the walls...
You'd think this is a wax model of the leaves and silk worms...until you take a closer look and see the worms moving and eating!
This was one of many beautiful silk robes on display...
Next, we visited the Suzhou Museum. There was many displays with historical Chinese items -- jade, pottery, tools and weapons, clothing, carvings, and the list goes on. We didn't take many photos as they restricted them in some areas.
Our final stop for the day was to one of the hundreds of gardens in Suzhou. The garden was called "The Lion Forest Garden". It was built in 1312 by a Buddhist Monk to honor his teacher. It consisted of 4 small lakes and rock caves, bridges, and sculptures thought to resemble lions (though we didn't quite see the resemblance!).
The boys enjoyed exploring the rocks and caves...including getting lost a few times.
Derek loved the garbage cans shaped as lions...
A few small buildings and outcroppings contained statues.
It was a wonderful visit to Suzhou. We didn't get a chance to shop for any silk, which seems like an essential part of Suzhou, so I'm sure we'll have a few return visits.
And the adventure continues...
