So Long, Suzhou!!!
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Oh my God, the traffic in this city is outrageous!
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I feel that both drivers and riders of electric bicycles (those small mopeds running around everywhere) here are incredibly aggressive. They drive exceptionally dangerously.
- I almost got hit by a car while crossing the pedestrian crosswalk!
- Those electric bikes run red lights all the time and always feel like they can do it with ease, without any consideration.
- The chaos of the traffic was so great that even after standing at the intersection waiting for two red and green light cycles, I still couldn't figure out how to proceed properly.
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️ Important reminder to my friends visiting here:- Be very cautious when crossing the road in this city! Vehicles (especially those electric ones) may not yield to pedestrians as you might expect.
- What to do: Even if the green light is on, you must always look left, then right, then left again before crossing the road to make sure there are no vehicles rushing towards you. Don’t assume that the cars will stop to let you go.
(Previous experiences in Yangzhou and Nanjing have 'spoiled me', where drivers would proactively stop to allow pedestrians to pass, making their driving behavior more courteous and civil compared to what I'm experiencing here now!)
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The subway system feels chaotic too. It feels like everything in Suzhou is winding and convoluted. While this adds a unique charm to the gardens, it's really inconvenient for public infrastructure. Plus, every exit is designed differently. As a first-timer, I was completely lost.
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I also visited Fengmen Hengjie. I'm not sure if I went at the wrong time, but many shops were closed. It's completely a wet market. I knew that beforehand, but I didn't expect it to be so basic. As for Shiquan Street, I must have walked it in the wrong direction. I was wondering why all I saw were jade carvings and no food stalls.
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Yeah, Hengjie is just a wet market.
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The Suzhou Sports Center is the same – huge and makes you go in circles. It makes me miss Nanjing, where you can just walk straight down one road to get anywhere.
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I'm from Suzhou and currently on a business trip in Nanjing. The sheer number of e-bikes and bicycles here is astounding! Perhaps it's because I live in the Suzhou Industrial Park where there aren't as many vehicles. The old town areas, though, definitely have a lot.
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The last post I saw about this was titled something like, 'Goodbye Yangzhou, the city overrun by an army of aggressive e-bikes!'
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The e-bikes are definitely a problem, but car drivers are pretty good. In Yangzhou, it's mandatory for cars to yield to pedestrians.
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Honestly, I found the attitude here terrible. Everyone seemed so aggressive and blunt. It's definitely a place I wouldn't visit again.
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Yeah, seriously. I'm so fed up with this city.
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The buses are quite convenient, but it's a bit strange why the lane closest to the bus stop isn't a dedicated bus lane. It feels like drivers have to swerve in to stop and then swerve back out – really tests their skills!
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Honestly, even as a Suzhou local, I agree that design is really impractical.
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The food was generally fine; I didn't encounter anything terrible (didn't 'step on any landmines,' as we say). The Suzhou-style mung bean soup wasn't as bad as some say; it was actually very refreshing and cooling – perfect for summer! The only thing is, if you let it sit for a while, the glutinous rice absorbs all the water. Then, the soaked rice and mung beans taste more like a dessert. The candied winter melon in it was delicious!
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I drove there today and just got back – I'm utterly shocked. I never imagined that in a place as poetic, picturesque, and beautiful as Suzhou, the locals could be so… aggressive. There are e-bikes on every road, and I swear they drive them like tanks, completely dominating the streets.
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And the car drivers are just as bad! They'll cut you off in a split second and drive however they please.
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Suzhou Center Mall is huge, but there isn't much that's particularly exciting to do there. Apparently, you could get a free gift from the service desk recently, but now all that's left is a popcorn and coke combo.
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The gardens and temples are truly beautiful. I had originally planned to visit seven, but I just didn't have the energy and only managed to see four. The best experience by far was Xiyuan Temple! It's huge, with so many lush trees, and it was wonderfully cool when I went in the morning. There really were lots of adorable cats, which was so therapeutic. Counting the Arhats was also quite interesting. Although I kept wondering which Arhat to start counting from, the fortune slip I ended up with told me not to be indecisive – so accurate!