Suzhou: Drowned in Commercialism. My Wallet Begs: Never Again!
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If this is all you're seeing in Suzhou, then you'd probably only see the same superficial things in any other city you visit.
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Suzhou doesn't need your suggestions to become 'better.' You should just come and appreciate its good sides. Tourists are here to sightsee, not to conduct inspections.
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I just left Suzhou, and honestly, it was quite draining this time. It's so commercialized and everything feels the same. Only the gardens are still worth a proper visit. Actually, some of the ordinary alleys off Pingjiang Road can be quite charming, but only when it's cool and not crowded. The last couple of days, though (even on Monday, a weekday!), it was scorching hot and packed with people, so the experience was pretty bad.
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Last weekend was incredibly hot and sunny; the Mixue Bingcheng on Pingjiang Road even sold out of lemonade.
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At the Lingering Garden, at least 10 different people hounded me for face readings or palm readings, following me around. And people selling cat treats… Are those even good quality? Cats shouldn't eat too many treats, you know, with all those food attractants! Doesn't anyone care about these cats' health? Also, just asking because I don't know, isn't Zanhua (the flower hairpins) a tradition from Quanzhou?
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Ugh, don't even get me started. I get so annoyed seeing all the Zanhua hairpin photoshoots. Yes, Zanhua is a tradition from Quanzhou, and there's nothing wrong with promoting cultural heritage, but it's the trend-followers that are irritating. Besides, those flower hairpins often don't even go well with certain Hanfu styles. Honestly, it's a breath of fresh air to see someone in Hanfu without the Zanhua.
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It was so crowded, and my taxi driver took a detour, which made the fare 50% more expensive.
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When I took a taxi from Hanshan Temple to Shantang Street, not only did the driver take a detour, but as soon as I got in, he asked where I was from. Then he started saying how many people from Shanghai have been buying silk bedding sets lately and went on about how great silk is. He mentioned a local heritage brand was having a sale, then detoured and stopped right in front of a silk shop, telling me my destination was just 200 meters further. It was so obvious he was angling for a commission!
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The last time I went to Shantang Street, there wasn't a single shop worth looking into. It's all become so heavily commercialized.
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Suzhou has plenty of old streets out in the countryside. Would you even bother visiting those?