Mr. Macdougall's Weblog

Reaching for the Future

Suzhou Day #2

Day number 2 meant sleeping in a bit, and judging by the ten and a half hour “nap,” jet lag had more of an effect on me than I had expected.  But the morning brought a new person, well-rested and ready to face a new day.  And that meant shopping for gifts to bring to my family back home.  I sought out an area that was away from the mainstream and less dedicated to typical tourists.  We were told we would have some difficulty as today was “Tomb-sweeping Day,” a holiday in China to honor the deceased, and we were warned we would face throngs of people.  But as you can judge by the first photo, Shiquan Jie was an attractive, well-maintained street with many jobs offering anything from silk (for which this area is very well-known) to designer clothes to pirated DVDs - any numerous food shops offering local delicacies.  This is my last full day of playing “tourist” as Saturday will mean an initial visit to the school in preparation for the team’s visit.
So here are some helpful hints for upcoming blog entries: 

Suzhou is pronounced “Sue -jo” simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Szhu; ancient name: ) is a city on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Lake Taihu in the province of Jiangsu, China. The city is renowned for its beautiful stone bridges, pagodas, and meticulously designed gardens which have contributed to its status as a great tourist attraction. Since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Suzhou has also been an important centre for China’s silk industry and continues to hold that prominent position today. The city is part of the Yangtze River Delta region. The GDP per capita was ¥79,406 (ca. US$10,087) in 2006, ranked no. 5 among 659 Chinese cities.

I am serving as co-chair of a visiting team that will evaluate and accredit Suzhou Singapore International School (SSIS). This school was built in 1995 to educate the many expatriates who work in the numerous international businesses in Suzhou International Park. My team consists of 14 educators - 4 from the US and the other ten coming from places such as Japan, Netherlands, Thailand, United Arab Emirate, England.

Arrival

After 5 1/2 hour flight from Boston to London, and an additional 11 hours from London to Shanghai I arrived in China.

First impressions:  the people are friendly and cordial and the area is immaculate. Pudong airport is a sight to behold with gleaming floors, courteous and helpful staff, and even parking spots near the terminals themselves that have shiny laminated surfaces where you actually park your vehicle and then attendants clean the area when you leave! On the ride from the airport to Suzhou, the roadway is very attractive with well-groomed and colorful median strips, hedges trimmed along the guardrail areas, and not a bit of paper or trash to be seen anywhere on route.

We were greeted at the hotel by very friendly staff who refer to me as Mr. Stephen and go out of their way to accommodate my every needs.  The first photo you see as an attachment is taken from my room and shows the number of new units constructed to house the many, many people who live in this area. You can also see canal work adjacent to the housing complexes - and that is prevalent throughout this area. Note the neatness of the units and the uniformity.

Those same canals progress into the inner city and old shopping area of Suzhou - thus the reason it is referred to as the Venice of China.  You can also see that cherry bloosoms are beginning to bloom. Not uncommon to see a KFC next to a temple, as the next photo shows.

Don’t walk across any street with looking both ways many times and then being very careful during the crossing - because taxis, cars, busses, and even bikes won’t stop for you. You’ll hear horns beeping regularly - but here it is to remind others to look and be careful - not a signal of anger or frustration all the time! The gentleman I am standing with watched anxiosuly as I was shooting phots and I asked him to join me. His job? He stands watch over the many bikes and motor scooters in the shopping area.

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