Suzhou was known as Wu in ancient times. In Shang Dynasty, the state of Gouwu was established. In 514 B.C., Helv, the king of Wu State, ordered Wu Zixu, his chancellor, to establish the capital of Wu State in the north of Suzhou. It was named as Suzhou from the Gusu Mountain since Sui Dynasty. Suzhou has had a recorded history of 4,000 years, formed founded in 514 B.C. (i.e. the capital of Wu State). It is among one of the first 24 acknowledged famous historical and cultural cities in China, whose history can be traced back to 6,000 to 7,000 years ago.

Located near the Taihu Lake, Suzhou is where the southern reaches of Yangtze River flowing into the sea. Many railways, such as Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway and Shanghai-Nanjing Urban High-Speed railway, and highways run across the total areas of Suzhou. It is a mega-city approved by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. Although it is a prefecture-level city, it enjoys a majority of benefits as a sub-provincial city. As one of the most industrialized and modernized cities in Jiangsu Province, its total GDP is ranked top in Jiangsu Province, its per-capita GDP also ranking among the top in China. It is an important economic and trade center as well as the financial, cultural, art and education center and transportation hub in Jiangsu Province, and one of the core cities in the Yangtze Delta economic circle.

To the east of Suzhou is Shanghai, which is 81 kilometers away, and East China Sea; to the west, the Taihu Lake, Wuxi and Changzhou; to the North, the Yangtze River and Nantong; to the south, Jiaxing and Huzhou in Zhejiang Province.With abundant resources and precious cultural heritages, Suzhou has nurtured numerous talents, known as the Heaven on Earth and the City of Garden. Suzhou has been known for its picturesque landscape and elegant gardens, or the Jiangnan Gardens topping the world while Suzhou Gardens Unparalleled in Jiangnan Garden. Morever, owing to its ancient water towns characterized by small bridge, flowing water and ordinary household, it is reputed as the Venice of the East. Nowadays, Suzhou has become a harmonious international city that embraces antiquity and modernity by integrating mountains, rivers, downtown, woods, gardens and towns together, or a city interspersed with gardens.