Sample Pages Preview

A renowned historical and cultural city in China, Suzhou has long been known asthe "Heaven on Earth", endowed with picturesque sceneries and rich in cultural andnatural attractions. Suzhou Gardens, with worldwide reputation, have been inscribed onthe World Heritage List. Two out of China's Top Four Gardens are located in Suzhou,namely, the Lingering Garden and the Humble Administrator's Garden. The Tiger Hill,known as ancient Suzhou's top tourist attraction, boasts a history of over 2,500 yearsand a profound cultural heritage, making it a must destination for tourists to Suzhou.The Hanshan Monastery is another admiration of sightseers for its sonorous bell rings,which was recorded in a famous poem entitled Night Anchoring at Maple Bridge,composed by the famous Tang Poet Zhang Ji. Suzhou lies in the Yangtze River Delta, in the southeast of Jiangsu Province. Itcovers an area of 8,488 square kilometers and has a total population of 6 million. With35 kilometers of river networks and 168 bridges above the rivers within the downtownarea, Suzhou has won its reputation as "Venice in the East". It ranks among the firstbatch of 24 "Historical and Cultural Cities" designated by the State Council. Itshistory dates back to over 7,000 years ago, as proved in an ancient cultural site of theNeolithic Period discovered in the Caoxie Mountain on the south bank of YangchengLake, 2 kilorheters north to the Weiting Township of Wu County in Suzhou. More than1,100 Neolithic relics were excavated, including stone implements, bone objects,pottery and jade wares. Suzhou was first built as a city in 514 BC by King He Lu ofthe Wu State, and served as the capital of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period.Even today, many historical sites about two most famous figures of the Wu State, XiShi and Wu Zixu, may be found in Suzhou. The name of the city, Suzhou, was firstused in 589 AD and kept till today.

Preface
一片片拔地而起的摩天大楼、一条条车水马龙的宽敞 的街道、一幅幅巨型的霓虹灯广告牌——它们创造出了繁华的气氛，创造出了“摩登”.但它们构建的是闹市，而非历史名城。所谓“历史名城”应该与历史有关， 与文化有关，与城市里的“古香古色”有关.与城市居民的修养有关。步入这样的城市，从古宅里你应该看到历史的沉淀，这种“沉淀”代表着一个民族的过去。代 表着该民族曾有过的辉煌；步入这样的城市，你耳畔飘过一缕乐声，虽不雄壮，也不太悠扬，但它带些哀怨的调子，似乎在倾诉、在叙述——这乐声已非主流，但它 曾经传遍神州大地，在中国的乐坛和舞台上铸就了神话，使中国的音乐和舞台艺术独立于世界之林——它在倾诉、在叙述中国传统音乐的根源；步入这样的城市.你 可能会在街头巷尾嗅到一股扑鼻的食物的香气，它不同于其他地方普通餐馆的香气.而带些许特殊的味道，因为它是特殊的地方风味小吃散发出来的，而这“地方风 味小吃”是经百年、千年的岁月酿造出来的，是一座历史名城特有的，身后有着典故或传说。步入这样的城市，你可能会脱胎换骨，涤荡去庸俗，从精神上变为知情 趣、懂文化和历史的人，你会为自己是“龙的传人”而感到骄傲。
中国是世界上最著名的四大文明古国之一，而且是其中文化底蕴最为深厚的古国。在她 960万平方千米的疆土上，散布着无数像珍珠翡翠般的历史名城。仅在1982年中国政府公布的历史名城名单上，就有101座城市赫然在目。这些城市在文 化、历史方面都有着自己的特色，或饮食不同一般，或风俗独特，等等。在饮食方面，有成都的夫妻肺片、泰安的煎饼、西安的“三泡”、乌鲁木齐的抓饭和羊肉串 等；在风俗方面.有苏州的“满月剃头”等；在文化娱乐方面，有安塞的腰鼓、凤阳的花鼓等。这些“特色”是如此之多.扳着指头恐怕是数不过来的。