Suzhou formerly Romanised as Suchow is a prefecture-level city in northern Anhui province. It borders the prefectural cities of Huaibei and Bengbu to the southwest and south respectively, the provinces of Jiangsu to the east, Shandong to the north, and Henan to the northwest.-Suzhou have a total area of 6,264 square kilometers. -It borders Shanghai, the Yangtze River, and Wuxi City. -The city is known as the capital of silk. -The construction of the grand canal is what initially earned Suzhou its fame.
Historical, Cultural facts & Religion
Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou has over 2,500 years of history, with an abundant display of relics and sites of historical interest. Around AD 100, during the Eastern Han dynasty, it became one of the ten largest cities in the world mostly due to emigration from Northern China. Suzhou’s influence on Chinese culture spans back 10,000 years and the remnants of its intellectual pursuits are apparent today. Not just through its traditional gardens and water townships, but also through the melodies of its classical art forms such as Kun Opera and Pintan, as well as the native Jiangsu cuisine.
Brief City History
Dating back some 2500 years, Suzhou is one of the oldest towns in the Yangzi Basin. With the completion of the Grand Canal during the Sui dynasty, Suzhou began to flourish as a center of shipping and grain storage, bustling with merchants and artisans. By the 14th century, Suzhou had become China’s leading silk-producing city. Aristocrats, pleasure seekers, famous scholars, actors, and painters arrived, constructing villas and garden retreats. The town’s winning image as a ‘Garden City’ or a ‘Venice of the East’ came from its medieval blend of woodblock guilds and embroidery societies, whitewashed housing, cobbled streets, tree-lined avenues and canals. Local women were considered the most beautiful in China, largely thanks to the mellifluous local accent, and the city was home to a variety of rich merchants and bookish scholars, many of whom established the garden residences that the city is known for today.
In 1860 Taiping troops took the town without a blow and in 1896 Suzhou was opened to foreign trade, with Japanese and other international concessions. Since 1949 much of the historic city, including its city walls, has vanished. A conscious prettification of the city has set the tone for the last decade or so, and areas such as Pingjiang Lu and Shantang Jie suggest the Suzhou of old.
Language (s) Written & Spoken
However, it is not mutually intelligible with Cantonese or Standard Chinese; but, as all public schools and most broadcast communication in Suzhou use Mandarin exclusively, nearly all speakers of the dialect are at least bilingual.
Important Types of Commerce in Suzhou
Major industries include iron and steel, IT and electronic equipment manufacturing, and textile products. Suzhou is the second-largest industrial city in China after Shanghai and is home to 27 listed companies.
Language Services US and others will provide working with Suzhou
The rising Chinese economy requires impeccable interpreting and translation language services. Companies, NGOs, political organizations and international firms must seek Chinese interpreters and translators. While Mandarin Chinese is considered the star of Chinese business languages, odds are any dealings with Chinese business professionals require the use of both Cantonese and Taiwanese as well. A language services firm must be able to accommodate all three dialects or there is no guarantee your message will be accurately conveyed. A language solutions team, be they are interpreters and/or professional translators – should have a sound working knowledge of both forms (written and spoken) so they have the flexibility and knowledge to work in all major forms of Chinese.
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