Suzhou?(Chinese:?蘇州),?previously?transliterated?as?Su-chou,?Suchow,?and?Soochow,?is?a?major?city?located?in?the?southeast?of?Jiangsu?Province?in?Eastern?China,?located?adjacent?to?Shanghai?Municipality.?The?city?is?situated?on?the?lower?reaches?of?the?Yangtze?River?and?on?the?shores?of?Taihu?Lake?and?is?a?part?of?the?Yangtze?River?Delta?region.?Administratively,?Suzhou?is?a?prefecture-level?city?with?an?urban?population?of?over?4?million?expanding?to?over?10?million?in?the?administrative?area.
Originally?founded?in?514?BCE,?Suzhou?has?over?2,500?years?of?rich?history,?and?relics?of?the?past?are?abundant?to?this?day.?The?city's?canals,?stone?bridges,?pagodas,?and?meticulously?designed?gardens?have?contributed?to?its?status?as?one?of?the?top?tourist?attractions?in?China.?Since?the?Song?Dynasty?(960-1279),?it?has?also?been?an?important?centre?for?China's?silk?industry.?The?classical?gardens?in?Suzhou?were?added?to?the?list?of?the?UNESCO?World?Heritage?Sites?in?1997?and?2000.?Suzhou?is?often?dubbed?the?"Venice?of?the?East"?or?"Venice?of?China".
Geography
Suzhou?is?located?on?the?Taihu?Lake?Plain,?about?100?kilometres?(62?mi)?to?the?west?of?Shanghai,?and?just?over?200?kilometers?east?of?Nanjing.
Climate
Suzhou?has?a?four-season,?monsoon-influenced?humid?subtropical?climate?with?hot,?humid?summers,?and?cool,?cloudy,?damp?winters?with?occasional?snowfall.?Northwesterly?winds?blowing?from?Siberia?during?winter?can?cause?temperatures?to?fall?below?freezing?at?night,?while?southerly?or?southwesterly?winds?during?the?summer?can?push?temperatures?above?35?°C?(95?°F).