Mandarin Immersion (Part 35)

This entry is part 35 of 40 in the series Mandarin Immersion

June 18, 2023

Mandarin Immersion (Part 35)

By Simon J. Lau

The weather in Suzhou has been so lovely lately. I kid. Although, I can’t really complain. I haven’t experienced any intense rainfall since arriving in China. That is, until now. In this case, the only way for me to escape it was to step inside a coffee shop. Very few coffee shops open before 10 AM. Coffee culture is growing in popularity in China, but it’s not really part of their morning routine. I did, however, discover this shop inside the Cultural Salon of Suzhou. The coffee was not great, but the space was awesome. 👏🏼 It took several hours for the storm to pass.

Afterward, I visited the Suzhou section of the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal is a vast water network that spans from Beijing in the north to Hangzhou in the south. It was started in the 5th century BC and was built in sections. It passes through eight provinces, including Jiangsu, where Suzhou is located.

The Suzhou section was built as a moat around the ancient city, serving as a primary form of fortification from outside invaders. Located at the southwest corner of this section of the Grand Canal is Xu Gate. This is one of eight city gates that were built around Suzhou to protect it during the Spring and Autumn period, another turbulent time in China’s history. The brick wall that stands here now is a renovated structure rebuilt by the Mongols during the Yuan dynasty.

Just in front of this wall is a statue of Wu Zixu, the man credited with founding Suzhou. He was both a successful military general and politician. Later in life, Wu fell out of favor with the king due to disagreement over how to protect the city from the Mongols. Wu was then ordered by the king to commit suicide. Before his death, Wu requested that the king have his eyes removed and placed above Xu Gate so that he could watch the advancing Mongol army capture the city, which eventually happened. So the legend goes.

Finally, the rain didn’t let up. It came down hard again shortly after this visit. My shoes were soaked (which is the worst part of a downpour, in my opinion), and I couldn’t bring myself to go outside again in the evening. Instead, I called it a day and got a lot of rest.