Background

Singapore, the capital of the Singapore Republic, is an important strategic point in the strait between the Indian Ocean and the South Sea. A deep-water port, Singapore boasts of the largest port in Southeast Asia. It is one of the largest commercial centers in the world and it is well-known as the "Garden City". Singaporeans are mainly Chinese. After the Second World War, Singapore¡¯s economy developed and at present it has approached developed and industrialized countries in comprehensive national strength.

The famous architectures and scenic spots include: Victoria Memorial Hall, Raffles the City Hall, Van Cleef Aquarium, Haw Par Villa, Jurong Chinese and Japanese Gardens, Sentosa and Singapore Botanical Garden, etc.

Suzhou, a Chinese city with a long history, is famous for its scenic gardens. A city under the direct jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province, Suzhou is in Jiangsu, in the center of the Taihu Plain, which is crisscrossed with rivers, rivulets, lakes and ponds. It is located in the place where the Jinghang Canal and the Jinghu Railway meet. In the 12th year of King Ling of Zhou Dynasty (560 BC), King Zhu Fan of Wu Kingdom moved the capital here and built the Wuzi City. The in the 6th year of King Jing of Zhou Dynasty (514 BC), King He Lu of the Wu Kingdom sent his official Wu Zixu to build here He Lu Grand City, which set the foundation for today's Suzhou. In the 25th year of Qin Dynasty (222 BC), the place where today's Suzhou is located was governed as Wu County under Huiji Prefecture. It was renamed as Suzhou in the 9the year of kai Huang of Sui Dynasty (589 AD), and another name for the city was Gusu. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Suzhou was called the Prefecture of Pingjiang, and in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties, Suzhou Prefecture. As one of China's silk production centers, Suzhou began to export silk products to Japan, Persia, Arab and Korea in the 3rd century. Handicraft industries include Suzhou embroidery, Suzhou fans, Suzhou carvings and Suzhou prints, while the advanced modern industries in the city are textile, electronics, instrument and meters machinery and construction material.

A typical city of rivers and lakes in south of the Yangtze River, Suzhou preserves nearly 100 renowned scenic spots, including gardens such as Canglang (Surging Wave ) pavilion of the Song Dynasty, Shizi (Lion) Grove of the Yuan Dynatry, the Zhuozhengyuan (Humble Administrator's Garden) of the Ming Dynasty, Wangshi Garden, the Liu Yuan (Garden for Lingering), Xi (West) Garden of the Qing Dynasty, the King Zhong's Palace of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1851-64), Other resorts include Huqiu, Xuanmiao Temple and Hanshan Temple.

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