As usual we end our S3 Newsletter with some news not so closely related to the business world.
Specifically, this time we continue with both the list of big (but little known) Chinese cities and the list of the ten most beautiful national parks in China.
Big, yet little known cities in China
After placing Wuhan (centre), Shenyang (northeast), Guiyang (southwest), Shaoxing (east), Chengdu (west), Fuzhou (southeast), Hainan Island (south), Xi’an (northwest), Nanjing (east), Kunming (southwest), Harbin (northeast), Lhasa (southwest) and Changsha (south-central) on the map, we turn more towards the eastern part of the country, where we find a ‘little big city’: Suzhou.
It is not the capital of any province, but for many foreign businessmen, the name Suzhou will not sound unfamiliar. With a population of almost 13 million, the city of Suzhou is a giant surrounded by other giants, such as the capital of ‘its’ province Jiangsu (Nanjing), the capital of neighbouring Zhejiang province (Hangzhou) or Shanghai itself.
Suzhou is well known in the business world, as many international investors have chosen the city to set up their factories, representing a wide range of industries. But it is also a major tourist destination, largely thanks to its attractive network of canals and gardens, which have their origins in the 6th century BC. In fact, the gardens have been a World Heritage Site since 1997.
All this contributes to it being one of the fastest growing cities in China over the last two decades, as it is considered a place where the quality of life is very high. The ‘Venice of China’ is also connected by high-speed train to Shanghai, a journey of just 25 minutes. All in all, a very attractive ‘little big city’ in the Yangtze River Delta.
The ten most beautiful national parks in China
Located in the southern part of Anhui Province (in eastern China) is Huangshan National Park. It is often said that ‘there is no need to visit any more mountains after visiting Huangshan‘, to indicate its extraordinary beauty.
It is worth mentioning that Huangshan is also known as the ‘Yellow Mountains’, but not because they look yellow. In fact, they were named after the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (Huang Di) in 747 AD. As all this indicates, it is a well-known park in China, receiving numerous visits from tourists every year.