Ten Grand Sights

  • Tourist Centre
  • Shuttle Train on Ligongdi Causeway
  • Water Bus
  • Green Bicycles
  • Toilets
  • Parking Lot

Tourist Centre

The scenic area has now four Grade-one tourist centres, located at the four entrances (east, west, north and south)of the area respectively; three Grade-two tourist centres, at Ligongdi Causeway, Arts Center and Times Square respectively providing consultation services for tourists.


Shuttle Train on Ligongdi Causeway

Each day, the train is released at regular interval of one hour exactly to the minute with first departure at 10:00 and last at 21:00 (on holidays, the interval between each release will be half an hour). The stations where the shuttle stops are “Fengshang” Pedestrian Street→Chinese Museum of Funds→Extreme Sports Field→Mid-Lake Pavilion→Ligongdi Pier→Ligongdi Square(Qi Xing Ban Yue)→Lingyun Bridge→Kite Square(entrance of block of Phase Ⅱproject→West Ligongdi Causeway(temporarily closed)


Water Bus

There are three harbors along the lake where you can take Jinji Lake water bus, whose shifts from Monday to Sunday are detailed as follows:

Moon Harbor-Ligongdi Pier 10:00/11:30/14:30;

Ligongdi Pier-Moon Harbor: 10:30/13:30/15:00;

Lake Watching Pavilion Pier-Moon Harbor: 9:30/11:00/14:00/15:30.

Note: Child riders must be accompanied by their caretakers.

Green Bicycles

There are 17 points in Jinji Lake scenic area where the parked green bicycles are at your service. You can use them at any time by rental and then return them after use. Citizens or tourists can rent bicycles free of security deposit by scanning QR code with sesame credit score of Alipay, or they can go to any of the four tourist centers located respectively at the south, north, east and west entrances of the scenic area to handle necessary procedures for bicycle use permit card.


Toilets

The toilets in the scenic area are sufficient in number and reasonable in their distribution. Up to now, the public area has 23 tourist toilets among which four have been rated at AAA~AAA+; There are 246 toilets for shop-operators in the scenic area and this figure accounts for more than 5‰ of the number of average daily tourist arrivals in peak season.



Parking Lot

The administration has built 46 parking lots in the public area of the scenic area covering a total area of 552,800 square meters, which accommodates 14753 parking spaces equipped with 158 charging piles.

Travel itinerary (routes) recommended

Including tools rental, green bicycle card handling, luggage deposit, medical service and books lending services, the items for rental include umbrella, baby carriage, wheelchair, walking stick, pet cart and green bicycle card, books, etc.

Provide free balm, motion sickness stickers, as well as free band-aids, ethyl alcohol cotton, gauze to treat slight bruise.

Provide information about the transport within and without the scenic area.

Tourists can deposit their bags and suitcases for free; however, no deposit or custody for such items as cash, valuables, inflammables, explosives, toxics and other unsuitable materials.

Provide copying, printing, faxing, and scanning services.

Sell scenic area postcards, envelops, stamps, with postmark unique to the scenic area available.

Provide free consultation for tourists about travel in the area, free indoor introduction, itinerary suggestions, as well as free maps and promotional materials.

Such items as umbrella, baby carriage, wheelchair, walking stick, pet cart are available for rental without charge if returned within 24 hours. Failing in returning them in time, the borrower shall pay rental fees listed as follows: 

Names of Items

Cash Pledge

Charge for   service of 24 to 48 hours

umbrella

50RMB/piece

2.5RMB/day

crutch

50RMB/piece

2.5RMB/day

baby carriage

800RMB/set

40RMB/day

wheelchair

800RMB/set

40RMB/day

pet stroller

800RMB/set

40RMB/day


Explore Jinji Lake Scenic Area

        Jinji Lake Scenic Area is a fence-less open tourist area rated at national AAAAA level by the state. With a total area of 11.5 square kilometers, it is located in Jinji Lake business district of Suzhou Industrial Park, and about two thirds of the scenic area, precisely, 7.4 square kilometers,are covered by water. As the first “Prototype-zone of National Business Travel” in China, the area has been regarded as the sole intensified demonstration & core zone for the purpose thereof. If we liken Suzhou City to a piece of double-sided embroidery which is a specialty of Suzhou, SIP (Jinji Lake Scenic Area) and the old Soochow City proper (featuring lots of ancient private gardens) are in sharp contrast yet complement with each other, forming the different sides of this embroidery respectively. 

        The scenic area owns a lot of attractions, and among them the following ten top the list, which are “Suzhou Center”, “The Gate of the Orient”, “Music Fountain”, “Jinji Lake Bridge”, “Culture and Arts Center”, “Moon Harbor”, “Eslite Bookstore”, “Suzhou International Finance Center”, “Lake Watching Corner” and “Ligongdi Causeway”. These ten attractions are linked by JinjiLake Fitness Trail which is 14 kilometers long. Five trestles in different styles built over water enable citizens and tourists to come into the lake and enjoy the lake scenery within arm’s reach. 

        Under the background of “Mega Tourism” and “Comprehensive Economy”, the scenic area is planned in an integrated way, that is, the administration has combined tourism with finance, culture, convention & exhibition, sports and commerce, so that these different fields benefit from and promote each other for mutual development. The scenic area boasts booming commercial real estate economy, solid industrial foundation, thorough integration of culture and tourism, as a result of which, the area has hosted a series of cultural activities of international renown, such as arts festival of Jinji Lake, Suzhou Youth Theatre Festival, and “iSING! Suzhou International Youth Singer Art Festival”. Besides, there are also many activities featuring competition, celebration or demonstration held annually in the scenic area, for example, Jinji Lake International Half-distance Marathon, Jinji Lake Dragon Boat Race, Jinji Lake Regatta, Jinji Lake Peach Blossom Festival, Jinji Lake Biennale Exhibition, Jinji Lake Makeup Art Festival. All these activities have become the “signature dishes” on the “menu” of the scenic area offered to tourists. 

        The Eslite Bookstore in the scenic area is the first branch of this brand in the whole mainland China which provides not only books but also fashionable lifestyle and culturally creative products, making it a “must-visit” place for the young people who love literature and arts. Exhibition halls have also flocked in the scenic area which will bring you a unique touch of Suzhou culture. The most famous ones of them are Yao Jianping Embroidery Art Gallery, Cai Yundi Three Carvings Art Gallery, Chinese Museum of Funds, Ming Gallery of Art. Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre, also called “Junior Bird's Nest” of Suzhou, is the permanent birth place for annual China Golden Rooster Film Awards. With a number of cultural organizations gathered inside it like Suzhou Arts Cineplex, Suzhou Arts Ballet Theatre, Suzhou Jinji Lake Art Museum, Grand Theatre, Performance Hall, and SIP Cultural Center, the giant building has proved itself to be the“culture and arts center”. Suzhou International Expo Center, Harmony Times Square, Jiuguang Department Store,Shin Kong Place, Crowne Square, Intercontinental Hotel, Hyatt Hotels are all well-known establishments like pearls scattered around the Jinji Lake providing one-stop services for tourists.    

        The administration has successively provided four optional sightseeing routes to cater to different needs as well as to deepen tourists’ understanding of the lake. The four itineraries have their respective themes or focuses, namely, “travel to get in intimate touch with the lake”(lake tour), “go heavenward like spider-men”(architecture exploration), “travel with books’ and music’s company”(cultural experience), “strolling along the greenway”(greenery walk).  You can enjoy view or culture or an idyllic setting at your option.