Suzhou Expat - The expatriate portal in China

Hi TTom,

Suzhou is not very big, but can be a real pain to travel around/through, especially in rush hours. So I'd suggest looking to live somewhere close to where you plant will be - living on the wrong side can mean a 1.5 hour commute!
It also depends how 'native' you want to go - the East side of Suzhou, towards JinJi lake (the Suzhou Industrial Park or SIP), has a larger expat community, but is significantly more expensive and has less of a Chinese feel to it.
The West side (Suzhou New District or SND) has far fewer Westerners - that can be a good or bad thing, depending what you want from your time here!
I don't really recommend living in the city, just because the hassle of getting in and out every day far outweighs the taxi ride (or drive) into the city in the evenings.

Good luck!

Tim