G-Talk Band

With a brand new Pilipino Band. Coming directly from Vietnam and been never before in Suzhou.

The G-Talk (Girls Talk) Band is composed of two sultry young ladies that will enchant you with their unique voice that blends so well & four experienced musicians bonded together by their love to play variety of music ranging from Pop, Dance, R&B and Classics Songs.

These cool guys can fill the air and create an atmosphere of fun, laughter and excitement as you dance the night away.

This group stimulates the music from the past, create new twist of today's hottest hits and explore new dimensions for Suzhou future. 

So come and enjoy the opening night on 27th April.

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Havy rain floods parts of China north of Huaihe RiverThe northern parts of Anhui Province, east China, have been inundated with rain since Saturday and more than 240,000 residents have been affected, local officials said.

Suzhou, Bengbu and Fuyang, all north of the Huaihe River, a flood-prone waterway flowing east through Anhui, have received up to 283 millimeters of rain and experienced floods as a result, the provincial production and disaster relief office said.

The civil affairs department of Suzhou City said that heavy and even torrential rains hit the city in recent days, coupled with strong winds. The worst hit were Sixian and Lingbi counties, which had average rainfalls of 100 mm to 150 mm, with much farmland flooded.

Nearly 2,000 rural houses were damaged or destroyed and 22,000 hectares of crops were affected in these three localities. Losses were put at 28.92 million yuan (about 4.13 million U.S. dollars).

Local Party and government authorities have increased their work shifts and teams of officials have been sent to measure the impact of the weather.

Source: Xinhua

China has imposed further curbs on visitors, just weeks after it stopped issuing multiple-entry visas, Hong Kong travel agents said Friday, sparking concern among the business community.

"You now need a copy of your travel ticket both in and out of the country and a hotel voucher before they accept a visa application. Without that they will reject it," said Daryl Bending, a travel consultant with Concorde Travel.

"I think it will deter a lot of people from travelling to China. They will just think it is too hard."

Another agent said visitors from 33 countries -- including India, the Philippines and Indonesia -- were no longer allowed to apply for China visas in Hong Kong and would have to apply at their local Chinese embassies.

"It is becoming more and more serious, it is really out of control," said the travel agent, who did not want to be named.

She said that tourist and business visas were also now coming back later and later, leaving travellers waiting around for hours to find out whether their applications had been accepted.

A statement on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong said that there had been a "recent drastic rise" in the number of applicants.

"To spare applicants of the unnecessary trouble, for non-resident of Hong Kong, please apply for the Chinese visa at the Chinese embassy or consulate-general in his or her home country or resident country," it said.

It did not mention the list of about 30 countries the agent referred to and insisted multiple-entry visas were available, although it added officials would "consider the real need of the applicant" when granting one.

Christopher Hammerbeck, head of the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, said the move had serious consequences for potential investment.

"It means that business travellers into Hong Kong who find someone they want to do business with are not able to go over the border and see their factory," he told AFP.

"Long term this is going to make people think perhaps they should be looking elsewhere, maybe India or Vietnam."

A Hong Kong government spokeswoman said: "The Hong Kong government has reflected the views/concerns of the Hong Kong business community to the relevant mainland authorities."

Travel agents in several Asian countries previously said China had stopped issuing multiple-entry visas several weeks ago and that they had been told the service would not be resumed until after the Beijing Olympics, which take place in August.

Hong Kong residents will still be able to get a short-term visa from travel agents to the border city of Shenzhen without hotel and travel tickets, Concorde Travel's Bending said.

But a visa granted at the border, popular among those taking day trips to Shenzhen for shopping or business, was no longer available, he added.

Hong Kong has maintained separate legal and visa systems since it was returned to China by colonial power Britain in 1997.

Source: Yahoo.com 

Many people will seize the opportunity to use this year's annual Qingming Festival to pay their respects to ancestors. But they will also have time to take a well-earned break.

Qingming, the nation's annual Tomb-Sweeping Day, boasts a long and proud tradition, even in a thriving, busy City like Suzhou.

But it takes on special significance this year because, for the first time, next Friday's Qingming has been declared a public holiday.

The result of dropping the week-long May Day holiday makes Qingming an ideal long weekend break for a sojourn to attractions within easy reach of Suzhou.

With the ancestral hometowns of many locals in nearby provinces, the festival is a good way for a short spring outing, or taqing (treading the grass), be it by rail, bus or bike.

Even those still observing the tomb-sweeping tradition will be able to find time for other activities. Here are some suggestions.

To heaven on Earth

As the Chinese saying goes, "Up in Heaven is paradise, down on Earth are Suzhou and Hangzhou." Both cities are unrivalled in their pictorial charm but with a massive number of people expected to travel to Suzhou for tomb sweeping, Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, might be a better option this holiday.

At the heart of the city is West Lake, famous for its breathtaking views and an inspiration for renowned poet Su Dongpo who personified the lake as a refined lady in an elegant dress in one of his famous works.

In Hangzhou, visitors can take a relaxed break with a leisurely stroll by the lake, away from the rest of city which is quite heavily developed. The undulating hills, fresh air and lush green vegetation surrounding the lake, offer a great escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Trains from Suzhou Railway Station leave and return at regular intervals. Try out the China Railway high-speed (CRH) train. Travel time is about 1 hour and tickets cost between 35 and 60 Yuan.

A blast from the past

Not far from Suzhou is the mouth of the Yangtze River and the water towns that line the banks of the Grand Canal system - one of the world's most impressive, man-made engineering feats.

And culturally rich Wuzhen, located in the middle of six ancient towns south of the river, is one not to be missed. The 2,000-year-old town offers a picturesque side of old China complete with an impressive labyrinth of canals, bridges and old passageways surrounded by ancient waterside residences, traditional teahouses and souvenir and handicraft shops.

Historically the town is also known as the birthplace of famous scholars such as Mao Dun, a prominent contemporary Chinese writer. Wuzhen is easily accessible by bus, just an hour from Hangzhou.

Source: Shanghai Daily

Click the read more button to get historical information about the Qing Ming festival!

Ctrip.com International Ltd. (CTRP. NASDAQ) has expanded its car rental services to intercity car rental, covering six cities in east China, which are Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuxi, Suzhou and Kunshan.  
 
The services include pick-up and drop-off, between either airports in two cities, or an airport and another city.

Rental fee varies with different pick-up locations, destinations and car brands.It may take some 100 yuan each for four people to share a car from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport to Suzhou city.

According to Guo Guang, chief inspector for Ctrip's holiday businesses, some customers are satisfied with the company's car rental services because of the convenience, high quality of cars, professional drivers, and the insurance for free.

Guo believes that the car rental services will become popular, thanks to the coming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and World Expo Shanghai 2010.

Source: TradingMarkets.com