Mayor of Suzhou: Yan Li ( 阎 立 )
Vice Mayor of Suzhou: Wang Guoxing ( 汪国兴 )
Vice Mayor of Suzhou: Zhou Weiqiang ( 周伟强 )
Vice Mayor of Suzhou: Zhu Yongxin ( 朱永新 )
Vice Mayor of Suzhou: Jiang Hao ( 江 浩 )
Vice Mayor of Suzhou: Zhao Junsheng ( 赵俊生 )
Vice Mayor of Suzhou: Tan Ying ( 谭 颖 )
Vice Mayor of Suzhou: Zhu Jiansheng ( 朱建胜 )

EMAIL: Mayor Email Box
Tel: (86)512-68626560
Website: http://www.Suzhou.gov.cn
Address: No. 389, Sanxiang Road, Suzhou City, Jiangsu 215000 P. R. China

Departments of Suzhou ( 苏州市政府部门 )

Suzhou People's Government Office Department ( 苏州市政府办公厅 ) :
a work unit in charge of daily work of the Suzhou government

Suzhou Development and Reform Commission ( 苏州市发展和改革委员会 ) :
a comprehensive economic regulating and controlling department in charge of researching and proposing the national economic and social development strategy, plan, overall balance, structural adjustment regulation and control aim and policy of the city

Suzhou Economic and Trade Commission ( 苏州市经贸委员会 ) :
a comprehensive economic regulating and controlling department in charge of adjusting the city's national economic operation

Suzhou Education Department ( 苏州市教育厅 ) :
in charge of the education and language work of the city

Suzhou Sci-tech Department ( 苏州市科技厅 ) :
in charge of the sci-tech work of the city

Suzhou Public Security Department ( 苏州市公安厅 ) :
responsible for keeping social environment peace and stable, striking against crime, etc.

Suzhou Waveless Administration Department ( 苏州市无线电管理局 ) :
in charge of policies concerning waveless communication

Suzhou Civil Affairs Department ( 苏州市民政厅 ) :
in charge of the social administrative affairs of the city

Suzhou National Tax Administration ( 苏州市国家税务局 ) :
in charge of national tax collecion of Suzhou

Suzhou Judiciary Department ( 苏州市司法厅 ) :
in charge of the judiciary administrative work of the city

Suzhou Financial Department ( 苏州市财政厅 ) :
a comprehensive economic regulating and controlling department in charge of financial revenue and expenditure, financial and tax policy, state-owned capital basis work

Suzhou Human Resources Department ( 苏州市人事厅 ) :
in charge of the human resources work and promotion of personnel system reform work of the city

Suzhou Quarantine Office ( 苏州市出入境检验检疫局 ) :
in charge of Hygiene Inspection, Quarantine etc. in foreign trade transaction

Suzhou Labor and Social Securities Department ( 苏州市劳动和社会保障厅 ) :
in charge of the labor and social securities administrative affairs of the city

Suzhou State Land and Resources Department ( 苏州市国土资源厅 ) :
in charge of the planning, management, protection and reasonable utilization of the land resources, mineral resources, etc. of the city

Suzhou Construction Department ( 苏州市建设厅 ) :
in charge of the construction administrative management work of the city

Suzhou Communications Department ( 苏州市交通厅 ) :
in charge of the communications of highway, waterway and local railway

Suzhou Information Industry Department ( 苏州市信息产业厅 ) :
in charge of the IT product manufacture, information network industry and software industry, promotion of information utilization in national economy and social service of the city

Suzhou Agricultural Department ( 苏州市农业厅 ) :
in charge of agriculture and rural economic development, organizing, leading, coordinating of agriculture, rural work of the city; responsible for forestry protection and planting

Suzhou Forestry Department ( 苏州市林业厅 ) :
responsible for forestry protection and planting

Suzhou Price Department ( 苏州市物价局 ) :
responsible for pricing merchandise in Suzhou markets

Suzhou Water Conservancy Department ( 苏州市水利厅 ) :
in charge of the water administrative work of the city

Suzhou Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Department ( 苏州市对外贸易经济合作厅 ) :
in charge of the foreign trade and economic work of the city

Suzhou Culture Department ( 苏州市文化厅 ) :
in charge of the cultural and artistic work of the city

Suzhou Hygiene Department ( 苏州市卫生厅 ) :
in charge of the hygiene work of the city

Suzhou Family Planning Commission ( 苏州市计划生育委员会 ) :
in charge of the family planning work of the city

Suzhou Supervision Department ( 苏州市监察厅 ) :
in charge of the Supervision work of the city

Suzhou Audit Department ( 苏州市审计厅 ) :
in charge of the audit work of the city

Institutions Directly Under the Suzhou Government

Suzhou Local Tax Administration ( 苏州市地方税务局 ) :
in charge of the local tax collection work of the city

Suzhou Environmental Protection Bureau ( 苏州市环境保护厅 ) :
in charge of the environmental protection work of the city

Suzhou Broadcast, Film and TV Bureau ( 苏州市广播电视局 ) :
in charge of the broadcast, film and TV work of the city

Suzhou Sports Bureau ( 苏州市体育局 ) :
in charge of the sports work of the city

Suzhou Industrial and Commercial Administrative Management Bureau ( 苏州市工商行政管理局 ) :
in charge of the market supervision and administrative regulation enforcement of the city

Suzhou News and Press Bureau ( 苏州市新闻出版局 ) :
in charge of the news, press, publication, and copyright management work of the city

Suzhou Quality and Technology Supervision Bureau ( 苏州市质量技术监督局 ) :
in charge of the government management standardization, metrology, and quality work, and carrying out regulation enforcement and supervision function

Suzhou Tourism Bureau ( 苏州市旅游局 ) :
in charge of the tourism of the city

Suzhou Prison Administration Bureau ( 苏州市监狱管理局 ) :
administrative organ of all prisons in Suzhou, as the leader organization for all prisoners schools, police officers' schools and prisons entities

Suzhou Grain Bureau ( 苏州市粮食局 ) :
in charge of the grain work of the city

Suzhou People's Government Foreign Affairs Office ( 苏州市政府外事办公室 ) :
in charge of the city's foreign affairs and affairs concerning overseas Chinese

Suzhou Sea and Fishing Office ( 苏州市海洋与渔业局 ) :
in charge of Sea area in Suzhou's territories, controlling fishing, generating fishing policies, etc.

During the reign of Emperor Zhengde, between 1506 and 1521, the site of what is now the Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou was occupied by a temple. But it was appropriated by a tax collector called Wang Xianchen who turned it into his private villa, complete with garden.

The house and garden then changed hands repeatedly during the next few centuries, with alterations and additions made to the garden, so what remains today is an amalgam built around the core of the early 16th-century garden. The site was originally a swamp and when Wang Xianchen first constructed the garden he used the water to create lakes, making islands with the spoil.

The garden was the same size as it is today but simpler, although containing pavilions and trees as well as the carefully contrived water and stones.

In the latter stages of the Ming dynasty (1368-1650), about 100 years after the garden was built, it was divided into three sections with the western and central parts becoming the villas of government officials. However, when the Ming dynasty was replaced by the Qing dynasty, the garden was repaired and modified, especially in the early years of the 18th century.

About 70 years later, under Emperor Qianlong, it was divided into two parts: the western end becoming Shu Youan, the Book of Study Gardens, and the eastern becoming Fu Yuan, the Restored Garden. What the modern visitor sees is essentially this late Qing stage of the garden, although it was not until 1949 that the eastern portion was joined to the centre.

The buildings are all original but have been, and still are being, heavily restored. We arrived at 6am on a very grey, cold day, just as the darkness became a struggling half-light.

The scenic city of Suzhou in east China's Jiangsu Province has imposed a quarrying ban to maintain its image as an idyllic place.

Granite stones quarried in Suzhou are so well-known throughout the country for their fine quality that they were used to build the Memorial Hall of Mao Zedong and the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tian'anmen Square.

It is estimated that four million tons of stone are quarried each year bringing over seven million yuan of profit, enough to make the local towns prosperous.

However, local authorities found that the loud noises and dust from the quarries do not suit Suzhou's image as a paradise on earth.

To compensate local workers for their losses, the government has allocated 365 million yuan to help them develop agriculture, such as planting of flowers and fruit trees, and freshwater aquiculture.