About Suzhou Scene

Suzhou Scene was created by people who live here, know the city and believe finding what you need in Suzhou should be much easier than it is.

After more than 20 years here, we've watched Suzhou change enormously. There are always new places to discover, things to do and services to find — but unless you already know where to look, some of the best can be surprisingly difficult to find.

Over the years, we've heard countless people say that Suzhou needs a good English-language website for discovering what's here. If we had 10 RMB for every time we'd heard it, we'd be rich by now.

Information is scattered across apps, social media groups and other platforms. Recommendations disappear into chat histories, search results can be incomplete or out of date, and reliable information in English isn't always easy to find.

That's why we built Suzhou Scene: one easy place to discover restaurants and bars, events and things to do, sports clubs, schools, English-speaking healthcare, local services and more.

We research and curate Suzhou Scene locally, drawing on years of experience and knowledge of the city. We're not here to tell you how to experience Suzhou — just to make it easier to discover what's here and make your own choices.

And we're just getting started, with more places, services, activities, articles and local guides still to come.

Because after more than two decades here, one thing we know for certain is that there's much more to Suzhou than the gardens.

What Do We Include?

Suzhou Scene isn't trying to list every business in Suzhou. We focus on places, services, activities and organisations that we think will be useful or interesting to Suzhou's international community — both expats and internationally minded Chinese.

Not everything has to be specifically aimed at expats. If we think it's something Suzhou's international community would be interested in knowing about, it belongs on our radar.

For now, our restaurant listings focus on international dining rather than Chinese restaurants.

Being Listed Doesn't Mean We're Recommending It

There are a lot of places and businesses in Suzhou, and we haven't personally tried or experienced everything listed on Suzhou Scene — and realistically, we never will.

A listing means we believe somewhere could be useful or interesting to our users. It doesn't necessarily mean we've personally visited it or can vouch for it.

That's where the Suzhou Scene Seal of Approval comes in.

The Suzhou Scene Seal of Approval

The Suzhou Scene Seal of Approval is awarded to places that have earned a genuine recommendation from us or from members of a trusted panel of people who know their field.

The Seal can't be bought, and a business doesn't need to be a paying customer to receive one.

If you see the Seal on a listing, it means somebody we trust is prepared to give that place a genuine thumbs up.

Not having the Seal doesn't mean we think a place is bad or that we wouldn't recommend it. In most cases, it simply means we haven't had the opportunity to assess it yet.

What Does Featured Mean?

Suzhou Scene is supported in part by businesses that choose to upgrade their listings or pay for additional promotion.

Featured venues receive greater visibility across Suzhou Scene and may be included in relevant articles, guides and other editorial content. Whenever a venue is included because it is Featured, we'll make that clear.

Being Featured doesn't mean that Suzhou Scene recommends the venue and doesn't automatically qualify it for the Seal of Approval.

Suzhou is always changing. New places open, old favourites move, events appear at short notice and interesting things can be hidden away where you'd never find them unless somebody told you about them.

We can't find everything ourselves, so if you know something we should know about, tell us.

Know Somewhere We're Missing?

If you know a restaurant, bar, café, club, activity, service or other place that you think belongs on Suzhou Scene, let us know.

Know About an Event?

If there's an event happening in Suzhou that isn't on our What's On listings, send us the details.

From live music and festivals to community events, sports, markets, exhibitions and family activities, we want to make it easier to find out what's happening around the city.

Think Somewhere Deserves Our Seal of Approval?

Know somewhere that deserves a Suzhou Scene thumbs up? Tell us about it.

It might be a place that's already listed on Suzhou Scene but hasn't yet received the Seal, or somewhere we haven't discovered yet. Either way, tell us where it is and what makes it stand out.

We'll check it out and, if we agree, it could earn the Suzhou Scene Seal of Approval.

Whether your business is already listed, you'd like greater visibility or you want to advertise with Suzhou Scene, we'd be happy to hear from you.

Something Wrong With Your Listing?

Opening hours change. Phone numbers change. Businesses move. And sometimes we simply get something wrong.

If you notice incorrect or outdated information on your listing, let us know and we'll take a look.

Want to Upgrade Your Listing?

Businesses can upgrade their listings to include more information and gain additional visibility across Suzhou Scene.

If you'd like to find out about our listing options or Featured placement, get in touch and we'll explain the options available.

Advertise With Suzhou Scene

Suzhou Scene offers advertising and promotional opportunities for businesses that want to reach the city's international community.

Tell us what you'd like to promote and we can discuss the options that would work best.