Suzhou - China 1988

See all the photos in this series at Picasa.

At the end of our trip to China in the summer of 1988, my two friends and I took the train from Nanjing back to Shanghai. We made a stop in Suzhou for the afternoon to visit some of the gardens in the city known as the Venice of the East. Although we didn't have time for an extensive tour, we were able to marvel at the beauty of Shizhilin Garden and Xiyuan Garden.

When we finally reached Shanghai that night, we were tired but satisfied. Our two-week trip had put us in touch with a country in transition between the repression of the Cultural Revolution and the challenges of a market economy.

For a current view of China, take a look the blog of Eric Demay. Eric is a Montreal photographer who just spent two months traveling in China. His photographs and comments provide an interesting contrast with my view of China of 20 years ago.