[2025 Suzhou ] Travel Guide for Shishan Cultural Plaza (Updated Jul)

Suzhou Lion Hill Cultural Plaza, formerly known as Suzhou Amusement Park, still retains remnants like the old roller coaster🎢. This area now houses multiple cultural centers including Suzhou Museum, Suzhou Science & Technology Museum, Art Theater, and Industrial Exhibition Hall. Nestled against Lion Hill and encircling Tianhu Lake, it has become a unique eco-tourism destination. Travel Tips: Free admission to Lion Hill Cultural Plaza. The night view is particularly enchanting, with dazzling lights perfectly outlining Lion Hill and the architectural complex, creating a heavenly atmosphere. Dining Recommendations: Gusu Bridge Scholar's Noodle House blends classic Suzhou architecture with local cuisine, inheriting the essence of Suzhou's historical culture. Experience the slow-paced Gusu lifestyle starting with a bowl of authentic Suzhou noodles. Rongzhuang, a countryside-style restaurant under the Xin Rong Ji group, harmoniously combines modern elements with rural culture, offering an elegant and relaxing vacation ambiance. Accommodation Recommendations: Banyan Tree Hotel and its sister property, Banyan Tree's Young Willow Hotel, cater to guests with different needs and preferences.

🌈 With the New Year approaching, Shishan Square is full of festive spirit. The market is bustling with activity, with a wide variety of goods on display. There are steaming delicacies from all over the country, traditional snacks, exquisite handicrafts, and of course, the most popular New Year goods. 🥩 I bought a piece of salted meat with a good fat-to-lean ratio for CNY 40. ⛩ You might even run into the God of Wealth at the market. Shake hands with him for good luck! 🎀 There are calligraphers writing Spring Festival couplets on the square below the steps, attracting a large crowd. The sound of children laughing fills the air, and there is a cute blue and white train. 🕰 Dates: January 18–26 🏠 Address: Western end of Shishan Road 🚄 Transportation: Take Metro Line 1, Line 3, or Tram Line 1, or Bus 2, 33, 51, or Night Bus 3 to Shizishan Station

Shishan Cultural Plaza is located on the site of the former Suzhou Shishan Amusement Park. When foreign theme parks entered China, Shishan Amusement Park was the best in the industry and accompanied the growth of the post-80s and post-90s generations. Due to the overall development plan, after the relocation of Shishan Amusement Park, the lake surface was expanded several times on the basis of the original artificial lake, and a cultural plaza with mountains and water, integrating public culture and science and technology venues, was built, which is a new business card and landmark of Suzhou city. The lake is clear and tranquil, and under the blue sky and white clouds, the lake and mountains are like a fairyland on earth, which is not an exaggeration; to the west of the lake is Lion Mountain, to the south of the lake is Shishan Banyan Tree, which is mainly themed with mountain view and sunset, and perfectly integrated with Lion Mountain; to the east of the lake is Suzhou Museum West Hall and Shishan Grand Theater with glass dome, the West Hall is crowded with visitors after its completion, and Shishan Grand Theater can meet the needs of large-scale symphony, opera, opera, dance drama, musical, drama and other comprehensive performances; to the north of the lake is Suzhou Science and Technology Museum and Industrial Exhibition Hall, the whole building is built by the mountain and water, the shape is like a jade ruyi, one end stretches out to the lake and stops abruptly, just like the whole lake water is pouring out from this building. On one side is the natural beauty, on the other side is the science and technology culture, visitors can enjoy the endless charm. ⛺[Play Tips]: Suzhou Shishan Cultural Plaza, there is a Lion Mountain to climb, the mountain is 100 meters high, you can reach the top of the mountain in half an hour, looking eastward, it is the bustling city scene of Suzhou; there is a kayak project in the artificial lake, you can feel the experience. There are coffee shops and noodle shops at the foot of the mountain. 🛬[Itinerary]: Both Metro Line 1 and Line 3 can reach Suzhou Shishan Cultural Plaza; there are commercial projects such as Nikko Hotel, Suzhou Golden Eagle, and Longhu Shishan Tianjie around. 🧡[Tips]: The design of Suzhou Shishan Cultural Plaza is more user-friendly, it is a complete community, suitable for the elderly, couples, and children to play.

Suzhou Shishan Cultural Square and its surroundings are great places for night tours. Here is a detailed guide to night tours: 1. Light show: The light show at Shishan Cultural Square is the highlight of the night. According to the search results, during the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2024, the Shishan Cultural Square will stage the Shishan Market for three consecutive days, with 1,500 drone performances every night. The drones are decorated in the shape of Kongming lanterns. The creative form and new arrangement will lock the focus of the audience in advance. The drone light show will revolve around the changing shape of "Mid-Autumn Reunion", full of wishes and blessings, shining brightly in the night sky of Shishan, creating an audio-visual feast that showcases the charm of Suzhou's science and technology, culture and art. 2. Suzhou Museum West Building: Suzhou Museum West Building is an important part of Shishan Cultural Plaza. It was designed by GMP of Germany, with a total area of ​​about 48,000 square meters and an exhibition area about four times that of the main museum. The exterior facade and interior walls of the West Hall are made of Portuguese grey stone, which has a natural and unique texture and a solid and stable material, giving the venue a luxurious and elegant appearance. The museum has several exhibition areas, including the General History Exhibition Hall, Suzhou Crafts Hall, and Multimedia Exhibition Hall, which fully display the long history and characteristic crafts of Wu. 3. Shishan Grand Theater: Shishan Grand Theater is a palace of art. It was designed by the world-renowned architectural designer Kazuyo Sejima. It has a 1,380-seat theater and a 500-seat multi-purpose hall. The stage of the Grand Theater adopts the traditional frame-style "品"-shaped design, and the sliding rail-type sound-reflecting cover design enables it to be flexibly converted into a concert hall to meet the needs of various performances. 4. Science and Technology Museum·Industrial Exhibition Hall: Suzhou Science and Technology Museum·Industrial Exhibition Hall is another highlight of Shishan Cultural Square. With a construction area of ​​62,900 square meters, it is dedicated to industrial innovation and incubation. Visitors can experience the charm of science and technology and learn about the latest scientific and technological achievements here. 5. Shishan Park: The Shishan Park project covers an area of ​​800,000 square meters and is planned according to the functional zoning of "one mountain, one lake, one ring and eight districts". It not only preserves the natural beauty of Shizishan Mountain and Tianshi Lake, but also transforms it into a green pearl in the city through ecological restoration and cultural landscape improvement. 6. Transportation Guide: Take Metro Line 1 or Line 3 and get off at Shizishan Station to reach Shizishan Cultural Plaza. Self-driving tourists can navigate to Suzhou Lion Mountain, where there are multiple parking lots to choose from. 7. Other activities: Shishan Market will have special activities on certain festivals such as Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, such as children's poetry competition, traditional Chinese children's sports meeting, as well as open-air movies, Suzhou Pingtan, national orchestral music, Kunqu opera excerpts, etc.

⛩During the National Day holiday, the Lion Mountain Market in Suzhou High-tech Zone opened again. I went there at 8pm and it was so lively that there were auxiliary police and horns to guide people across the road. 🏵There are many sections in this market, including sports, food, cultural and creative, and national trends. There is also a Minion Banana Festival, and even a housing fair. ⛳️The small sports fields at the entrance are crowded with people. Adults and children are laughing and exercising. There are all kinds of stalls along the way, and suddenly I heard singing. There was a concert on the basement floor. ⛰Even Lion Mountain is busy, emitting colorful lights to attract everyone to watch a mountain laser show. 🏠Location: Lion Mountain Cultural Square 🚄Transportation: Take Subway Line 1 or Line 3 and get off at Lion Mountain Station

The Lion Mountain Park has been expanded into a large Lion Mountain Cultural Square, with a circular walkway about 5 miles long and approximately 800 meters in diameter, embracing the precious natural attractions of Suzhou city center Lion Mountain and Tian Shi Lake in its arms, connecting various scenic spots at the foot of Lion Mountain. After walking a full circle, I'm almost out of breath! But you can also take a boat tour. The lake and mountains, are still very pleasant. Old Suzhou residents have deep affection for Lion Mountain. From the mountain to the amusement park and back to the mountain, Lion Mountain has witnessed the prosperous changes of Suzhou. Nowadays, a roller coaster is preserved, and from the opposite shore, it looks like a heart that lights up at night, very romantic!