Eslite Bookstore
Opened in 2015 as Taiwan's Eslite's first flagship store in mainland China
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- 10:00-22:00
- Ticket
- Free
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
Opened in 2015 as Taiwan's Eslite's first flagship store in mainland China. Opened in 2015, this first mainland flagship of Taiwan's Eslite spans 30,000 square meters, blending books, exhibitions, crafts and dining — the largest Eslite outpost on the mainland. The bookstore's shelves weave like a maze, and its range of Taiwan-published and design titles is second to none among mainland bookstores; the cultural-creative floors gather Taiwanese handcraft brands and design goods, and the store's own "Eslite Selection" has become a popular souvenir. The lakeside stepped reading area looks straight out over Jinji Lake, and the "reading + lake view + coffee" combo makes it a must-visit for arts-minded travelers to Suzhou; the lake-view reading corner under the night lights is especially photogenic — the store closes at 22:00, so slot it into a Jinji Lake night itinerary.
Getting there: Moonlight Wharf
Photos
More in Suzhou
- Humble Administrator's Garden
Built in the fourth year of the Ming Zhengde reign (1509) by Wang Xianchen, with Wen Zhengming participating in the design, the 'Mother of Chinese Gardens' (a representative Jiangnan garden): Hall of Distant Fragrance / Little Flying Rainbow (Suzhou's only covered bridge) / 'With Whom Shall I Sit' Pavilion
- Suzhou Museum (Main Building)
I.M. Pei's final masterpiece (opened 2006), 'Chinese yet new, Suzhou yet new'; the sliced-rock hillside borrows the white wall of the Humble Administrator's Garden as its backdrop
- Lion Grove Garden
Built in 1342 (2nd year of the Yuan Zhizheng era) by Zen Master Tianru (Lion Grove Chan Temple); a labyrinth of Taihu Lake rockeries ('kingdom of rockeries', nine interweaving routes); Emperor Qianlong visited six times and inscribed 'True Delight'
- Lingering Garden
Xu Taishi built the East Garden in the Ming Wanli era; Liu Shu's Hanbi (Cold Green) Villa in the Qing dynasty
- Master of the Nets Garden
Site of Southern Song Shi Zhengzhi's Wanjuan Hall ('Fisherman's Retreat'); rebuilt in the Qianlong era of the Qing by Song Zongyuan as the 'Master of the Nets' (fisherman, his self-styled name)
- Canglang Pavilion
Built in 1045 (5th year of the Northern Song Qingli era) by Su Shunqin, Suzhou's oldest surviving garden ('scenery before you enter the gate' — double corridor with lattice windows); the famous couplet 'A clear breeze and bright moon are priceless' (assembled from lines by Ouyang Xiu and Su Shunqin)