Life in (Suzhou) China

On this page I am going to try and post as much information and as many links as I can to what makes life in Suzhou possible (and most days enjoyable).  When new families are getting ready to move here, I get many of the same questions.  I hope to put much of that information here, where it is available to anyone!

(***Our family lived in Suzhou from 2011-2015.  This page has not been updated since the spring of 2015, but some of the information may still be helpful.)


Expatriate Group

         This is a great resource for expats.  All EAS members receive a set of taxi cards     
       (English and Chinese business cards for many of the businesses in town).

Meal planning & recipes specific to China:

Market to Meal  http://www.market2meal.com/

Fast Food & Food Delivery:

  • For 10 RMB (about $1.50) you can place an online order for many restaurants around town and the food will be delivered directly to your front door in about 45 minutes.  The website is in English and the customer service representatives speak good English.  The service is available in Suzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing and they will deliver to hotel rooms (we've used it when traveling).  Look for the delivery men in the orange & black uniforms on e-bike around town!

Imported Foods:
Summit (on Singa Plaza, Suzhou), Enjoy Incity (at Horizon apartment compound, Link City Mall and other locations), Eurofoods

City Shop (Shanghai) http://www.cityshop.com.cn/

  • Imported Western foods, bakery, deli, etc.  Delivers to Suzhou on Wednesdays for free for orders over 200RMB.  Must place order by 5pm on Tuesday for Wednesday delivery.
Fields (Shanghai) http://www.fieldschina.com/
  • Imported Western foods, bakery, deli, etc. including organic foods.  Delivers to Suzhou on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday.  Free delivery for orders over 200RMB (for less than 200RMB, a 50RMB delivery fee).  
Nick's (Shanghai) http://nickswine.ocnk.net/
  • Australian meat and wine.  Free delivery for orders over 300RMB.  Deliveries made on Mondays to Saturday.  Place an order before 3pm for next day delivery after 2pm.
Kate & Kimi (Shanghai) http://kateandkimi.com

  • Online grocery store in Shanghai.  They are able to deliver bakery items from Shanghai (we love the English muffins from Bastians).

Shopping online:

Taobao  www.taobao.com

  • Similar to eBay in the US.  A great place to order anything and everything and have it sent to your home or apartment.  It is all in Chinese, so a Chinese friend, Google chrome (for translation), or following Taobao Fieldguide (which you'll find here) is a must.
Amazon  www.amazon.cn
  • Same service as the U.S., delivered right to your door
  • English-speaking assistance for ordering on Taobao.

International Schools:

Dulwich College Suzhou (British international school)  http://www.dulwich-suzhou.cn/

Suzhou Singapore International School (SSIS)  http://www.ssis-suzhou.net/

Suzhou Foreign Language School

Newton International School  http://www.internewton.com/

Casa Dei Bambini

In the US I would go here, but I don't know where to go in China...

  • Lowe's/Menard's/Home Depot = B & Q
  • Walmart = Auchan (although there is Walmart in China, but tends to be more expensive)
  • MC Sports = Decatholon
  • Michael's/Hobby Lobby for baking supplies = Love's (Suzhou), behind Summit
  • Sam's Club = Metro (you can apply for their membership card-bring your passport and a business card for the family member that is employed in China, or shrug your shoulders at the people at the desk and use gesture for a small piece of paper and the workers will give you a single-day slip to check out!).  Now there is an actual Sam's Club in Suzhou.  You can find it at the Link City Mall.
  • If you're looking for Cold Stone, Starbucks, Gap or Ikea, you can find all of those in Suzhou  or within a short drive.


6 comments:

  1. THANK YOU for the wonderful information about living in Suzhou. My husband and I are relocating there next month, and I've been "blog stalking" for information too. HA Your blog has been by far the most helpful. I also read a few of your posts about adoption. You are brave for letting people inside your heart and family. In doing so, I know that you will be helping other parents on the adoption journey. My friends were part of a movie about adoption called "STUCK". If you ever get the chance to watch it, I think you might find it interesting. Good luck to you and thanks again!

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  2. Thank you for the great info on ex pat life in Suzhou.may be coming soon.

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    1. Hi Maggie - Just saw your comment. If you come and have any questions, please let me know!

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  3. Great read! Do you know if these stores are nationwide or Suzhou specific? Thanks!😄

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    1. Hello Tracy! Sherpa's food delivery is located in Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou. For import food stores, these stores are located in Suzhou: Summit (on Singa Plaza, Suzhou), Enjoy Incity (at Horizon apartment compound, Link City Mall and other locations), Eurofoods. The other ones listed are based out of Shanghai, but deliver to other cities in Jiangsu Province on certain days. TaoBao and Amazon China deliver nation-wide. I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions!

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  4. Great read! Do you know if these stores are nationwide or Suzhou specific? Thanks!😄

    ReplyDelete