Guanqian Street has long been a place for shopping and window shopping - many of the city's most famous historic snack shops sprung up here to satisfy all those hungry shoppers. At the heart of the street is the grand Daoist Temple of Mystery. The main hall of the temple dates from the Southern Song Dynasty, almost a thousand years ago. The temple is surrounded by a great open courtyard, which once served as a huge bazaar, where vendors and merchants would buy and sell all sorts of goods. Many of the market stalls around the edge of the temple court have recently been restored, and now sell curios and other souvenirs. On Guanqian street itself, most of the stores sell clothing. Even if you are not in the mood of shopping, it is a great place to explore.

Suzhou has always had places to shop - from when it was a medieval market town to the tourist center of today, visitors have always left Suzhou with a few interesting new items in their bags. Suzhou's shopping is concentrated in two areas - Guanqian Street in the center of the city, and the area around Shiquan Lu in the south. Shiquan Lu is a center not only for shopping, but also dining and nightlife. Located near some of the city's more famous gardens and hotels, its many small stores sell interesting traditional products. There are many antique shops selling silk, and stores for traditional style clothing, and art supplies. Its a good place to find some of Suzhou's special products, like fine silk and silk embroidery. Just around the corner, the narrow street which leads to the Master of Nets Garden is a great place to pick up traditional style curios. Small stalls lining the street sell odd items and trinkets made in traditional style. If you roam around you can find cloisonne hairpins, porcelain bowls, ceramic tea sets, fans, and various other traditional curiosities.