Suzhou (;
Mandarin: ;
Suzhou Wu: ),
formerly romanized as
Soochow, is a major city located in southeastern
Jiangsu Province of
East China, about northwest of
Shanghai. It is a major economic centre and focal point of trade and commerce, and the second largest city in the province after its capital
Nanjing. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the
Yangtze River and the shores of
Lake Tai and belongs to the
Yangtze River Delta region. Administratively, Suzhou is a
prefecture-level city with a population of 4.33 million in its city proper, and a total resident population (as of 2013) of 10.58 million in its administrative area. Its urban population grew at an unprecedented rate of 6.5 etween 2000 and 2014, which is the highest among cities with more than 5 million people.
