Two Suzhou parks win top honors at 'Oscars of the park world'

Two parks in Suzhou have won honors at the 2026 World Urban Parks (WUP) Awards: Suzhou Park received the Neighborhood Park Award and Shishan Park won the Outstanding New Park Project Award. The awards mark the first time a park in Jiangsu Province has received a WUP honor. Suzhou was also the only city in the province recognized in this year's competition.

The WUP Awards recognize organizations, projects and individuals that have made outstanding contributions to urban parks and green spaces. The awards are often dubbed the "Oscars of the park world." The Neighborhood Park Award focuses on accessibility, neighborhood services and public participation, while the Outstanding New Park Project Award recognizes newly built parks that set benchmarks in design, ecological restoration, community empowerment and management.

Located in the heart of Suzhou's ancient city area, Suzhou Park covers just 4.63 hectares but receives around three million visits per year. It opened in 1927, making it Suzhou's earliest modern urban park. In 2023, the park underwent a "boundary-free" renovation. Some 227 meters of fencing was removed and nine new entrances were added along surrounding streets, making the park accessible around the clock. It has retained a neighborhood-friendly teahouse and a retro amusement park, and hosts free pingtan performances, plant education activities and other public programs on a regular basis.

With an area of approximately 80 hectares, Shishan Park is situated at the center of Shishan Culture Square and is regarded as a model of urban renewal and ecological restoration in Suzhou. Built around Shishan Mountain and Tianshi Lake, the park has witnessed systematic restoration of the mountain and water environment, as well as repairs to cliff carvings. It connects three cultural landmarks in the area — Suzhou Museum West, Shishan Grand Theatre and Suzhou Science and Technology Museum. Along with such facilities as loop trails and fitness tracks, the park can meet diverse needs of the public for exercise, leisure, family activities and cultural experiences. It receives about 3.6 million visits annually.