Soochoo

Soochoo, or SUCHAU, previous to the Taiping rebellion one of the largest cities in China, is situated on the Imperial Canal, 50 miles WNW. of Shanghai, in the province of Kiang-su. It stands on numerous islands separated by canals, and since 1896 has been accessible as a treaty-port. The city walls have a circuit of 10 miles. Soochoo has for generations been a noted centre of the silk manufacture and of the printing of cheap Chinese classics. It was captured by the Taipings, but recovered by 'Chinese' Gordon in 1863, on which occasion the city with its many handsome buildings was almost wholly destroyed. Pop. 500,000.