The Shangfangshan Forest Animal World in Suzhou was formerly known as the Suzhou Zoo. It was established on May 1, 1954 and is located at the eastern end of Baita East Road in the ancient city. On April 11, 2016, the Suzhou Zoo closed and relocated. It was relocated to the southern foot of Shangfang Mountain on Wuyue Road on the west bank of Shihu Lake. It was officially opened to the public on October 1, 2016. The planned area is about 67 hectares, the total building area is 24,372.5 square meters, and the land area is 24,042.5 square meters. Surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing Shihu Lake in the east, the new park has an excellent natural ecological environment and is an ideal habitat for the relocation and protection of wild animals. It is a zoo in the Suzhou area that integrates wild animal protection and breeding, animal scientific research, popular science education, ecological tours and leisure and entertainment. Guided by the habitats of animals and plants, ecological cultivation is carried out according to local conditions. Corresponding types of ecological sections have been established for animals with different habits, forming eight animal exhibition areas that simulate the distribution of natural animal habitats – Herbivore Area 1, Herbivore Area 2, Primate Area, Predator Area, Bird and Poultry Area 1, Bird and Poultry Area 2, Amphibian and Reptile Area, and South China Tiger Base. The park houses more than 100 kinds of animals such as the Chinese soft-shelled turtle, Asian elephant, South China tiger, golden snub-nosed monkey, Siberian tiger, white tiger, black bear, African lion, giraffe, and hornbill, with a total of more than 1,000 animals. Herbivore Area 1 is located in the middle of the Shangfangshan Forest Animal World. It is currently composed of 9 groups of cages including the elephant house, giraffe house, zebra stadium, and elk exhibition area. The cage area is about 2,200 square meters. Nine kinds of animals such as Asian elephants, giraffes, elk, zebras, and kangaroos are raised and exhibited. Representative animal in this area: Asian elephant. Herbivore Area 2 is located in the western part of the Shangfangshan Forest Animal World. It is currently composed of 4 groups of cages including the sika deer exhibition area, fallow deer exhibition area, and argali stadium. The cage area is about 270 square meters. Four kinds of animals such as sika deer, fallow deer, and argali are raised and exhibited. Representative animal in this area: fallow deer. The Primate Area is located in the southwest area of the Shangfangshan Forest Animal World. It is currently composed of 12 groups of cages including Monkey Island. The cage area is about 700 square meters. Fifteen kinds of animals such as golden snub-nosed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, squirrel monkeys, and ring-tailed lemurs are raised and exhibited. Representative animal in this area: golden snub-nosed monkey. The Predator Area is located in the northern part of the Shangfangshan Forest Animal World. It is currently composed of 11 groups of cages including the South China tiger exhibition area, Siberian tiger exhibition area, and white tiger exhibition area. The cage area is about 4,700 square meters. Eleven kinds of animals such as South China tigers, Siberian tigers, white tigers, African lions, and black leopards are raised and exhibited. Representative animal in this area: South China tiger. Bird and Poultry Area 1 is located in the southeast area of the Shangfangshan Forest Animal World. It is currently composed of a large wading bird area, pheasant exhibition area, and parrot house. The cage area is about 700 square meters. More than 50 kinds of animals such as oriental white storks, red-crowned cranes, demoiselle cranes, flamingos, and macaws are raised and exhibited.
The representative animals in this area: flamingos. The second area for birds is located in the northeast corner of Shangfangshan Forest Animal World. It is currently composed of four sets of cages including the vulture exhibition area, the hornbill pavilion, and the toucan pavilion. The cage area is about 644 square meters. Five kinds of animals such as hornbills, vultures, and toucans are raised and exhibited. The representative animal in this area: hornbill. The amphibian and reptile area is located in the central area of Shangfangshan Forest Animal World. It is currently composed of the turtle pond, the Chinese alligator exhibition area, etc. The area is about 481 square meters. Animals such as turtles, Chinese alligators, Burmese pythons, red-tailed boas, Pan’s box turtles, and radiated tortoises are raised and exhibited. The representative animal in this area: turtle. The South China tiger is one of the world’s top ten endangered species. Suzhou Zoo is listed as ‘Suzhou Breeding Base for South China Tigers in China’. It is one of the earliest professional institutions in China dedicated to the protection and research of South China tiger bases. It undertakes important tasks of South China tiger breeding research and popular science education. In order to create a better living environment for South China tigers, combined with the construction of the lakeside area of Shihu Scenic Area, the municipal government started the relocation project of the Suzhou South China Tiger Breeding Base in 2010 and relocated the base to the mountain col of Shangfangshan in Shihu Scenic Area, Suzhou. The new base was completed and put into use in June 2013. It covers a total area of 70 mu, and the cage area is about 3100 square meters. There is an outdoor activity space in front of each cage.模仿其野外栖息地环境特点，The activity space is decorated with rich contents, achieving the unity of ornamental value and practicality. Shangfangshan Forest Animal World not only brings visual enjoyment to tourists, but also pays attention to the sense of experience and provides tourists with complete supporting services. The Habitat Pavilion has a construction area of about 2500 square meters. It is an ecological, environmentally friendly and popular science education habitat exhibition hall suitable for parent-child tours. The main exhibition area of the whole hall is divided into multiple natural ecological areas such as tropical rainforests, swamp wetlands, seaside world, grassland world, vast deserts, high mountains and plateaus, colorful oceans, and polar regions in the north and south. It uses modern audio-visual and electronic means such as simulated environments, video projections, 360 phantom imaging, and immersive cinemas to make people seem to be in a colorful plant kingdom and animal paradise. In addition, the children’s interactive area in the Habitat Pavilion has many different interactive mini-games, so that children can feel the mystery of science in the process of hands-on operation and start children’s curiosity and exploration of science and technology. The cute pet garden provides children with the opportunity to have close contact with small animals. There are gentle and lovely goats, alpacas, sika deer, ponies, cattle, peacocks, rabbits, Call ducks, marmots, pot-bellied pigs, porcupines, etc. Sightseeing cruise ships allow tourists to leisurely swim on the clear river and closely observe the living space of various precious waterfowls. Viewing the colorful forest animal world on the water brings tourists a unique viewing experience.
The amusement park has a rich variety of entertainment facilities, including pirate ships, carousels, and trapeze artists, creating a children’s amusement kingdom. Let children fully enjoy their innocence and童趣 while watching animals. In addition, there are also commercial supporting facilities such as lakeside restaurants and comprehensive shopping stores in the park, supplying fast food, various hot and cold drinks, tourist souvenirs, snacks, etc. Sightseeing tour buses are opened. Along the main road, there is an electric sightseeing bus tour route with a total length of 3 kilometers and a total of 9 stops. Unlimited rides are available on the same day, and passengers can get on and off freely at park stops. This allows tourists to easily enjoy the entire animal world and also appreciate the animals in the park at their own pace. There is also a large underground parking lot with about 900 parking spaces and an area of about 24,000 square meters. Shangfangshan Forest Animal World fully embodies the concept of ‘people-oriented, coexisting with nature’, strengthening natural beauty and highlighting cultural connotations, and striving to create an ecological park tour system integrating ornamental, entertaining, and educational functions. Opening hours: Open all year round from 08:30 to 17:00. Preferential policies: Children: Children under 1.4 meters (inclusive) in height can enter the park for free when accompanied by adults. Children under 6 years old (inclusive) can enter the park for free with valid certificates when accompanied by adults. Free. Minors aged 6 years old (excluding) to 18 years old (inclusive) enjoy half-price tickets. Elderly: Elderly people aged 60 years old (inclusive) and above in Jiangsu Province can enter the park for free with valid identity cards and other valid certificates. Elderly people aged 70 years old (inclusive) and above can enter the park for free with the ‘Senior Citizen Card’ or resident identity card. Free. Elderly people aged 60 years old (inclusive) to 70 years old (excluding) outside Jiangsu Province can enjoy half-price tickets with valid identity cards and other valid certificates. Half-price. Students: Full-time undergraduate and below students can enjoy half-price tickets with valid resident identity cards or student ID cards and other valid certificates. Half-price. Military personnel: Active-duty military personnel can enter the park for free with military ID cards. Revolutionary disabled military personnel can enter the park for free with disabled military personnel ID cards (military ID cards include officer ID cards, armed police officer ID cards, soldier ID cards, military student ID cards, military civilian cadre ID cards, etc.). Free. Disabled people: Disabled people can enter the park for free with the ‘Disability Certificate’. For severely disabled people who need accompanying care, one accompanying person (with valid identity documents) can accompany them into the park for free. Free. Preferential objects: Preferential objects with the ‘Preferential Certificate for Veterans of the People’s Republic of China’ and the ‘Preferential Certificate for Relatives of Martyrs, Military Personnel Who Died on Duty, and Military Personnel Who Died of Illnesses of the People’s Republic of China’ (except for attractions within the park, park charges, and night tour projects) are free. Suzhou medical staff: From the day of International Nurses Day on May 12 and Chinese Physician’s Day on August 19 every year, within 7 days (from May 12 to 18 and from August 19 to 25), Suzhou medical staff can visit scenic spots for free.
Medical staff in Suzhou are required to present their ‘Personal ID’ along with the ‘Free Garden Card for Suzhou Medical Staff (Electronic Card)’ to enter the scenic area without prior reservation and enjoy free admission to the first gate fee.
Free for retired military personnel: By presenting a retirement certificate, enjoy free access to service facilities. Parking lot: [Zoo Parking Lot] Reference price: 5 yuan for two hours, 10 yuan for four hours, 15 yuan for six hours, with a cap at 15 yuan; Address: Opposite the main entrance of the zoo; Capacity: 1000.
WIFI: Account: DCN_VAP_2G; Password: No password required; Coverage: Throughout the scenic area’s visitor service center.
Mobile phone charging: The scenic area’s visitor center and habitat pavilion offer mobile power bank rental services.
Luggage storage: Reference price: Free.
Transportation within the park: Reference price: 30 yuan per person.
Restrooms: Restrooms are located within the scenic area, near the sightseeing ticket office, near the bird and poultry area, and near the predator area, all marked with prominent signs.
Convenience stores: There are several convenience stores within the scenic area, located near the main entrance, the boat dock, and near the elephant pavilion, accepting WeChat/Alipay payments.
Shangfangshan Forest Animal World
The Shangfangshan Forest Animal World in Suzhou was formerly known as the Suzhou Zoo. It was establi[...]
