Pulling into Suzhou railway station after five days in China, finally I felt that I had found the country I had hoped to see. Lorries, cars and bicycles whizzed past the station building; the air was warm and humid and the atmosphere a little frenzied.

As we drove through the streets I looked out on to wooden-framed buildings housing ramshackle shops, spilling their stock on pavements crowded with parked scooters, padlocked bicycles and small Chinese women ferociously bartering their deals.

There are skyscrapers in Suzhou — in the “new” Suzhou — but these shimmered hazily in the distance, about 20 minutes’ drive from the heart of the old town.

A city that celebrates its history is now a rare find in China. But Suzhou, which dates back 2,500 years and is one of the oldest centres in the Yangtze basin, treasures and maintains its past. The city’s location at the heart of the region’s trade routes meant that for centuries it was an influential and wealthy place.

Rather than vast mansions and impressive architecture, however, it is the city’s stunning gardens that form the monument to its affluent past. These are Suzhou’s biggest draw and have Unesco World Heritage status.

As a gardener myself, I found it fascinating to stroll beneath the willow trees and sit in the ornate pagodas at the Humble Administrator’s Garden, the most famous of the 60 gardens that dot Suzhou. It was built in 1509 for Wang Xianchen, a retired government servant, who allegedly said that he intended to plant simple trees and vegetables as befitted “the life of a humble man”.

Yet, with pavilions that peek through the willow leaves and bear exotic names such as the Hall of the Distant Fragrance, there is nothing humble about the garden now.

There is an elegance to Chinese gardens, with their neat promenades, terraces edged with stiffly upright bamboo, and small bridges cleverly designed to offer the best views across the gaggles of lily-pads to the city’s tallest pagoda. There is none of the cutesy charm of English gardens, all bees and picnics and children tumbling on the grass.

I sat for a while beneath weeping willow branches and felt a sense of calm, despite the large number of people milling around the garden.

I felt the same thing out on the city’s waterways, gliding along one of the canals that make up almost 42 per cent of Suzhou’s territory.

The city is known as the Venice of the East, and the similarities are obvious: oriental gondoliers in straw hats and ramshackle houses that seem to almost melt into the water, each featuring an odd combination of scarlet paper lanterns and more utilitarian washing lines. Many of the houses have back doors with steps to the water and wooden shutters that are left open to catch the breeze.

Although much of the old town’s architecture is simple and low-rise, one building — not far from the Humble Administrator’s Garden — has a sleeker, more modern edge. It is a museum dedicated to, and designed by, one of the city’s most famous sons, I. M. Pei — the architect behind the glass pyramid at the Louvre and the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong.

The white angular building is starkly beautiful and is designed to show not only examples of Pei’s work but also exhibits from Suzhou’s 2,500-year history, including stunning bronzes and traditional jade.

Suzhou is an odd mix; the streets that link the main gardens, and some of those that run down to the canals, have been newly paved and are lined with shops selling tourist souvenirs.

But only one street away, all vestiges of Western culture slip away amid the cluttered houses, children giggling together on doorsteps and stooped elderly women pegging out washing.

The city is often visited by tourists on a day trip from Shanghai, a brief escape from the frenetic pace of China’s most futuristic city. The two lie only 40 minutes apart by train, but in almost every sense they are worlds apart.

As I walked around Shanghai, dwarfed by the sky-piercing towers, I looked in vain there for wooden houses, tranquil gardens or evidence of anything built in the previous millennium; the frenzied development, always upwards, has trampled any concept of heritage or tradition.

Shanghai may be China’s future, but it is the sleepy, shabby streets of Suzhou that I remember most vividly — a rare glimpse of the country’s fascinating, and fast disappearing, past.

Need to know

Getting there Cathay Pacific (020-8834 8888, www.cathaypacific.com) has return flights daily from Heathrow to Shanghai, via Hong Kong, from £399.

Where to stay Shangri-La Suzhou (0800 0283337, www.shangri-la.com) has double rooms from £121, including breakfast.

Where to eat Taijian Lane is a good place to head for traditional Szechuan food. Songhelo Caiguan is the most famous, claiming to date back to the 18th century and the reign of Emperor Qianlong.

Less exalted (and usually less busy) are Deyuelou and Wangsi, which have friendly staff and relatively unscary dishes. The Teahouse (66 Daoqian Street) is a great find, with ancient furniture, old embroidery and traditional silver ornaments.

Where to shop Only an hour from consumer-crazed Shanghai, Suzhou offers a rather different shopping experience. The best buys are traditional embroidery and silks that have been produced in the city for centuries. Head to the Friendship Store (92 Guanqian Jie) or the King Silk Store, next to the Silk Museum (2001 Renmin Road) — duvets and pillows are the best buys. If you are shopping on Shiquan Jie or in the night market on Shi Lu, be prepared to bargain hard.

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