To better present Suzhou to the world and to provide better services to foreign citizens in and outside the city, "Suzhou China" (http://english.suzhou.gov.cn/), the English edition of the Suzhou government portal, was officially launched on Nov 28.

The portal has three primary columns, namely, "overview", "news", and "services", eight secondary columns, including "about the city", "governmental functions", "policies and regulations", "news", "investment", "tourism", "education", and "life", and 50 tertiary columns. Up to 200,000 words, 700-plus images, and 8 videos in total, the original content is provided by the government functionalities involved and translated by professionals.

The portal is intended to become an English-language information hub of the Suzhou Municipal Government and a platform of information services to foreign citizens.

Launched at the same time is the WAP edition, which can be accessed via the smartphone APP of the Chinese edition of the portal. Multi-dimensional, authoritative, and readily accessible, "Suzhou China" will help promote the city's communication with, and its image among, a wider community.