68-year-old American turns passion for Suzhou into words
(english.jsjyt.edu.cn) Updated：2019-11-19
Beautiful Su by Stephen Koss explores the social and cultural history of Suzhou, China. [Photo/jschina.com.cn]
68-year-old American Stephen Koss is a known China buff and author of Beautiful Su, the first English book to explore Suzhou, its people, and the important role it plays in China.
Suzhou captured Koss's heart during his first visit to the city in 2001. He soon after decided to take up residence in the city.
His eagerness to explore Suzhou's culture was motivated by a lack of English material on the subject.
Koss interviewed countless locals and referenced over 500 professional documents in his book Beautiful Su, which takes readers on a journey that spans from Suzhou's role as a major cultural and trading center in ancient times to its present-day rebirth as a rapidly expanding center of high-tech, pharmaceuticals, and textile manufacturing.
The book includes many local historical and cultural anecdotes and mini-biographies on people such as Wu Taibo, founder of the State of Wu, and other notable figures from the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC).
"The author's passion for Suzhou, both ancient and modern, resonates on every page," said a reader named Linda Johnson.
In addition to writing books, Koss, along with his wife, also offers voluntary tour guide services to foreign visitors to Suzhou.
"We get little in the way of financial compensation, but our love for Suzhou pushes us forward," Koss said.
