“Paradise Suzhou – My family lived in the Garden City”, a cultural activity for the city’s children, took place in January 2019. WHITRAP Suzhou and Suzhou Post Office organized this event, co-sponsored by Suzhou Civilization Office, Suzhou Garden and Greening Administration, and Suzhou Education Bureau. The participants were asked to describe their love for Suzhou gardens and pay tribute to Chinese traditional culture with paintings on postcards. 80.000 students from Suzhou primary schools participated in the competition that strengthened their awareness of the significance of the gardens and developed their interest in heritage conservation.

In February 2019, WHITRAP Suzhou finalized the 2018 Annual Report on the monitoring of the World Heritage Site. The report, requested by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, presents the conservation and monitoring activities carried out in the property in 2018 based on the site indicators and on the cross-referencing of the data collected throughout the year. Yearly Reports are a key tool to improve the management of World Heritage Properties, and are continuously improved to better integrate field data and normative and administrative issues. The 2018 Report was officially submitted to the Central authority in March 2019. Based on scientific and systematic data, the Report provides an essential reference that will favour the further improvement of the protection and management of Suzhou Classical Gardens.