There are various restaurants around the campus, from low-to-medium budget dining options including McDonald, KFC, Subway, and many Asian fast-food restaurants, to decent French restaurants, cafeterias, teahouses, pizzerias where you can have a leisure time once in a while. Vegetarian restaurants and Muslim restaurants can be easily found in Suzhou. The university's canteen also serves Halal food.

Suzhou has a long history of its distinct local cuisine-Huaiyang cuisine, one of the eight major cuisine styles in China, featuring the hairy crab and the 'squirrel' fish. Huaiyang cuisine tastes pretty sour and sweet, which caters for the majority of foreigners' tastes.

China as a whole is one of the safest countries in the world to live, work and study. Suzhou locals are rather more open and more friendly to foreigners from all over the world thanks to its high internalization. Therefore, Having a drink with friends at night is more than an enjoyable thing after a day of working.

Suzhou has a host of pubs and bars. In Suzhou Industrial Park, Li Gong Di '1912' area locates several bars including the Ollie's, Jenny's and Goodfellas, which all feature daily happy hour deals and live music. The Blue Marlin nearby is also very popular. Shiquan Jie Bar Street in downtown is another popular spot where you can find the Bookworm, Drunken Clam, and Jane's bar.

For those who want an authentic Chinese club, you won't miss the Inpub, Phebe and Pandora located in the old Suzhou area. In Suzhou Industrial Park, Li Gong Di becomes especially lively at the weekends thanks to nightclubs such as Pravda, which attracts a large number of international and Chinese party-fans.

If you want to be more integrated with Chinese students' community, Karaoke TV (KTV), one of the most popular activities among Chinese students would be the best choice, KTV venues are everywhere in Suzhou and you can have a lot of fun there singing, dancing, socializing and even watching movies.