before departure

It is said that Suzhou (formerly known as Gusu) is a famous city in the south of the Yangtze River with a long and rich history. In ancient times, it was known as "heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below", and in modern times it was also known as "Oriental Venice". When mentioning the water town of Suzhou, I think of it that in the early morning in the water town of Jiangnan, there are faint floating clouds floating in the sky. The light morning fog covers a small boat floating in the small river next to the white walls and green tiles. There are small bridges and flowing water, pavilions and pavilions... Scene after scene, charming pictures slowly floated through my mind. The soft words of Wu Nong from the Gusu family on the street echoed gently in the early morning air. This is the impression in my mind of the legendary ancient water town Suzhou.

It is March in the spring, and the spring breeze greets the south bank. Taking advantage of the bright spring light, find a weekend of spare time to visit Gusu in the Jiangnan water town, fully admire the style and changes of the ancient city of the water town today, listen to the eloquent singing of Suzhou Pingtan Wu Nong soft language, and feel the long history of Wuyue culture in Jiangnan.

Book a round-trip ticket and hotel accommodation for the high-speed train from Qingdao to Suzhou for a weekend in mid-April, for a four-day round-trip. The journey is by car at around 8:00 a.m. and arriving near 13:00 at noon. There is also a half-day tour in the afternoon and evening. I did some homework before setting off, and based on the online guide and Suzhou city map, I formulated a general travel and sightseeing route. I decided to visit famous attractions such as Humble Administrator's Garden, Tiger Hill, and Tongli Ancient Town, and go to Hanshan Temple, where the famous Tang poem "Maple Bridge Night Moored", listened to the temple bells ringing "Dang--, Dang--", and felt the charm of Suzhou Pingtan, the ancient rap art of Suzhou City. In terms of accommodation, we specially chose a hotel in Laocheng District (Gusu District), which is close to Humble Administrator's Garden, Lion Garden and Pingjiang Road Historical and Cultural District. It takes a few minutes on foot. The transportation is also convenient and everything is ready.

Day 1 Humble Administrator's Garden, Pingjiang Road Historical and Cultural District

In the morning, I took the high-speed train to Suzhou. The train was speeding. Outside the window, there were urban mountain villages, rivers and mountains, green farmland... It is as if landscape paintings are flashing rapidly in people's vision. Arrived at Suzhou Station around 13 noon. After arriving at the hotel for a short rest, we walked to visit Humble Administrator's Garden and started the first stop of this trip to Suzhou.

Green farmland outside the train window

Suzhou Railway Station is unique in shape and tall

1. Visit Jiangnan Famous Garden Humble Administrator's Garden

Suzhou's famous Humble Administrator's Garden is a representative work of Jiangnan gardens in my country. It is also the largest classical private garden in Suzhou. Together with Beijing Summer Palace, Chengde Summer Resort, and Suzhou Lingering Garden, it is known as the four famous gardens in China. It was built in the Ming Dynasty. It was funded and built by Wang Xianchen, a censor who returned to his hometown after frustration in official circles during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty. It is designed and built based on the paintings of Wen Zhengming, a "Jiangnan scholar". It is divided into three parts: east, middle and west. The east garden is open and spacious. The middle garden is the essence of the whole garden, and the west garden is beautifully built and has its own characteristics. The garden covers an area of 78 acres, surrounded by mountains and rivers, exquisite halls and pavilions, and lush flowers and trees. It has a strong Jiangnan water town characteristics.

Outside the Humble Administrator's Garden Scenic Area is a pedestrian street. Next to the Humble Administrator's Garden, there is also the famous Suzhou Museum (the building was designed by internationally renowned architectural designer I.M. Pei), the palace of Li Xiucheng, the loyal king of the Taiping Kingdom, and several free museums of silk, plants, etc., the famous Lion Grove Scenic Area is also not far away. There are many tourist shops along the street. People come and go, making it very lively. Buy tickets and enter Humble Administrator's Garden. The garden is densely decorated with flowers and trees, and rockery, small bridges and flowing water, pavilions and pavilions surround the entire garden, with exquisite design. There were so many people visiting and it was crowded, and it was not easy to take an ideal photo. For those of us who have visited royal gardens such as Beijing and Chengde, we have visited many gardens with this design style, so we feel that there is not much new about them. On the contrary, we are more interested in the evolution, history and development of the gardens. If you take a quick look, you can finish the visit in about an hour and a half. But then again, in addition to the royal garden, Humble Administrator's Garden is indeed a well-designed and rare private garden. This is a 5A-level attraction and a must-visit place when you come to Suzhou!

In front of Humble Administrator's Garden, a small river on the street

Humble Administrator's Garden Main Gate

There are many flowers in Humble Administrator's Garden

The park is densely planted

pavilions and pavilions in the park

Small bridges and flowing water in the park allow tourists to shuttle through

2. Stroll along Pingjiang Road

It was already past 17 o'clock when I left the Humble Administrator's Garden. At this time, the Suzhou Museum, Lion Garden and other scenic spots were closed. I had no choice but to return to the hotel and taste several Suzhou local specialties at a restaurant that claims to serve Suzhou-style dishes. It cost more than 120 yuan, but it was not very expensive.

After dinner, walk along the street to Pingjiang Road Historical Culture Street. Pingjiang Road is an old historical street along the river in Suzhou. The river is called Pingjiang River. Pingjiang Road Historical District is by far the most completely preserved area in the ancient city of Suzhou, and can be called the epitome of the ancient city. The current Pingjiang Road basically continues the pattern of cities and alleys since the Tang and Song Dynasties. The houses and buildings in the entire block maintain the original historical appearance of the old houses in Jiangnan. Many houses are still used by indigenous people. The block area is very large, with many fork roads and small streets. It takes several hours to tour carefully. In addition to the lively commercial street, there are also many small museums, gardens (Yiyuan) and former residences of historical celebrities such as Hong Jun and Qian Boxuan in the block. For tourists to visit and visit. It's time to go to Pingjiang Road. The road to enter the block is still a bluestone paved street along the river. On one side is facing the river. There are many small stone bridges built on the river that span both sides of the river. Viewed from the mottled and old outside, some bridges have a history of more than a hundred years. The other side of the street is full of houses with white walls and blue tiles, but they have now been basically converted into teahouses, restaurants, B & Bs and various shops. Various colored lights installed along the street and the river shine brightly, illuminating the street and the river. There are many black boats full of tourists swinging back and forth in the river. The streets are crowded with tourists and bustling. Shops, large and small, are decorated with lanterns and colorful colors. The waiter is shouting hard to attract customers. It is a lively and busy scene. Passing by the roadside teahouse, Suzhou Pingtan, the rap sound of Wu Nong's soft words floated into my ears, completely immersed in the market of Jiangnan water town.

Stroll along the road to a fork in a river and streets, turn into a secluded street, and you will arrive at Yanhe Park next to the "Wicheng River" in the old city of Suzhou. There are very few tourists here, and most of them are local residents. Exercise and walk here. The Wicheng River is wide and connected to the small river in the block. Occasionally, some large cruise ships carry passengers on the river at night. There is still a section of the ancient city wall and the city gate building "Xiangmen" by the river. The city wall and gate building have been renovated. There is a Suzhou Ancient City Wall Museum built in the city. Unfortunately, all exhibition halls were closed too late, so I had no choice but to return to my residence to end the first day of my journey.

In the Pingjiang River next to Pingjiang Road, the houses on both sides of the river have retained their original style, and colorful lanterns have been installed on the banks, which are full of colors

Ancient and elegant shops on both sides of the river attract customers visiting along the way

A Suzhou-style restaurant in the neighborhood is decorated with lanterns and colorful colors. Judging from the menu, Suzhou-style dishes are rich in variety and exquisitely made, but they were not tasted.

Day 2: Tiger Hill, Hanshan Temple, Lion Forest, Shantang Street, and then visit Pingjiang Road

1. Looking for a "tiger" in Tiger Hill

Thousands of years ago, Su Dongpo, a great poet of the Song Dynasty, once said: "It's a pity not to visit Tiger Hill when you go to Suzhou!" This shows the status of Tiger Hill among all scenic spots in Suzhou. The regret he had when he came to Suzhou should never be repeated to us! Therefore, Huqiu is a must-visit place for this trip to Suzhou. In order to offset the peak period of tourists, we arrived at Suzhou's famous Tiger Hill Scenic Area at 8 o'clock the next morning.

Tiger Hill is located on the outskirts of 3.5 kilometers northwest of the ancient city of Suzhou."Tiger Hill" has been known for nearly 2500 years. It is recorded that the King of Wu died of illness and was buried in this mountain in 496 BC. Three days after entering the cave, a white tiger crouched on the tomb, hence the name Huqiu Mountain. Nowadays, the park has many scenic spots and historic sites. There is the famous leaning tower Yunyan Temple Tower (also known as Tiger Hill Tower), which is a national cultural relic. Sword Pool, there is a pool as narrow as a sword under a cliff. Legend has it that the tomb of King Helu of Wu may have been built here. Legend has it that the Yuchang Sword and other swords were used to bury the King of Wu at that time, hence the name Sword Pool. By the edge of the sword pool, on the northern rock wall of the Thousand People Stone, four large characters are engraved: "Tiger Hill Sword Pool". It is said that these four characters came from the handwriting of Yan Zhenqing, a great calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty. There is also a stone well on the mountain, which is said to have been dug by Lu Yu in the Tang Dynasty (author of my country's first tea book "Tea Classics") and is called "Lu Yu Well". In addition, there are also Zhenniang Tomb, Duanliang Hall, etc., Every scene has a long historical legend or cultural background. For thousands of years, Huqiu Mountain has enjoyed the reputation of "the No. 1 Scenic Spot in Wuzhong" relying on its beautiful scenery and long historical and cultural landscapes.

Because of the early arrival, there are few foreign tourists in the scenic area, only some local residents who exercise in the morning. The entire scenic area is almost surrounded by flowers, vegetation, tall trees, and thick and straight green bamboos, among which there are many ancient trees with a sense of age. At this time, the air in the scenic area is fresh, the birds sing and the flowers are fragrant, and there is no crowded and noisy as many tourists. You can take photos without interference, view every cultural relic and exhibit in detail, and you can also enjoy the beautiful scenery and scenery around Huqiu Mountain. It makes the mood of visiting and relaxing. I didn't find the tiger, but I saw a lot of scenery, hehe. When the main scenic spots begin to return down the mountain after visiting, tourist groups and other large groups of tourists begin to arrive one after another, and the "Chinese-style tourism model"(defined by yourself) begins! Hehe, let's stop joining in the fun and quickly withdraw! Go to the next goal, Hanshan Temple, and listen to the bell! Let's go...!

The archway at the Huqiu Mountain Gate outside the scenic area is engraved with the "First Mountain in Wuzhong". From the archway, the figure of the Leaning Tower of Huqiu can be vaguely seen standing on the Huqiu Mountain

The Yunyan Temple Tower on the top of Huqiu is hidden among dense green trees. When photographed from the direction of "Jianchi", the tilt of the tower cannot be seen.

Explanation of the tilt of Yunyan Temple Tower (China's Leaning Tower of Pisa)

Tiger Hill Sword Pool, sandwiched between two tall rock walls, a longsword shaped pool

At the edge of the sword pool, it is said that the four words "Tiger Hill Sword Pool" are the authentic works of Yan Zhenqing (some textual research says that they were written by Yan's disciples, which is unknown)

The Moon Gate in a secluded courtyard in Huqiu Scenic Area is "leading from far away"

Small bridges and flowing rivers near the Tiger Hill Scenic Area

2. The bell of Hanshan Temple

The moon sets, the dark cries and the frost fills the sky,

Jiang Feng, fishing fire, sleep sadly.

Hanshan Temple outside Suzhou City,

The bell reaches the passenger ship at midnight.

This poem "Mooring at Night on Maple Bridge" by Zhang Ji, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, was read as a child and is still fresh in memory. As an adult, I always think that if I have the opportunity to visit Gusu City, I must go to the place where Fengqiao is parked at night and quietly listen to the bells of Hanshan Temple.

When I arrived at Hanshan Temple, I was greatly surprised. I thought Hanshan Temple was a temple and religious site and a place for worshippers to sacrifice. Unexpectedly, it was crowded with tourists, bustling with people, and making my head grow bigger! This is not a tourist, this is obviously a big fair! Hehe... There was no choice, so I had to grit my head and follow the flow of people!

Hanshan Temple has now been opened as a scenic spot and tickets are sold to the public. In addition to the temple, all the temple, the surrounding Fengqiao area and some areas along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal have been transformed into tourist attractions. The scope is not small, but only tickets are required to enter the temple, and other places are free to visit. Before entering and visiting the temple, take a look around the surrounding area. The temple is adjacent to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. In ancient times, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was the main artery for north-south transportation. Near Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City was a place where boats traveled from south to north. A station, so Zhang Ji, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, was just one of these passers-by who came and went in a hurry, stopping here and writing immortal poems passed down through the ages. In fact, the history and scenery of the nearby attractions are also remarkable. There are thousands of years old ancient Maple Bridge, where Zhang Ji docked at night, Tieling Pass, the ancient city wall of Suzhou City, the flowing river and Suzhou people, the endless flow of Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and so on... Moreover, there are relatively fewer tourists in these attractions and areas than in the temple. After entering the temple, there is a different scene. It is crowded with tourists and pilgrims, which shows the popularity of Hanshan Temple and its strong incense! There are as many as hundreds of poetry steles titled "Night Mooring on Maple Bridge" erected in the temple. The inscriptions are written by celebrities and calligraphers from past dynasties and even today. There are no omissions in all kinds of fonts, which makes visitors stunned and feast their eyes. In fact, there are also many stone tablets and stone carvings of this poem outside the temple. It can be seen that the poem "Night Mooring on Maple Bridge" has a wide influence and high popularity. There is a charge to ring the bell in the temple. Tourists line up in front of the bell tower to pay and wait to climb onto the bell tower to ring the bell (it has changed). Listening to the bell is free! Listening to the ringing of the bell "Dang-Dang-", I feel that this bell is no different from other places? I can't feel the artistic conception and scene described in the poem at all. Yes... Thousands of years passed, and the world has changed, haha!

In front of Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City

A building for religious sacrifices outside Hanshan Temple

A covered bridge in the Fengqiao Scenic Area outside Shansiwai

The Gusu family by the small river in Fengqiao Scenic Area outside Hanshan Temple and the mural of "Fengqiao Night Mooring"

In the Maple Bridge Scenic Area outside Hanshan Temple, the Maple Bridge described in the poem by poet Zhang Ji

The place where Zhang Ji stayed at night in Fengqiao Scenic Area outside Hanshan Temple and Fengqiao

Tieling Pass, the ancient city wall outside Gusu City in Fengqiao Scenic Area outside Hanshan Temple

On the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal next to Fengqiao Scenic Area outside Hanshan Temple, transportation on the river is busy, and ships queue up to shuttle back and forth

Beside the Fengqiao Scenic Area outside Hanshan Temple, the ancient Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal shows that the canal has still benefited the Chinese people for thousands of years. Today's people should thank the ancients for the blessings they have made for us!

Tourists and believers in Hanshan Temple

A stupa in the temple

The poem and stele inscription "Mooring on Maple Bridge at Night" by Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Ji was written by many celebrities and calligraphers from past dynasties. There are no missing fonts in all types, and photos are just part of the stele inscription

3. Lion Grove...

I walked straight to the Suzhou Museum from Hanshan Temple. When I asked about the museum visit, I needed to make an online reservation in advance. Now the number of reservations has been scheduled for 3-4 days. It seems that there is no way to visit the museum, so I had to return. On the way, I passed by Lion Grove and stopped by.

Lion Grove is one of the four famous parks in Suzhou. It has a history of more than 600 years. The park is full of rockery, surrounded by corridors, and hidden towers, and winding paths lead to the secluded scenery, giving a feeling like a maze. The walls of the corridor are embedded with calligraphy steles by the four famous artists of the Song Dynasty, Su Shi, Mi Fu, Huang Tingjian, and Cai Xiang, and the stele works of Wen Tianxiang's "Plum Blossom Poetry" in the Southern Song Dynasty. Lion Forest not only has Suzhou's classical garden landscape, but also is famous around the world for its strange rocks in lakes, mountains and strange peaks and strange rocks, which look like lions dancing, so it is named "Shizi Forest" and "Lion Forest".

The scenic area is not big, with concentrated scenery, which is still much smaller than Humble Administrator's Garden. The scenic area is still in the style of Jiangnan gardens (if there are too many similar visits, the aesthetics will become tired), with halls, corridors, small bridges and flowing water, and rockery winding paths leading to the secluded scenery. Entering the scenic area, it is still crowded with people. As people visit the park, there is a small pond in the middle of the park. Standing by the pond and looking at the rockery on the other bank, there are layers upon layer, the path is curved, and the winding path leads to the secluded scenery. Above the rockery, tourists are crowded everywhere, standing, squatting, climbing up and down... At this time, the image of Monkey Mountain in the zoo suddenly flashed in my mind. What is the difference between this scene and Monkey Mountain? Hey, didn't we humans evolve from apes? There was no interest in the tour, so I took a quick look at it like a cursory tour, took a few photos, and ended the tour.

The main entrance of Lion Forest Scenic Area

Corner in Lion Grove Garden

Small bridges and flowing water in the park

Small pond in the park (the water area is too small to call it a lake)

4. Shopping on Shantang Street

In the afternoon, we arrived at Shantang Street, the ancient commercial distribution center of Gusu City, as planned. In ancient times, Shantang Street was named after the Shantang River. The characteristics of many rivers and bridges on the street fully reflected the characteristics of the streets and alleys of Suzhou, a water city. Many ancient buildings on both sides of the street were mostly from the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. Throughout the ages, Shantang Street has been a favorite place of emperors, kings, literati and literati. Whether it was Qianlong, Kangxi, Bohu and Qiuxiang, they all lingered on both sides of the Shantang River. Nowadays, Shantang Street has been turned into a tourist attraction and a prosperous tourist commercial street, and has given a poetic name,"Qili Shantang".

Shantang Street is worthy of being a tourist and commercial street. Tourist commodities are everywhere. There are all kinds of Suzhou and Jiangnan specialties to eat, wear and use. There are various types of Sugar-style cakes and snacks, Suzhou silk embroidery, round fans, etc. There are of course many tourists on the street, most of whom are foreign tourists here for sightseeing and shopping. Of course, merchants also make a lot of money. We are inevitably one of the tourists who are being slaughtered.

The shops on both sides of Shantang Street are all restored ancient buildings, and the streets are crowded with tourists.

An old theater with a sense of age in the street

Shantang River on the street and Suzhou characteristic houses on both sides of the river

The cruise ship travels through the narrow river near Shantang Street

Corner of Shantang Street

5. Tour Pingjiang River at night

The Wupeng Boat is one of the important means of transportation in the Jiangnan water town. By sailing through the river streets and alleys of Suzhou City, you can experience the feeling of life in the Jiangnan water town, and you can also see the city scenery of the water town that is different from visiting on the road. After night, we came to Pingjiang Road again. We purchased a ticket and boarded a small cruise ship that could only accommodate 6-7 passengers. The boat was built in imitation of an old Wupeng boat. The person who was rocking the boat was a sister-in-law, dressed in blue cloth and small floral Chinese costumes. After greeting the tourists boarding the boat to sit down, the boat began to swing forward while taking advantage of the night, passing through the small bridge from time to time. The Pingjiang River is very narrow and runs parallel to Pingjiang Road, although it is already night, However, many colorful lights of various colors are installed on both sides of the river and on the stone bridge across the river. Coupled with the neon lights decorated by street shops, the entire river is illuminated with colorful and charming colors. On both sides of the river are original houses in Gusu City, with white walls and gray tiles, and the walls are covered with dark green moss, which is very contemporary. Many tourists are shopping, shopping and walking leisurely on the shore. It is very lively and a warm and peaceful scene. This is also the scene before the COVID-19 epidemic! While rocking the boat, the sister-in-law briefly introduced the history and legends of Pingjiang Road to tourists, and then sang some beautiful Jiangnan folk songs for tourists in standard Suzhou dialect,"What a jasmine flower, what a jasmine flower..." "Taihu Lake is beautiful, Taihu Lake is beautiful..." With this original singing and the charming night of Jiangnan water town, the tourists on the boat are intoxicated by the colorful night of Gusu City! Unconsciously, the more than 40-minute journey was coming to an end. At this moment, the boat's sister-in-law spoke in Mandarin again and confidently proposed to the tourists on the boat to give a reward (tip) at 10 yuan per person. She couldn't help but take out WeChat and Alipay QR codes, scanning the code one by one to transfer money, how come it feels like buying road money, hehe...!

The night of Pingjiang River

Day 3, Tongli Ancient Town, Taihu Lake, listen to Pingtan

1. Exploring the water town in Tongli Ancient Town

In addition to the famous attractions in the city, Suzhou is also surrounded by many ancient water towns. Visiting these ancient towns can also further deepen your understanding of the history, culture, customs and customs of Jiangnan water towns. The well-preserved and popular ancient Jiangnan towns nearby include Zhouzhuang, Tongli, etc. The historical buildings and cultural atmosphere of these ancient towns are similar, so you can choose to visit one of them. After comparison, I felt that Zhouzhuang was famous, but it had many tourists and a strong commercial atmosphere. Tongli was more simple and original. Relatively speaking, there might be fewer tourists, so I decided to choose Tongli Ancient Town. Because I wanted to travel around, I booked a car online one day in advance and planned to drive to Tongli Ancient Town, and then travel around Taihu Lake.

Early the next morning, I completed the formalities at the pick-up point and drove to Tongli Ancient Town. According to the navigation, I arrived at Tongli Ancient Town at 9 a.m. The ancient town is built along the river and surrounded by rivers. The town has a crisscross water network. There are more than 40 bridges of different styles, and more than 30 well-preserved houses and schools from the Ming, Qing and Republic of China periods. Now it has been listed as the "World Cultural Heritage" list. Entering from the south gate of the scenic area, there were not many people who arrived early. First, we came to an ancient commercial street that was built during the Ming and Qing Dynasties and is still in use today.(But it can also be seen that some buildings are modern imitations.) There are shops on both sides of the street. After continuing, you will reach the town center square (It feels that the scale is still much smaller than the current rural towns.) There are many criss-crossing streets from this square around it. The buildings in the streets are basically old houses with original style gray tiles and white walls. Many residential houses in the town have been renovated into various B & Bs, restaurants, and shops. Celebrity residences such as Tuisi Garden, Jiayintang, and Chongbentang have been converted into tourist attractions, but there are also many old houses still in use. The rivers in the town are crisscrossed, and many tourists shuttle back and forth on the river by cruise ships, lingering in the crisscrossed river branches, winding and elegant alleys courtyards, and stone bridges and river ports of different shapes. The scenery of the water town is fully captured by tourists. You should visit the scenic spot carefully. It is best to live in the ancient town for 1-2 days, so that you can taste the local customs and customs of this ancient town in the south of the Yangtze River as if you chew it slowly. Due to limited time, I had to take a quick tour of the ancient town, but I also visited the main attractions. I drove away from the ancient town and headed for Taihu Lake at around 14 p.m.

Tongli Ancient Town Scenic Area South Entrance

The ancient commercial street of the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the ancient stage on the central square in the town

Yanhe Street Lane in the Town

The ancient town has a crisscross river network, and there are many cruise ships that attract tourists docked along the river bank. Because they arrived early, most of the boats have not yet attracted tourists.

The river in the town and the streetscape on both sides

A small stone bridge spans the river in the town, with towering trees on both sides of the river

Local residents on the boat are showing off a cormorant (osprey) performance for tourists

A cruise ship shuttling across the river

Display of old wedding customs in Chongben Hall in the town

Housing pattern in old buildings in town

The door of a private house

The white walls and gray tiles of the old house in the town, Tuisi Garden

Jiangnan Garden in Geng Le Hall

Jiangnan Garden in Pearl Tower Scenic Garden

The narrow streets of the old streets in the town

The wall of Lizze Girls 'School (Girls' School) in the town

The old-fashioned teaching building for women in Li Ze

2. Flying along Taihu Lake

The Taihu Lake Tour Plan does not plan to visit a certain scenic spot. It just wants to drive around Taihu Lake, appreciate the natural and original beauty of Taihu Lake, and enjoy the lakes, wetlands, green trees and sunshine that nature has given to Jiangnan, a land of fish and rice. It is not very far from the ancient town to Taihu Lake. It only takes 40-50 minutes to drive to Taihu Lake. Now the ecology around the lake is protected. Fishing, breeding, reclamation, and development are prohibited in the lake. The ecological restoration is good. The surrounding wetlands are green with green grass and shady trees. A road around the lake has also been built along the lake. The road conditions are very good. There are many local residents along the way. Residents have opened many farmhouses for catering and accommodation, and the transportation is also very convenient. They just want to play, but it is difficult to park along the lake (you cannot park at will on the roadside, hehe). After speeding around the lake for a while enjoying the beautiful scenery, we finally parked our car in an open lakeside wetland leisure area and arrived at the Taihu Lake. The lake was surrounded by iron fences. Visitors can only stand by the lake more than 10 meters away from the lake. Next to the road, looking at the misty lake, layers of thin waves lapping against the shore, and dotted boats can be vaguely seen in the distance. We breathed the moist and fresh air by the lake and faced the blowing breeze. It makes people feel comfortable and relaxed. At this time, the elegant, euphemistic, but familiar Jiangnan folk song seemed to ring in my ears again,"Taihu Lake is beautiful, the beauty lies in the Taihu Lake water, there are white sails on the water, ah, there are red caltrops underwater, ah, green reeds on the water, fat fish and shrimp on the water..."

A guardrail is enclosed on the bank of Taihu Lake. There is a wetland of 10-20 meters between the guardrail and the lake, covered with green grass

The avenue around the lake next to Taihu Lake

3. Wu Nong's soft language commentary

Suzhou Pingtan, embroidery and gardens are known as the three unique talents of Suzhou. After the speeding of Taihu Lake, I was walking along the roadside in the evening. When I was looking for a dining place, I could vaguely hear the singing sound of Wu Nong's soft language. Looking for the sound that floated in my ears, I saw a hotel in front of the door with green lights and full of guests. I saw a Pingtan artist dressed in a cheongsam and a lady's dress sitting on the stage, holding the pipa in her arms and plucking with her fingertips. He hurriedly stepped forward a few steps to the hotel and sat down. He ordered a meal and listened carefully. The euphemistic singing attracted many diners and listeners. Although we come from the north and seem to understand the singing of Wunong soft language, the singing artist's light, soft and slow singing, with cadence, and the strings of piana and cong, is beautiful, and penetrates the clear charm of the water in the Jiangnan water town into the bone marrow of Tanci's silk string rhyme. It is really pleasing to the eye. The audience dining below the stage will occasionally give praise for the wonderful singing.

Pingtan artists sat on the stage, hugging the pipa and plucking with their fingertips. Wu Nong's soft singing echoed in the night sky

Return to Qingdao on the 4th day

No matter how perfect a trip is, it will eventually end. I was about to return, so I arrived at the train station early in the morning to wait for the bus. I saw a tall statue in the south square of the station. When I came closer to see it, it turned out to be a statue of Fan Zhongyan, a famous thinker, politician, and litterateur in the Northern Song Dynasty of my country. Only then did I remember that his ancestral home was Suzhou. His words "Worry about the world first, and rejoice after the world's happiness" have been passed down to this day and are famous far and wide. Not far from the square is also the former site of the "Pingmen" of the old city wall of Gusu City. I took the returning train and arrived in Qingdao safely, ending the three-month fireworks trip to Suzhou City.

The statue of old Mr. Fan Zhongyan in the south square of Suzhou High-speed Railway Station,"worry about the world first, and rejoice after the world's happiness." How high is this? Hehe...

The "Pingmen" site in Suzhou Old City not far from the South Square of Suzhou High-speed Railway Station

Looking back on the hasty four-day journey, I always feel that I am not finished. The time is too rushed and the arrangements are full. However, my understanding of this thousand-year-old Jiangnan water town city is still very superficial. It would be great if I could stay more time, taste it slowly, and appreciate it carefully...!