April 29th to May 2nd, 2016. The May Day holiday is a rare opportunity for family outings. Considering factors such as highway congestion and rising hotel accommodation prices, we chose to travel to Jiangyin, Changzhou, and Zhangjiagang in 2016. Changjing Town in Jiangyin, Jiaoxi Village in Changzhou, and Fenghuang Town in Zhangjiagang are all late selected Chinese historical and cultural towns and villages. These three ancient towns and villages have not been invaded by commercial atmosphere, and appear quiet with fewer people. These ancient towns and villages are relatively unpopular in the Yangtze River Delta, and few Shanghai tourists go there specifically. Additionally, we took a detour to Huaxi Village. We arrived in Taicang one night early to avoid the rush hour of leaving the city on the first day of the small holiday, but we still encountered traffic congestion on the way. It took nearly 3 hours to travel nearly 70 kilometers from Pudong to Taicang by car. On May 2nd, returning to Shanghai, although there was a significant increase in traffic on the road, there was no significant traffic jam. The entire journey is 486 kilometers. The following picture was taken in Tianzhuang, Fenghuang Town, Zhangjiagang.

April 29, 2016 (weather in Taicang: sunny, 11 to 26 degrees)

At 18:42, we set off from our home in Pudong, Shanghai after our wife finished work.

At 20:35, arrived at the Shanghai Xiang Expressway toll station and traveled a total of 40 kilometers.

At 21:18, arrived at the Zhuqiao toll station on the Shenhai Expressway, driving a total of 62 kilometers, with a toll of 10 yuan on the expressway.

Check in to the Hanting Hotel Taicang Wuyang Plaza store that night for a twin room of 158 yuan (including double breakfast). The twin rooms in this store are actually family rooms, with one bed each 1.5 meters wide and one bed each 1.2 meters wide. The room area is relatively large, not facing the street, and it is very quiet at night. The Wuyang Square where the hotel is located has both above ground and underground parking lots, and there are quite a few parking spaces. In Wuyang Square, there is Bensu's pickled Chinese cabbage Fish Shop, which is a popular restaurant in Taicang.

As of that evening, a total of 65 kilometers have been driven.

April 30, 2016 (Jiangyin weather: sunny to cloudy, 15 to 29 degrees)

Hanting Hotel Taicang Wuyang Plaza Branch.

Street view of Taicang. The urban area of Taicang is well constructed and very clean.

In order to avoid traffic congestion on the highway, we first drove along a section of National Highway 204. There is no traffic jam on the national highway, but there are many traffic lights near the urban area.

At 11:43, arrived at the Shuangfeng Toll Station on the Sukuntai Expressway, and traveled a total of 76 kilometers.

Encountered a traffic jam on the Changshu section of the Changhe Expressway, caused by a traffic accident.

At 11:43, arrived at the Gushan Toll Station on the Tongxi Expressway, and traveled a total of 152 kilometers.

Jiangyin Mayor Jing Town, the fifth batch of Chinese historical and cultural famous towns. There is no charge for visiting the ancient town, and a ticket of 20 yuan is required to visit the Shangguan Yunzhu Memorial Hall.

The main purpose of visiting Changjing Ancient Town is to stroll through old streets.

This is the hometown of the famous performing artist Shangguan Yunzhu. She has gained fame in the film industry for her portrayal of characters with diverse personalities in classic business cards such as "Spring Water Flows Eastward", "Crows and Sparrows", "Beauty's Journey", "Hope in the World", and "Ten Thousand Family Lights".

There are hardly any tourists in the ancient town, and when I visited the Dafu Sericulture Farm, the door opened.

Jiangyin Silkworm Seed Farm is a cultural relic protection unit in Jiangsu Province.

Changjing Middle School.

Old Street Shaobing (Baked cake in griddle).

The combined ticket for Huaxi Village, including multiple scenic spots, is 150 yuan. We didn't buy tickets, we just drove around the village and took some photos.

Huaxi Longxi International Hotel.

At 13:57, arrived at the West China Toll Station on the Changhe Expressway and traveled a total of 180 kilometers.

At 14:09, arrived at the Xiake Toll Station on the Changhe Expressway and traveled a total of 188 kilometers.

Due to traffic congestion on the highway, we switched to surface roads to reach the downtown area of Jiangyin. The ground roads around Jiangyin have many lanes and good road conditions.

In the figure below, the elevated road in the distance is the section of the Beijing Shanghai Expressway near the Jiangyin Bridge, with obvious traffic congestion towards the north of the Yangtze River.

Stay at Jinjiang Star Jiangyin Chengjiang Middle Road Hotel, Standard Room A, 160 yuan. This hotel is located diagonally opposite the Jiangyin Municipal Government, nearly 2 kilometers away from the highway entrance, with convenient parking. Standard room A does not face the street.

The street view at the entrance of the hotel.

Jiangyin Street Scenery.

Xingguo Temple Pagoda, announced by the State Council on March 5, 2013 as the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units, belongs to the category of ancient architecture, dating back to the Song and Ming dynasties. In order to protect the Xingguo Temple Pagoda, a classical garden style Xingguo Garden has been newly built in Jiangyin, which is a free and open park.

Eating grilled fish on Yijian Road in the evening. This store has many chain stores in Shandong and Shanxi.

There are quite a few restaurants on Yijian Road.

There are different flavors for grilled fish. We ordered pickled Chinese cabbage.

Night view of Jiangyin Municipal Government.

As of that evening, a total of 215 kilometers have been driven.

May 1, 2016 (Changzhou weather: cloudy, 20 to 29 degrees)

Considering the possibility of traffic congestion on the highway, drive on the ground road to Changzhou.

Elevated roads within Changzhou city.

The BRT bus stop on the streets of Changzhou.

Tianning Temple is a national key Buddhist temple in the Han ethnic region, with a ticket of 20 yuan (excluding tower climbing). If you climb the tower, the ticket is 80 yuan.

The Tianning Pagoda was first built in 2002, with a height of 153.79 meters, making it the world's tallest Buddhist pagoda.

The BRT bus stop in front of the Tianning Temple gate.

Changzhou silver silk noodles have a taste comparable to Suzhou Zhu Hongxing. This store is located in Ma Lane near Tianning Temple.

There is also a TESCO Group Yinggui Mantou shop in Maxiang. Crab meat dumplings are very delicious.

Changzhou Street Scenery.

The city wall of Xiyingmen by the Grand Canal of Beijing and Hangzhou. This is the only remaining Ming Dynasty city wall site in Changzhou, with a length of 221.8 meters. There are many historical sites in the surrounding area, including Wenheng Bridge, Zou Hao Temple, Biji Lane, etc.

The Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal flows through Changzhou.

The grate alley under the Wenheng Bridge. This is the location of the ancient Piling Post, formerly known as "Flower Market Street". Changzhou has been famous for making combs and wooden combs since ancient times, and is known as the "Palace Comb Famous Comb" and the "Changzhou Comb is the best in the world".

Biji Lane.

Zou Hao Temple. Zou Hao was a figure from the Northern Song Dynasty. After receiving amnesty and returning to his hometown, he established a garden named "Dao Township" at his residence in Zhouxian Lane. Therefore, he named himself a layman in Dao Township and was from Jinling, Changzhou (now Changzhou, Jiangsu).

Changzhou Street Scenery.

Jiaoxi Village, Zhenglu Town, Wujin District, Changzhou City, is a sixth batch of Chinese historical and cultural famous villages.

Drive back to Jiangyin City.

The bus routes in the urban area of Jiangyin have achieved intelligent management, bringing convenience to waiting passengers.

Yijian Road is known as the "Bar Street".

In the evening, we tasted a different flavor of grilled fish.

Stay at Jinjiang Star Jiangyin Chengjiang Middle Road Hotel, Standard Room A, 100 yuan. On Sunday and Monday, the Jinjiang Star store will offer a trial price of 100 yuan for a limited number of rooms, which can be obtained by pre booking.

As of that evening, a total of 307 kilometers have been driven.

May 2, 2016 (Zhangjiagang Weather: overcast with light to moderate rain, 16 to 27 degrees)

The former site of the Nationalist Party's Jiangyin Fortress Command, announced by the State Council on March 5, 2013 as the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units, is an important historical site and representative building of modern times, dating back to 1947. Free visit.

The street was raining heavily.

The following picture is taken from the 8th floor of the parking building near the former headquarters of Jiangyin Fortress.

At 10:48, arrived at the Jiangyin North Toll Station on the Beijing Shanghai Expressway and traveled a total of 314 kilometers.

At 11:13, arrived at the Xinqiao service area of Changhe Expressway to rest, and traveled a total of 345 kilometers; Add 92 octane oil for 180 yuan, 5.68 yuan/liter.

At 11:39, arrived at the Fenghuang Toll Station on the Changhe Expressway, with a total driving distance of 362 kilometers.

Fenghuang Town, Zhangjiagang City, was awarded the fifth batch of Chinese historical and cultural famous towns. Fenghuang Town has multiple scenic spots, and we are visiting Tianzhuang Old Street.

Yang's Mansion, announced by the State Council on March 5, 2013 as the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units, belongs to the category of ancient architecture, dating back to the Qing Dynasty. The Yang Family Mansion includes three buildings: the Ranking Eye Mansion, the Yang Family South Mansion, and the Yang Xiaozi Temple. Among them, the Yang Family South Mansion is not open to the public, and the other two have a ticket price of 20 yuan.

At 12:55, arrived at the Fenghuang Toll Station on the Changhe Expressway, and traveled a total of 365 kilometers.

At 13:40, arrived at the main toll station of Taicang on the Shenhai Expressway, and traveled a total of 422 kilometers.

At 13:52, arrived at the Zhuqiao Toll Station on the Shenhai Expressway and traveled a total of 433 kilometers.

At 14:03, arrived at the toll station on the Shanghai Jia Expressway and traveled a total of 444 kilometers.

At 14:56, I returned to my home in Pudong, Shanghai, covering a total distance of 486 kilometers.