It is indeed difficult to find a clean ancient town in Suzhou to stay for a few days during the holidays. There were so many people everywhere that I lost the mood for a vacation.

I recommend you a small and quiet ancient town in the south of the Yangtze River: Lili. Maybe you have never heard of this place name before.

Ancient towns are all similar, with white walls and black tiles, and small bridges and flowing water. But Lili is the most exciting ancient town I have ever seen, and there are many local specialties.

As a foodie, I personally feel that it is worth going to Lili just for these delicacies.

There are too many famous ancient towns in Jiangnan.

The location of Lili Ancient Town in Suzhou is from Zhujiajiao in Shanghai to the east, Xitang in Zhejiang to the south, Nanxun and Wuzhen in Zhejiang to the west, and Tongli in Wujiang, Luzhi in Wuzhong, Zhouzhuang in Kunshan and Jinxi to the north...

Lili, on the other hand, looks like a hermit who has gone into seclusion here, hidden in her boudoir and unknown to anyone.

Because I liked it, I stayed in Lili Ancient Town for five days and four nights and searched all kinds of delicacies in the ancient town. There are many specialty snacks in the ancient town: sausage sets, oily dunes, spicy chicken feet, tiger beans, begonia cake...

This article shares the shops in the ancient town that are most worth checking in.

When it comes to Lili cuisine, Lili spicy chicken feet definitely rank first.

There are small shops selling spicy chicken feet everywhere in the ancient town, and many people will pack them and take them away at 30 yuan per catty, which is not expensive. In fact, every store has different flavors and advantages of Lili spicy chicken feet.

The more famous spicy chicken feet shops include Wang Ji spicy chicken feet and Su 'a big spicy chicken feet. If you walk into any restaurant in Lili, you can also order spicy chicken feet.

This is the spicy chicken feet from Ikawa Private Kitchen Restaurant. I personally like them. Spicy chicken feet are not spicy, but also have a lot of sweet and sour taste.

What is unanimously praised by our friends is the spicy chicken feet from Shangtangqiao Hotel in the ancient town. It was right next to a bridge, and it was very touching.

It is difficult to rank which one of the best Lili spicy chicken feet is, because everyone's tastes and preferences are different. You'll only know if you eat it yourself.

People who love it love it very much, but people who don't like it can't eat it at all. The most famous sausage set shop in Lili Ancient Town is this one: Old Street sausage set shop.

Sausage sets are sold by the catty, 135 yuan/catty. However, most people in the ancient town eat a bowl of sausage noodles for 28 yuan per bowl.

Lili Old Street Sausage is a real large intestine that connects small intestine. It was already a famous dish in Lili as early as the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties and has a history of more than 300 years.

This is a couple's wife shop, and the owner is very simple and enthusiastic.

There are eight small intestines stuffed into one large intestine. Looking at the production process of the sausage set, it is really a bit heavy.

Clean the large and small intestine, use green onion, ginger rice wine, etc. to remove the fishy smell, set it up and cook it for 2-3 hours to turn it into such a white and tender appearance.

In this set of intestines, you can clearly see the small intestine inside.

The sauce sprinkled on the sausage set is all secret. After taking a few bites, it is very chewy and has an indescribable taste. Try it yourself.

This store sells both Begonia cake and Plum Blossom cake. The owner said that the materials are the same, but the utensils made are different. One is in the shape of Begonia and the other is in the shape of Plum Blossom.

Begonia cakes for three yuan are all stuffed with bean paste. The most important thing is that a piece of lard must be put in it to have a unique aroma.

Sprinkle melon seeds and sesame seeds on the surface, seven in a pot. The preparation time is about 5 minutes. It is best when cooked and eaten right now.

The final process is to bake the caramel, and heat the white sugar on the surface to scorch it. Only when it is roasted like this will it be fragrant.

When you come to Lili Ancient Town, Youdun must eat one. Youdun, each for five yuan, is spread all over the streets of Lili Ancient Town.

The more famous one is Fengji Youdun, but this Lujia Youdun is a time-honored local brand. The plaque reads: Emperor Qianlong Youdun gave a name and promoted a century-old store.

Lu Xiongwei, now 50 years old, has three generations of his grandparents and grandchildren living by selling oil. This is him and his father. Every day, two men are busy in the store, relying on hard work to sell small oil cans.

Boss Lu said that during holidays, 4,000 - 5,000 oil cans can be sold a day, and usually 500-600 cans can be sold a day.

I secretly calculated that selling 600 oil piers a day will cost 5 yuan each, and the turnover will cost 3000 yuan a day, and more than 1 million yuan a year! A small shop is really impressive.

The store also sells green dumplings, small wontons, malt cakes and the like.

The oil used for frying oil is rapeseed oil, which has a unique aroma. The bean paste filling in the oil mound is made by them themselves, with osmanthus flowers in it.

It's really delicious, but the oil mound is really too big and the stuffing inside is very sufficient. Just eat one and you'll be full.

In addition, in the ancient town of Lili, there are many time-honored brands such as Luji meat wontons.

Lili Ancient Town is very suitable for shopping and eating. When you are tired from shopping, find a teahouse or cafe and sit idle all afternoon.

What surprised me was that even during the National Day holiday, there were not many tourists here during the day, just in twos and threes. Suitable for leisure and relaxation, suitable for tourists who like tranquility.

Lili's history can be traced back to 2500 years ago. It was a village, from village to city, from city to town, and became a market town in the Southern Song Dynasty. During the Hongzhi period, it became a large town in Jiangnan and has a history of nearly 900 years.

I like Lili not only because of its special food, but also because all the people living here are locals and it is not commercial at all. Everyone knows each other in the neighborhood here and keeps saying hello all the way. The distance between people is very close.

This is really the most exciting and quietest Jiangnan ancient town I have ever seen. Come and eat in Lili if you have the opportunity!