★ Tourist location: Shantang Street, Suzhou

Qilishantang is located in the northwest of Suzhou. It connects Changmen in the east and Huqiu in the west. It has a total length of 3.6 kilometers, which is converted into the "li" commonly used by people in the past, which is 7.2 li. The Shantang River is slightly shorter, exactly 7 miles long, so it is called Qilishantang. It is said that "there is heaven above, and Suzhou and Hangzhou below." The West Lake in Hangzhou and the mountain ponds in Suzhou are both related to Bai Juyi, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty. In 825 AD, when Bai Juyi was appointed governor of Suzhou, he recruited workers to dig rivers and build embankments to create today's Shantang Street.

Shantang Street was once one of the most developed commercial and cultural districts in China during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and was known as the "No. 1 Ancient Street in China". The first time in "Dream of the Red Chamber" said that "it is the most prosperous and romantic place in the world of mortals", referring to the Changmen and Shantang areas. The restored Shantang Street is today known as "the epitome of old Suzhou and the window of Wu Culture." Streets run parallel by water and land, and rivers and streets are adjacent. This is a typical pattern of Jiangnan water towns.

As soon as I walked to Shangtangqiao, I was startled by the sea of people in front of me. Shantang Street is indeed worthy of being a national-level ancient city tourism demonstration area and the most popular tourist, historical and cultural street in China. This popularity is enough to explain the problem.

The archway on Shantang Street is very grand. Walking in you will find Shantang Old Street built along the Shantang River. The buildings in Shantang are basically on this street, so you basically don't have to worry about getting lost. Of course, tourists who don't want to go back can still walk back from the other end of the river when they reach Shantang Bridge.

Tang Shaofu Baigong Temple was built in memory of Bai Juyi, and it seems that the construction time should not be long. After reading the introduction, it was indeed like this. The original temple was built by the people of Suzhou after Bai Gong left office to commemorate his achievements in building mountains and digging mountains and rivers. It was destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion. The current temple was rebuilt in 2006. You can visit for free.

When he walked in, he saw a bronze statue of Duke Bai. He held his beard in one hand and a scroll in the other. Although Bai Juyi came to serve as governor in Suzhou, it did not hinder his other identity, which was one of the three great poets of the Tang Dynasty. In Suzhou, he naturally left behind many beautiful poems.

Behind the statue is Chenxiao Zhai, with three floors on six sides. On the front is "Bai Juyi Building a Mountain Pond for the People". On the table is a white marble portrait of Bai Gong, and the inscription reads "Help the World and Be Good".

The entire indoor display is the contribution made by Bai Gong to Shantang. This ancestor of Shantang and the god of Yuefu poetry created the prosperity of Shantang Street with one hand. "The five rivers meet Changmen, and the south of the Yangtze River is still celebrated for thousands of years; the embankment connects Hufu, and the people still miss Bai Fuxian." The gratitude of the people of Shantang to Bai Gong is evident.

There is plenty of water in the mountains and ponds, and there are naturally many bridges. Many water-friendly platforms have also been built along the renovated Shantang River. Although you can't really play in the water, you can also get closer to the water. At the corner is a stele "Changmen, the Place of Searching for Roots", which shows that the roots of the prosperous land in those days were still in the mountains and ponds.

There is also a three-story pavilion next to it called the "Chaozong Pavilion". The pavilion can be visited for free, and some graphic and graphic materials displayed are enough to explain why the prosperous Changmen needs to trace its roots in the mountains and ponds.

There are also hundreds of surnames on the wall, and tourists are looking for their surnames with great interest. Maybe our ancestors once witnessed the prosperity of Qilishantang!

Antai Fire Fighting Society was founded in 1925 and is an ancient fire department. The current fire fighting meeting was rebuilt on the old site of that time and displays fire-fighting equipment from that time. It is also an exhibition hall of modern fire-fighting facilities.

Yuhantang is on the east side of Tonggui Bridge. It is the former residence of Wu Yipeng, a minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs in the Ming Dynasty. It has a history of about 500 years. Covering an area of more than 5000 square meters and a building area of more than 6000 square meters, it is the largest and most completely preserved ancient building complex outside Suzhou. However, we arrived a little late and couldn't enter and visit.

The ancient stage is located on the west side of Tonggui Bridge. The original stage was located in the Temple of King Qi of Qi in Waian and later moved into Shantang. It covers an area of 310 square meters and has a building area of 362 square meters. It faces north to south, with a roof of black tiles and rising eaves. The stage is square in shape, with two floors and a suspended mountain structure. It is said that on weekends and holidays, various cultural and artistic programs will be performed on the stage. Unfortunately, there was no grand event today, and I don't know if I will perform Suzhou Pingtan. I feel that this performance is the most appropriate one. However, next to the ancient stage, there is a Taste Shantang Pingtan Bookstore, so there should be more games.

The Chamber of Commerce Museum was built on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Suzhou Chamber of Commerce. It was established by the Suzhou Federation of Industry and Commerce, Suzhou Archives Bureau, and Suzhou Shantang Tourism Development Co., Ltd., focusing on the development of Suzhou commerce and the development history of Suzhou Chamber of Commerce. Suzhou Commerce was established in 1905. Based on this calculation, the museum should have been built in 2005.

There are various shops on both sides of Shantang Street. As its reputation grows, its commercialization becomes more and more high. But I have to say that they are successful. Can't you see that Shantang Old Street is full of people everywhere you go?

Along both sides of the water are residents, hanging red lanterns. There are also many cruise ships parked along the shore. Suzhou's high-quality water tourism project has a 40-minute round-trip route from Shantang River to Huqiu. It passes through many ancient bridges on the way, and it should still be very popular with tourists.

Warm reminder: Tickets for Shantang Street attractions are 45 yuan, and sightseeing pleasure boats are 55 yuan. If you add in to the Pingtan Tea House, the set ticket is 120 yuan. If you want to visit attractions and take a cruise ship, it is still cost-effective to buy a package ticket. Of course, if you just walk around the old streets without visiting the small attractions, you don't need to buy tickets.

Transportation on Shantang Street is very convenient, and there is Shantang Street Station on Metro Line 2. There are more bus lines. 161, 315, 317, 318, 34, 406, 44, 522, 64, 7, 921, 970, 980, Ye 5, Suzhou Haoxing Line 3 and Line 7 all pass through Shantang Street. If you have enough time, you can walk from the train station to Shantang Street, and the scenery of Suzhou's old city along the way will be quite interesting.