Jiangnan has been the dream home in the hearts of Chinese people since ancient times. It seems to represent all the beauty of the world: it has the poetic meaning of "small bridges and flowing rivers, and the leisure of" lotus leaves can be picked in the south of the Yangtze River, and the fields of lotus leaves can be found in the fields ". There is the gentleness and sweetness of" beautiful smiles and beautiful eyes ", and there is also the prosperity of" green mountains and buildings outside the mountains ". Jiangnan is a paradise on earth. Over the past few years, although we have visited some places sporadically in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Anhui areas in the Jiangnan region, we have mostly glanced at them and never went deep into it, so we have always longed for them. Entering the summer of 2021, seeing that the domestic COVID-19 prevention and control situation has continued to stabilize for more than a year, I discussed with my family and decided to take a self-driving tour into Jiangnan, starting from Jinan and heading straight to the destination-Jiangsu, a province in the core area of Jiangnan. Three places were selected for specific goals: Yangzhou, Suzhou and Wuxi, all of which are typical Jiangnan water towns.

We set off on July 17th and returned on the 24th. It lasted 8 days and traveled more than 1500 kilometers. We experienced the poetry and painting of the Jiangnan water town firsthand.

1. Overall arrangement

(1) 7.17-7.19, Jinan-Yangzhou, tour Yangzhou.

(2) 7.20-7.22, Yangzhou-Suzhou, visit Suzhou (including Tongli Ancient Town).

(3) 7.23, Suzhou-Wuxi, tour Wuxi.

(4) 7.24, Return to Aid.

2. Specific itinerary

First stop: Yangzhou

Yangzhou, once known as Guangling, Jiangdu, and Weiyang, has a history of more than 2400 years. It has experienced repeated changes, ups and downs, and several glories. It has profound historical and cultural heritage. It is an ancient city in the south of the Yangtze River living in ancient Chinese poetry. I believe that for many Chinese people, their first understanding of Yangzhou began from those familiar ancient poems, such as Du Mu, a poet in the Tang Dynasty,"The spring breeze is ten miles across Yangzhou Road, but it's not as good as rolling a bead curtain","Once in ten years, I dream of Yangzhou and win the reputation of a brothel", Xu Ning's "The world is three-point bright moon night, and two-point scoundrel is Yangzhou." Jiang Kui, a poet in the Song Dynasty, wrote "The Famous Capital of Huaizuo, the Best Place in Zhuxi", etc., but perhaps the most famous and deeply rooted one is Li Bai's "Sending Meng Haoran to Guangling":"The old friend left the Yellow Crane Tower in the West, and fireworks fell under Yangzhou in March. The lonely sail shadows the blue sky in the distance, and only the Yangtze River flows across the sky." Since I learned this poem in elementary school, my feelings for "Fireworks under Yangzhou in March" have been buried deep in my soul. However, due to various factors, I have not been able to make it happen. This time when I had the opportunity, I included it as the first stop in the itinerary, and the arrangement time was also the longest, staying for three nights, hoping to enter this ancient city as much as possible.

Day 1, Jinan-Yangzhou,Visit Dongguan Street and Ancient Canal at night.

Jinan to Yangzhou, more than 600 kilometers, the entire journey is high-speed. Starting from home at 6:30 in the morning, we will soon embark on the first section of the expressway of this section of the journey-the Jiantai Expressway, which was praised as the "most beautiful expressway in Shandong" shortly after its opening. It was drizzling in the sky that day, and the air seemed particularly fresh. When the car was driving on the flat and spacious highway, my mood became much brighter. Looking out the window, you can see green mountains surrounded by green mountains, and the top of the mountain is covered with a thin layer of water mist, like a flowing gauze belt, continuous and looming. It's really endless, as if in a painting.

Because it was the first time I drove so far in a row, I didn't rush too much and the schedule was very loose. I went to the service area to rest every two hours or so until I arrived in Yangzhou at 4 p.m. Coincidentally, I met my wife's colleagues and friends at the Quanji Hotel (Dongguan Street Store) where I stayed. Two days ago, I brought my parents to Yangzhou for a tour. So the two families had dinner together. Under their recommendation, we also began to come into contact with authentic Huaiyang dishes: crab meat and lion head, crystal meat, white-robed shrimp, dried shredded chicken sauce, Kaiyang Pu Cai, etc.

After dinner, we visited Dongguan Street, a well-known old street in Yangzhou. Like old streets across the country, the streets are lined with shops selling specialty snacks and tourist souvenirs on both sides. The streets are brightly lit and crowded with people.

We walked across the street and walked to the end of the street to the ancient canal terminal. Then we took a cruise ship and toured the ancient canal at night. Neons on both sides of the canal are flashing with brilliance.

Yangzhou in history is a wealth myth created by canals. The ancient canals have flowed through thousands of years, laying out its gorgeous chapters of climax.

It was already ten o'clock in the evening after swimming in the ancient canal. Today, my schedule was full and my body felt obvious fatigue, so I rushed back to the hotel to rest.

Day 2, visit Slender West Lake and Daming Temple.

When I woke up in the morning, I felt sore all over and my muscles were tight, especially my legs. It was obviously caused by the long driving yesterday and I didn't get any effective relaxation. So I went downstairs to the woods in front of the hotel for a while and felt a lot more relaxed. Then he called his family, had breakfast, and drove to Yangzhou's most famous attraction-Slender West Lake.

Slender West Lake is located in the northwest of Yangzhou City. Because of its slender lake surface and beautiful scenery, it was called "Slender West Lake" by the ancients and is still in use today. The lake area uses the division of bridges, islands, embankments, and banks to form a well-defined, tortuous landscape and garden landscape on the long and narrow lake. It has been a scenic spot since the Six Dynasties and flourished during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. We walked slowly along the long embankment along the lake. In midsummer, by the slender West Lake, there were willows and lush grass; the lake was rippling with blue waves and the painting boats were leisurely. It was still early, there weren't many tourists, and the weather was not hot. Walking through it, I suddenly felt relaxed and relaxed, and I forgot everything. It was as if I had entered Yangzhou's prosperous historical and cultural time and space for thousands of years, side by side with Du Mu and traveling with Yang Guang. Thinking of this, a sense of reverence involuntarily gushed into my heart. Maybe the certain road we have traveled, the certain scenery we have seen, and the certain object we have touched were once something that an emperor or literati has walked through, seen, and touched.

During the stop-and-go process, we arrived at the 24th Bridge. The 24th Bridge is the most famous cultural landscape on Slender West Lake. It has appeared in many ancient poems praising Yangzhou and has become a cultural symbol of ancient Yangzhou, such as "The 24th Bridge is bright on the night, where can the jade people teach to play flute?" "The twenty-fourth bridges are still there, the waves are swaying, and the cold moon is silent." Before, I thought that the origin of the name of the 24th Bridge should have a lot of story. When I saw the introduction of the bridge, I couldn't help but smile: "The 24th Bridge is a combination bridge connected by a mountain creek plank road, a single arch bridge and a blowing flute pavilion. This bridge is 24 meters long, 2.4 meters wide, with 24 railings and 24 steps at the top and bottom, corresponding to the twenty-four bridge."

Arriving at the 24th Bridge, we have basically finished swimming the essence of Slender West Lake. At this time, the scorching sun is scorching and people are surging. We took a tour bus to the north gate, and after lunch, we visited the nearby Daming Temple.

Daming Temple was first built during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu of the Southern Song Dynasty. It belongs to one of the "480 temples in the Southern Dynasty" and has a history of more than 1550 years. The world-famous monk Jianzhen taught law and precepts at Daming Temple before he traveled eastward to Japan. Therefore, the temple has Jianzhen Memorial Hall, Jianzhen Jietan Courtyard and other landscapes. In addition, the sleeping tower in the temple is also worth a visit. The Qiling Tower was built in the Sui Dynasty. On his 60th birthday, Yang Jian, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, ordered the world to build a pagoda dedicated to relics. The tower has a nine-story body and a height of 73 meters. It is majestic and is a cultural landmark of Yangzhou City. No building height in the old city of Yangzhou shall be higher than this tower. Climb to the top of the tower and you can overlook the panoramic view of Slender West Lake.

In addition to some solemn temple buildings, there are also several groups of vivid and naive stone statues of little monks that attract people to stop. It is understood that these stone statues were donated by some pious laymen.

After visiting Daming Temple, it was just four o'clock in the afternoon and it was still early, but everyone wanted to relax and relax and didn't want to have a too full schedule. They unanimously agreed that today's trip would end here.

Day 3, visit Heyuan, Geyuan and Zhu Ziqing's former residence.

Today's itinerary is still relatively relaxed, mainly visiting two Jiangnan gardens, He Yuan and Ge Yuan, and the former residence of the famous literati Zhu Ziqing.

Perhaps because it is Monday, there are not many tourists coming to visit He Garden, and it is sparse and just right. When you stroll around, you feel like a leisurely stroll. He Garden, also known as "Jixiao Villa", was built during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty and belongs to the representative of Yangzhou gardens in the late Qing Dynasty. The park is not large in area, but it is exquisitely designed and has a compact layout. Most of the gardens are two-story buildings, connected by a 1500-meter-long complex corridor, achieving the effects of diverting left and right, linking high and low, enclosing mountains and water, and climbing into the house. It was praised by Mr. Luo Zhewen, a cultural relics expert as "The first garden in the late Qing Dynasty."

Coming out of He Yuan, you can walk about 1.2 kilometers to Zhu Ziqing's former residence. On the way, you pass through Pushi Street, another characteristic street in Yangzhou. The streets are very clean and tidy, and on both sides are exquisite shops that are not large in size but are freshly decorated and have a little bourgeois atmosphere, such as Ma and other flowers blooming, Border Town Bookstore, and Floating Life. Tourists walked and watched slowly on the streets in twos and threes. Occasionally, vehicles passed by, but there was no noise. The sun shone through the green trees on both sides and cast mottled light and shadow on the roof of the store and the streets, giving it a look like time was quiet. I feel that this place is more in line with Yangzhou's temperament.

Zhu Ziqing's former residence is in a deep alley at the end of Pishi Street. Only when he walked to it did he realize that the museum was closed today. Helpless, he could only return without success.

It's time for lunch. After searching the Internet, we found Yechun Hotel on Dongguan Street more than 900 meters away. It is also a famous restaurant that serves Huaiyang cuisine. Let's go here, because there is a garden not far away. You can go there directly after dinner. Yangzhou is really not big. Walking along the routes of several scenic spots, they are actually connected together in circles.

Geyuan is currently the most completely preserved and oldest classical salt merchant private garden in Yangzhou. It was built in the Ming Dynasty and renovated by Huang Zhiyun, the chief salt merchant of Lianghuai in the Qing Dynasty. It was named because its owner loved bamboo ("Ge" represents three bamboo leaves). The park is divided into three parts: the northern variety bamboo ornamental area, the central garden area and the southern residential area, covering an area of 24,000 square meters. Together with the Summer Palace in Beijing, Chengde Summer Resort and Suzhou Humble Administrator's Garden, it is also known as the "Four Famous Gardens in China"(it is also said to be Suzhou's Lingering Garden).

Entering from the north gate, it suddenly becomes clear. The wide lawns, tall trees, and exquisite buildings are like entering a park. They are very atmospheric and beautiful.

Moving forward, we reach the four-season rockery section. The builders cleverly integrated the beautiful scenery of the four seasons into the four rockery "spring, summer, autumn and winter" composed of stacked Taihu rocks. The technique is superb and the conception is clever, which perfectly reflects the effect of "Spring mountains are suitable to travel, summer mountains are suitable to see, autumn mountains are suitable to climb, and winter mountains are livable".

When it comes to the southern residential area, it presents a completely different style: horizontal and vertical residential layout, with three vertical and three insides, and the space is very compact. The vertical buildings are closely connected to form a strip layout; the horizontal spacing is less than two meters. It feels a little cramped and oppressive. The overall layout is more solemn but not smart. It does not have the small and exquisite style of private gardens in the south of the Yangtze River. It is more like a Shanxi merchant compound in Shanxi. It is also in sharp contrast to the open and atmospheric style in the north of the park. But overall, it is obvious that the owner of this house is more powerful than the owner of He Yuan.

Dinner was eaten at a restaurant adjacent to the hotel. Since I didn't need a bullet train, I also drank a glass of white wine that I brought with me. At this point, the three-day tour of Yangzhou ends today. There are two regrets left: one is that I couldn't visit Zhu Ziqing's former residence; the other is that I couldn't visit the Grand Canal Museum, which had just opened because I couldn't make an appointment.

The general feeling is that Yangzhou, a city that has been prosperous for thousands of years, seems to be still sleeping in those ancient poems and has not fully awakened or kept up with the times. The Yangzhou in my mind should be poetic, exquisite and leisurely. Among these three, Yangzhou does not lack poetry and leisure, but lacks refinement. The exquisiteness here refers to a more advanced exquisiteness that keeps pace with the times. It is a kind of exquisiteness that is supported by strong strength but is restrained: the construction of the city focuses on character rather than one side of the city, and the management of the city is orderly and full of warmth, and the people of the city are calm and leisurely.

Second stop: Suzhou

Suzhou is a city with a strong historical and cultural heritage. It has been established for more than 2500 years and is one of the oldest cities in China. When we mention Suzhou, the first thing we think of should be the well-known ancient proverb "There is heaven above, and Suzhou and Hangzhou below". The second thing is Zhang Ji's song "Mooring on Maple Bridge at Night":"The moon sets, the dark cries and the frost fills the sky, and the river maple fishing fires make me sad to sleep. Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City, singing reaches the passenger ship in the middle of the night." There is also a Tang poem, which is not as well-known as "Mooring at Night on Maple Bridge", but its description of the characteristics of the old Suzhou city and the people's daily life is more realistic and vivid. It is "Sending People to Wu" by Du Xunhe, a poet of the Tang Dynasty:

When you came to Gusu to meet you, people slept on the river.

There is little idle land in the ancient palace and many small bridges in the water port.

The night market sells lotus roots, and spring boats carry kira.

Knowing the sleepless moon in the distance, my hometown is in the fishing song.

This is where the word "pillow river family" comes from. Of course, Suzhou is not only a traditional cultural city, but also a modern city with considerable economic strength. Its total GDP has ranked first in the province for many years in a row (the second is Nanjing, the provincial capital), and it only ranks seventh in the country, behind Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, Tianjin and Chongqing.

Day4, Yangzhou-Suzhou, visit Huqiu and Shantang Street.

Yangzhou to Suzhou, 190 kilometers. We set off at 7:30 in the morning, had breakfast at the Fangmaoshan Service Area (a dinosaur themed Internet celebrity service area) halfway through, and arrived in Suzhou at 11:30. The buildings in Suzhou's Laocheng District are not tall, and some are relatively old, but the momentum of a metropolis cannot be concealed. The roads are crowded with traffic, the displays in the windows are low-key and luxurious, and the urban management is orderly, all of which show that this is a powerful big city.

The hotel I stayed at was called Chenfeng Boutique Hotel, which was located on Renmin Road and had a good location. The booked family room was not available until after 2 p.m., and the enthusiastic waitress at the front desk upgraded it to a parent-child room for free. Coincidentally, the room's decoration style was also themed with dinosaurs, and the children were very satisfied. The room is close to the intersection of Renmin Road and Baita West Road. The view outside the window is very wide, and there are also a few cotton-like white clouds floating in the blue sky. It is not only beautiful, but also very leisurely.

According to the plan, we took a bus to visit Huqiu at 3 p.m. Interestingly, the bus arrival reminder is broadcast again not only in Mandarin, but also in Suzhou dialect. After getting off the bus and before entering the scenic spot, the child was amazed by the scenery of several small bridges and flowing water outside the door. He praised it and took many beautiful photos.

Tiger Hill Park is not large and you can visit it quickly. The most iconic landscape inside is the Tiger Hill Pagoda (also known as Yunyan Temple Pagoda), which was built during the Five Dynasties and was heavily tilted. The tower is a seven-story and eight-sided pavilions with an imitation wood-structure. The tower body is 47.7 meters high and slopes 2.34 meters in the north-by-east direction. It is a symbol and symbol of ancient Suzhou. In 1961, it was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit.

There is also a famous scenic spot in the park called "Sword Pond", which is a deep pool as narrow as a sword located under the cliff of Huqiu Mountain. According to records, Chixia was the tomb of Helu, King of Wu (Fu Chai's father) during the Spring and Autumn Period. 3,000 swords of Bianzhu and Yuchang were buried, hence the name Jian Chi.

After swimming in Tiger Hill, it was nearly six o'clock in the evening, and the sun was already setting in the west. We took a cruise ship and went to Shantang Street along the seven-mile-long Shantang River. The cruise ship slowly swam on the quiet river. The flowing air was filled with the faint, cool smell of river water. The afterglow of the sunset shone on the river in front of the bow, glowing brightly. On both sides are scattered some old houses with white walls and gray tiles built by the river, as well as a few ancient small stone arch bridges that occasionally appear in front of them, all slowly moving backward. Such a quiet and beautiful picture made the tourists on the boat silent, as if they had entered a dream called Jiangnan.

After the cruise ship traveled about five or six miles, the river gradually narrowed, but the number of houses on both sides increased, and they had been obviously repaired and painted. They looked very new. There were still red lanterns hanging under the eaves. The atmosphere of the scenic area gradually became stronger, and I guess Shantang Street was coming soon.

Soon, the cruise ship docked. As soon as we get ashore, we will find the most prosperous area at the southern end of Shantang Street. It is not very long, about three to four hundred meters. From a personal point of view, from a scenic perspective, the most prosperous areas are often the most boring areas, because there are many shops, crowds, and a strong commercial atmosphere, which is comparable to ancient streets across the country. The scenery that really has the flavor of old Gusu is the mountain pond on the water that lives by the water and sleeps on the river during the cruise ship.

It was really boring. After shopping for about half an hour, we finished shopping on Shantang Street before seven o'clock. No one had the idea of having dinner here, so they took a taxi back to the hotel. On the way, the driver recommended Guanqian Street near the hotel as a commercial and food street. Locals also like to go shopping and eat there, so we went directly to Guanqian Street and had dinner during a tour.

Day5, visit Lion Grove, Humble Administrator's Garden, Suzhou Museum, and visit the Gate of the Orient at night.

Today is the highlight of my visit to Suzhou. Because I have to visit many classic attractions such as Lion Grove, Humble Administrator's Garden, Museum, and Oriental Gate in one day, the itinerary is full. Fortunately, the first three attractions were all together and close to the hotel, so we walked there.

The Lion Forest was built in the Yuan Dynasty. It was named "Lion Forest" because of the number of stone peaks in the park that looked like lions. The gardening techniques of Suzhou gardens can be summed up in two points: stacking mountains and managing water, and the Lion Grove is the ultimate in stacking mountains. The park has the largest surviving ancient rockery group in the country, divided into upper, middle and lower floors. There are 9 mountain roads and 21 entrances in total. It has become an exquisite stone forest maze and the biggest feature in the Lion Forest. The most interesting thing to play here is drilling rockery.

Coming out of Lion Grove, you will reach Humble Administrator's Garden about 600 meters away. Humble Administrator's Garden is the largest and most famous garden in Suzhou. It was built in the Ming Dynasty and is one of the four famous gardens in China. The park is divided into three parts: east, middle and west. The east is open and spacious, the west is beautifully built, and the middle is centered on a pool with mountains piled in the pool. This is the essence of the whole park. Humble Administrator's Garden is very atmospheric. It is a masterpiece of Jiangnan classical gardens. It integrates all elements of garden design, including mountains, rivers, flowers and stones, pavilions, towers and bridges. But if you are not an expert in this field, this kind of garden must listen to the guide explain the origin of the design and historical stories to be interesting. Otherwise, you will really feel that all gardens in the world are the same. I'm sorry to say, but we managed to cope with it very well. It didn't take long to finish the tour. I felt a little sorry for Humble Administrator's Garden's reputation.

It was nearly noon after touring the Humble Administrator's Garden, and the Suzhou Museum was right next to it. However, because the appointment time was not enough, we couldn't enter the museum. We had lunch nearby and then walked around casually. Soon it was time to enter the museum. In fact, the surrounding scenery is also very beautiful.

Suzhou Museum is a masterpiece of the mountain closure by Mr. Pei, a master architect. It is an outstanding representative of the perfect combination of architectural beauty and artistic beauty. I have admired Suzhou Museum for a long time. I first learned about it from an interview with Mr. I.M. Pei on CCTV a few years ago. In the program, Mr. Bei focused on how he considered using the real white wall as the background in the design of the main courtyard of the museum and used natural rocks to restore the landscape paintings of the Northern Song Dynasty painter Mi Fu. After watching it, I was deeply shocked by the master's exquisitely conceived and wonderful artistic display, and I especially hope to see the true face of Mount Lushan with my own eyes. I am very excited to finally realize it today.

The sky was exceptionally blue that day, and there were still a few white clouds floating. Looking at the museum from a distance, what comes into view is large white walls, dark gray sloping roofs and cascading horse-head walls. The structural form of the museum body is composed of various geometric shapes such as rectangles, squares, triangles, and parallelogram, which are very eye-catching. The intertwining of dark gray and white is more like the classical elegance shown by traditional garden buildings, which are naturally integrated with the environment. However, due to the application of large-area geometric shapes, it is quite modern and simple, showing a very advanced sense of fashion.

The interior of the museum is also a unique cave. This is a comprehensive museum that integrates modern building buildings, ancient buildings and innovative landscapes. Using glass and open steel structures to replace the wooden materials of traditional buildings, the design of the light-transmitting shape of the roof breaks through the constraints of lighting on the roof of traditional Chinese buildings and achieves the effect of maximizing the introduction of natural light into the interior. The overall layout is also very clever, perfectly combining artificial mountains and rivers, green plants and the museum buildings, achieving the effect of one scene step by step and everywhere. It is worthy of being a master's work!

Most of the tourists visiting came for the building, and most of them took photos. Relatively speaking, the cultural relics on display seemed to be left out and felt a little thin. The number was not large, which could not support the atmosphere of the building.

After dinner, we took the subway to visit the landmark building that represents the development level of modern Suzhou-the Oriental Gate. Although it has been jokingly called the "Long Trot Building" by netizens, its physical shape is actually very grand and beautiful.

Day6, visit Hanshan Temple, Fengqiao, and go to Tongli Ancient Town.

Check out in the morning and plan to go to Hanshan Temple first and then visit Tongli Ancient Town. Although the departure was a bit late, I had to go to the "Hanshan Temple Outside Suzhou City". Otherwise, I, a person with a little literary and artistic feelings, would be unable to explain it, because a big driving force for coming to Suzhou was to visit Hanshan Temple. Suzhou gardens and museums are good, but they belong to the realistic Suzhou City, while Hanshan Temple represents the freehand Gusu City.

Hanshan Temple was built in the Xiao Liang era of the Southern Dynasties. It was initially named "Miaolipming Pagoda Yuan", but later became an eminent monk in the Tang Dynasty.hanshanandpicked upAfter cultivating here, it was later renamed Hanshan Temple. Historically, it was one of the top ten famous temples in China. There are many historical relics in the temple. The most conspicuous ones are Zhang Jishi's stone inscriptions in the calligraphy of ancient dynasties, and the ancient bell that has sounded for thousands of years in the history of Chinese traditional culture (the one currently hanging is actually made in the Qing Dynasty). Hanshan Temple is large in scale and covers an area of about 13,000 square meters. The biggest feature of the temple layout is the asymmetry between left and right. The Daxiong Hall and the Sutra Tower are not on the same central axis. This is quite unusual among many temple buildings in China with a regular layout.

When it comes to the eminent monks Han Shan and Shi De, you may not know much, but their famous questions and answers are widely circulated in the Buddhist community and among the people.

Han Shan asked Shi De: There are people in the world who slander me, deceive me, humiliate me, laugh at me, despise me, despise me, hate me, and deceive me. How should they be dealt with?

Shi De said: Just endure him, let him, let him, avoid him, respect him, ignore him, and watch him in ten years!

I have seen Hanshan Temple and Maple Bridge. After going out of Temple Gate and crossing the Jiangcun Bridge, walking 100 meters along the ancient canal, you will see the Maple Bridge in the poem, next to which is sitting Zhang Ji (statue) who seems to have drunk too much.

I finally ended my big wish to come to Suzhou! Everyone rushed to Tongli Ancient Town with satisfaction, and then went to experience the complete style of the water town.

Tongli is very close to downtown Suzhou, only half an hour's drive, and we arrived quickly. The hotel I stayed in tonight is called Tongli Yuqingge Garden Hotel. It was renovated from a primary school and has a very beautiful courtyard. The location is also very good. Although it is not close to the river, it is very close, which has the benefit of being quiet in the middle of trouble. Opposite the hotel gate is the police station, which has a strong sense of security. In addition, the breakfast is also exquisite and delicious. So I was very impressed with the hotel.

We had lunch at a restaurant next to the river and took advantage of the fun to visit the ancient town. The township area of Tongli Ancient Town covers an area of about 1 square kilometer. It is surrounded by five lakes outside the town. There are 15 rivers in the town that form a "river" shape that divides the township into 7 islands. Forty-nine stone bridges built in multiple dynasties and of different styles connect it into one, forming a natural and beautiful landscape where streets are formed along the water, houses are built along the water, every family is close to the water, and every household is connected to boats. It is a typical Jiangnan water town with small bridges and flowing water.

After visiting the land attractions, due to the hot weather, I went back to the hotel to rest first. I planned to take a Wupeng boat after the sun set to experience the style of the water town in the sound of oars and the shadows of the lights. At six o'clock in the evening, we went to the river again. Unexpectedly, the boats were closed. It turned out that the people working the boat also got off work at that time. There was no choice but to wait until they went to work tomorrow morning before taking the boat. Taking advantage of the dawn, we casually visited the ancient town until the lights were on and the night was fading.

Day7, boat tour Tongli Ancient Town, Tongli-Wuxi, tour Taihu Lake.

I woke up early today and saw that it was just six o'clock. I got up and went downstairs to see what the water town was like when no one was disturbed. At this time, the ancient town seemed to be still sleeping, looking lazy and very peaceful.

At eight o'clock in the morning, we had breakfast, came to the river, and caught the first cruise ship that started. Sitting in the clean Wupeng boat, my body swayed with the hull, but I didn't feel seasick at all. The boat is like walking through a gallery. The clear and clear river water, mottled bank rocks, simple river bridges, windows facing the river, and the flowers and plants on the windowsill rush into your eyes, feeling that the whole world is bright. It is bright.

After taking the cruise ship, the trip to the ancient town came to a successful conclusion, and we drove to Wuxi.

Third stop: Wuxi

Wuxi is a national historical and cultural city, bordering the Yangtze River in the north and Taihu Lake in the south. It is known as the "Pearl of Taihu Lake". What first connected me with Wuxi was the soft and beautiful Jiangnan famous song "The Beauty of Taihu Lake" I heard when I was a child: "Taihu Lake is beautiful. Taihu Lake is beautiful because there are white sails on the water and water of Taihu Lake under the water and red caltrops on the water. Green water bottom, fish and shrimp fertilize the lake water, weave irrigation nets, rice, and fruit fruits fly around the lake." When I first listened to this song, I felt that Wuxi was like Jiangnan.

Wuxi is not far from Tongli, only more than an hour's drive away. It was exactly 12 o'clock when we arrived at Wuxi World Hotel. His wife found a restaurant called "Tangsiluo" online, which was very close to the hotel and had a high evaluation, so she went there for lunch.

At 3:30 in the afternoon, we drove to Yuantouzhu Scenic Area, the essence of Taihu Lake. Yuantouzhu is a peninsula lying across the northwest bank of Taihu Lake in Wuxi. It is surrounded by water on three sides. It is an excellent place to appreciate Taihu Lake. It has many landscapes such as Taihu Fairy Island, China-Japan Cherry Blossom Forest, etc. It's too late to see cherry blossoms, but it's time to visit Taihu Fairy Island. So we took a tour bus, arrived at the dock, and took a yacht to Xiandao. Watching Taihu Lake on the yacht, it is quite spectacular. The misty waves are vast and the water and sky are in the same color.

The tour time on the island was not long, only 40 minutes. After returning to the dock, I played in the scenic area for a while and took photos. Seeing that it was getting late, I started to return. To be realistic, after visiting many well-known lakes such as Erhai Lake, West Lake, Qiandao Lake, and Qinghai Lake, there are not many surprises left to visit Taihu Lake. It feels like this. Perhaps it is the most beautiful time when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

We had dinner at the usual place. After dinner, the children went back to the hotel to watch TV. My wife and I were walking downstairs. The moon was very round and bright that night.

Day8, Wuxi-Jinan

Wuxi to Jinan, about 700 kilometers, the entire journey is high speed. We set off at 7:30 in the morning. Under normal circumstances, we could easily get home before 7:00 in the evening, so we sang happily all the way. However, the good times did not last long. After passing through the Jiangyi Expressway, as soon as we got on the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway, we encountered a total of more than 260 kilometers of reconstruction and expansion construction in Jiangsu. There was only one lane left in one direction, and the entire journey was limited (60 and 80km/h), which greatly reduced the traffic speed. What's even more annoying is that BD Navigation, which I have always trusted so much, has also made a major mistake this time. The navigation in the Huai 'an section showed that the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway ahead was under control, and we were guided to G233. As a result, we encountered a serious traffic jam. The traffic jam lasted for more than an hour without any relief. My wife called the highway management department and learned that the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway ahead could pass normally., we returned the same way and got on the highway again. After such trouble, we only completed the remaining journey in Jiangsu at 6 o'clock in the evening and arrived at the management boundary in Shandong.

As soon as the car entered Shandong, it immediately became clear! The two-way eight-lane highway is smooth and unobstructed, and has a very strong visual impact. So we ran at full speed and ran wildly all the way. The emotions that had been suppressed for a long time were finally released, and we got home successfully at 8:30 in the evening. Looking back on today, the entire journey lasted 13 hours, with only 3 service areas resting along the way. What a crazy day!

3. Travel feelings

Remembering one: When looking at the scenery, we must pay attention to timing. One is natural timing, which is to see the most beautiful scenery at the most suitable time. For example, in Yangzhou, the most suitable time should be the third month of spring during the lunar calendar, with smooth winds and cool and pleasant weather. On the bank of Slender West Lake, tender willows spitting green, miscellaneous peanut trees, and grass grow and orioles fly, creating a scene full of vitality. Slender West Lake should be the most beautiful time at this time. In midsummer, Slender West Lake is a beautiful scenery with luxuriant branches and leaves, abundant water and lush grass, but it does not match Yangzhou, where "fireworks are in March" and "ten-mile spring breeze", and naturally lacks a sense of poetry; one is the opportunity of life, which is to see the most beautiful scenery at the most appropriate stage of life. Generally speaking, he was obsessed with playgrounds as a child, loved mountains and rivers as an adult, and became keen on historical and cultural monuments in old age. Different life stages have different interests and preferences. If you get the wrong place, you will either have no feelings or be boring. Because playgrounds carry children's joy, the long mountains and rivers can resolve the worries of adults, and historical monuments pin the elderly's memories of the past.

Remembering 2: Travel thousands of miles and read thousands of books. As you go far and see more, you will have a sense of home no matter where you go, and you will naturally feel calmer and calmer in your heart. When you face unfamiliar environments and new things, you will feel warm and peaceful. I remember when I first started driving by car a few years ago, I was still quite vigilant when I arrived in a new place. If you have a burden in your heart, you won't be very relaxed when you play, so at first, I always liked to choose places where you have been to or where you have relatives and friends, so that you can feel at ease. Later, as I went to more places, my vigilance became weaker and weaker. I gradually found the feeling of home wherever I went, and it became more relaxed and casual to play-this is the true meaning of travel.

The most beautiful scenery is always on the road, waiting for you to set off.

August 31, 2021

(The day after leaving Yangzhou, Lao Mao, the first case of Delta COVID-19 infection, returned to Yangzhou from Nanjing. Within a few days, the epidemic broke out, Yangzhou was closed, and the whole country was concerned)