There's no shortage of places to eat along the canalside Shangtang Jie.
8Getting There & Away
Getting to Mùdú is easy as pie. From Sūzhōu, jump aboard metro line 1 to Mùdú station then take exit 1 and hop on bus 2, 38 or 622 (all ¥1), 4km (four stops) away from the old town (木渎古镇站; Mùdú Gǔzhèn zhàn).
Tónglǐ 铜里
%0512 / Pop 60,000
Once called Fùtǔ (富土) before changing its name to Tónglǐ (铜里) and then ending up with the name Tónglǐ (同里; different first character), this lovely village is only 18km southeast of Sūzhōu. A leisurely day trip from town (or for those en route to Shànghǎi), Tónglǐ boasts a rich, historical canalside atmosphere and weather-beaten charm. A restrained carnival atmosphere reigns but the languorous tempo is frequently shredded by marauding tour groups that sweep in, especially at weekends.
1Sights
oChinese Sex Culture MuseumMUSEUM
(中华性文化博物馆, Zhōnghuá Xìngwénhuà Bówùguǎn ¥20; h9am-5.30pm)
This private museum is quietly housed in a historic but disused girls’ school campus with an attractive garden and courtyard. Despite occasionally didactic and inaccurate pronouncements, it's fascinating, and ranges from the penal (sticks used to beat prostitutes, chastity belts) and the penile (Qing dynasty dildos), to the innocent (small statues of the Goddess of Mercy) and the positively charming (porcelain figures of courting couples).
Founded by sociology professors Liu Dalin and Hu Hongxia against all odds, the museum’s aim is not so much to arouse, but rather to educate and reintroduce an aspect of the country’s culture that, ironically, has been forcefully repressed since China was ‘liberated’ in 1949. The pair have collected several thousand artefacts relating to sex, from erotic landscape paintings, fans and teacups to chastity belts and saddles with wooden dildos used to punish ‘licentious’ women and some bizarre objects (a pot-bellied immortal with a penis growing out of his head topped by a turtle). This is also one of the only places in the country where homosexuality is openly recognised as part of Chinese culture. Fascinating. The only drawback is that the museum is not included in the through ticket to the village.
Tónglǐ Old TownVILLAGE
(老城区, Lǎochéngqū %0512 6333 1140; ¥100, after 5.30pm free)
This lovely old town, only 18km southeast of Sūzhōu, boasts a rich, historical canalside atmosphere and weather-beaten charm. Many of the buildings have kept their traditional facades, with stark whitewashed walls, black-tiled roofs, cobblestone pathways and willow-shaded canal views adding to a picturesque allure. The town is best explored the traditional way: aimlessly meandering along the canals and alleys until you get lost.
A restrained carnival atmosphere reigns here but the languorous tempo is frequently upset by marauding tour groups that sweep in, especially at weekends.
The admission fee to the town includes access to the best sights, except the Chinese Sex Culture Museum.
Gēnglè TángHISTORIC BUILDING
(耕乐堂 h9am-5.30pm)
Of the three old residences in Tónglǐ that you’ll pass at some point, the most pleasant is this elegant, lovely and composed Ming dynasty estate with 52 halls spread out over five courtyards in the west of town. The buildings have been elaborately restored and redecorated with paintings, calligraphy and antique furniture, while the black-brick paths, osmanthus trees and cooling corridors hung with mǎdēng lanterns (traditional Chinese lanterns) conjure up an alluring charm.
Pearl PagodaPAGODA
(珍珠塔, Zhēnzhū Tǎ h9am-5.30pm)
In the north of town, this compound dates from the Qing dynasty and contains a spacious residential complex decorated with Qing-era antiques, an ancestral hall, a garden and an opera stage. It gets its name from a tiny pagoda draped in pearls.
Tuìsī GardenGARDENS
(退思园, Tuìsī Yuán h9am-5.30pm)
This beautiful 19th-century garden in the east of the old town delightfully translates as the ‘Withdraw and Reflect Garden’, so named because it was a Qing government official’s retirement home. The 'Tower of Fanning Delight' served as the living quarters, while the garden itself is a meditative portrait of pond water churning with koi, rockeries and pavilions, caressed by traditional Chinese music.
TTours
Slow-moving six-person boats (¥90 for 25 minutes) ply the waters of Tónglǐ’s canal system. The boat trip on Tónglǐ Lake is free, though of no particular interest.
4Sleeping
Most visitors come as day trippers, but guesthouses are plentiful if you'd like to spend the night, with basic rooms starting at about ¥100. The village is much quieter in the evening too, as there's an exodus in the late afternoon as travellers depart.
Tongli International Youth HostelHOSTEL$
(同里国际青年旅舍, Tónglǐ Guójì Qīngnián Lǔshè %0512 6333 9311; 10 Zhuhang Jie, 竹行街10号 dm ¥55, r from ¥110; aiW)
This youth hostel has two locations. The main one is slightly off Zhongchuan Beilu and near Zhongchuan Bridge. With a charming wooden interior, rooms here have traditional furniture (some with four-poster beds) and ooze old-China charm. The lobby area is attractive, decked out with international flags and sofas draped in throws.
The alternative location (234 Yuhang Jie; 鱼行街234号) beside Taiping bridge is simpler, with doubles (¥130) with shared bathroom only.
Zhèngfú CǎotángBOUTIQUE HOTEL$$
(正福草堂 %0512 6333 6358; 138 Mingqing Jie, 明清街138号 s/d/ste ¥480/680/1380; aiW)
The place to stay in town. Each one unique, the 14 deluxe rooms and suites are all aesthetically set with Qing-style furniture and antiques, with four-poster beds in some. Facilities like bathrooms and floor heating are modern.
5Eating
Restaurants are everywhere, but food prices here are much higher than Sūzhōu. Some local dishes to try include méigāncài shāoròu (梅干菜烧肉; stewed meat with dried vegetables), yínyú chǎodàn (银鱼炒蛋; silver fish omelette) and zhuàngyuángtí (状元蹄; stewed pig’s leg).
8Getting There & Away
You can reach Tónglǐ from either Sūzhōu or Shànghǎi, but aim for a weekday visit to escape the crowds on both the bus and in the water town.
From Sūzhōu, take a bus (¥8, 50 minutes, every 30 minutes) at the South or North Long-distance Bus Station for Tónglǐ. Electric carts (¥5) run from beside the Tónglǐ bus station to the Old Town, or you can walk it in about 15 minutes.
Regular buses leave Tónglǐ bus station for Sūzhōu (¥8), Shànghǎi (¥34) and Zhōuzhuāng (¥7, 30 minutes). There is also one bus per day to Nánjīng (¥70) and Hángzhōu (¥55). For Zhōuzhuāng, there's also the very handy public bus 263 (¥2).
Lùzhí 甪直
A lovely day trip away from Sūzhōu, the charming and petite canal town of Lùzhí (甪直) is only a 25km public bus trip east of town. You can wander the streets, alleys and bridges at will, but you will need to buy a ticket (¥78) to enter the sights (8am to 5pm), such as the Wànshèng Rice Warehouse (万盛米行; Wànshèng Mǐháng), the Bǎoshèng Temple (保圣寺; Bǎoshèng Sì) and a handful of museums, but these can be safely missed without diminishing its charm.
Lùzhí Cultural ParkPARK
(甪直文化园, Lùzhí Wénhuà Yuán )F
This huge, faux-Ming-dynasty complex is filled with tourist shops and a couple of exhibition halls. Admission is free and the landscaped gardens, ponds, pavilions and an opera stage make it a nice area to amble.
Despite its charming canalside hues, Lùzhí is not terribly well provided with decent or clean accommodation and most people return to Sūzhōu for the night. The Ramada Suzhou Luzhi is a very good choice, though not at the budget end.
The restaurant trade here is built upon river clams, shrimps and crabs and boiled, soft-textured water caltrop (菱角; língjiǎo; like a water chestnut), which you will see served up everywhere. Finding somewhere to eat is not hard.
Getting
to Lùzhí is easy: take bus 518 from Sūzhōu Train Station (¥5, one hour, first/last bus 5.30am/8pm) or from the bus stop south of the station on Pingqi Lu (平齐路) to the last stop, which is Lùzhí bus station. When you get off, take the first right along Dasheng Lu (达圣路) to the decorative arch; crossing the bridge takes you into the back of the old town in about five minutes. The bus is a local bus, so it stops at a lot of stops, but direct buses also run from the train station.
The last bus back from Lùzhí is at 7.30pm. If you want to continue to Shànghǎi from Lùzhí, buses (¥20, two hours) from the Lùzhí bus station run between 6.20am and 5pm.
HUMPBACKED BRIDGES
Lùzhí's darling humpbacked bridges are a delight. Bridges of note include the centuries-old Jìnlì Bridge (进利桥; Jìnlì Qiáo) and Xīnglóng Bridge (兴隆桥; Xīnglóng Qiáo). Half-hour boat rides (¥40) also drift up and down the canal from several points, including Yǒng’ān Bridge (永安桥; Yǒng’ān Qiáo).
Zhōuzhuāng 周庄
%0512 / Pop 22,000
The 900-year-old water village of Zhōuzhuāng (周庄) is the best-known canal town in Jiāngsū. Located some 30km southeast of Sūzhōu, it is very popular with tour groups, thanks to Chen Yifei, the late renowned Chinese painter whose works of the once-idyllic village are its claim to fame.
It does, however, have considerable old-world charm. Get up early or take an evening stroll, before the crowds arrive or when they begin to thin out, to catch some of Zhōuzhuāng's architectural highlights. The village has 14 stone bridges, dating from the Yuan dynasty through to the Qing.
1Sights & Activities
Admission to Zhōuzhuāng is ¥100 (access is free after 8pm); make sure you get your photo digitally added to the ticket at purchase, as this entitles you to a three-day pass.
Shen’s HouseHISTORIC BUILDING
(沈厅, Shěntīng Nanshi Jie, 南市街 h8am-7pm)
Near Fú’ān Bridge, this property of the Shen clan is a lavish piece of Qing-style architecture boasting three halls and over 100 rooms. The first hall is particularly interesting, as it has a water gate and a wharf where the family moored their private boats. You can picture the compound entirely daubed in Maoist graffiti circa 1969 (note the crudely smashed carvings above the doors).
You'll need a separate ticket for the Zǒumǎ Lóu, where a further six courtyards and 45 rooms await (a third of the entire building).
Quánfú TempleBUDDHIST TEMPLE
(全福讲寺, Quánfú Jiǎngsì h8.30am-5.30pm)
It’s hard to miss this eye-catching amber-hued temple complex. The ‘Full Fortune’ temple was originally founded during the Song dynasty, but has been repeatedly rebuilt. The structure you see today is an incarnation from 1995, when a handful of halls and gardens were added to the mix. The grounds steal the show, with willow-lined lakes seething with plump goldfish.
Zhang’s HouseHISTORIC BUILDING
(张厅, Zhāngtīng h8am-7pm)
To the south of the Twin Bridges, this beautiful 70-room, three-hall structure was built in the Ming era and bought by the Zhang clan in early Qing times as their residence. There’s an opera stage to keep the ladies entertained (they were not supposed to leave home or seek entertainment outside). Also note the chairs in the magnificently named Hall of Jade Swallows. Unmarried women could only sit on those with a hollow seatback, symbolising that they had nobody to rely on!
Don't overlook the garden, where boats could drift straight up to the house to its own little wharf. Trek back to the road via the 'side lane', a long and narrow walkway for the servants.
Twin BridgesBRIDGE
A total of 14 bridges grace Zhōuzhuāng, but the most beautiful and iconic are this pair of Ming dynasty bridges (双桥; Shuāngqiáo) gracing the intersection of two waterways in the heart of this canal town. Shìdé Bridge (世德桥; Shìdé Qiáo) is a humpbacked bridge while the connecting Yǒngān Bridge (永安桥; Yǒngān Qiāo) is the one with a square arch. The bridges were depicted in Chen Yifei’s Memory of Hometown, which shot the whole town to fame from the 1980s onwards.
Boat RidesBOATING
It’s fun to go under bridge after bridge by boat. There are loads on offer, including an 80-minute boat ride (¥180 per boat; six people) from outside the international youth hostel.
4Sleeping & Eating
There are a handful of guesthouses and hostels in town. Expect to pay from around ¥80 for a basic room.
With eateries at almost every corner, you won’t starve, but avoid the local āpó tea (āpó chá; old woman's tea), which is extortionate.
Zhōuzhuāng International Youth HostelHOSTEL$
(周庄国际青年旅舍 %0512 5720 4566; 86 Beishi Jie, 北市街86号 dm/s/d ¥45/120/140; aiW)
Near an old opera stage, this efficient youth hostel occupies a converted courtyard. It has tidy rooms and a clean (but dim) dorm, and offers free laundry. The hostel owner is a barista, so enjoy a perfect brew in the ground-floor cafe. When it's slow, dorms go for ¥35; singles go for ¥100 and doubles for ¥120 on weekdays.
Zhèngfú CǎotángBOUTIQUE HOTEL$$
(正福草堂 %0512 5721 9333; 90 Zhongshi Jie, 中市街90号 d ¥480-880, ste ¥1080; aiW)
This very attractive and lovingly presented seven-room boutique hotel – a converted historic residence, restored to within an inch of its life – combines antique furniture with top-notch facilities, wood flooring and a lovely courtyard.
8Information
Zhōuzhuāng Visitor CentreTOURIST INFORMATION
(周庄游客中心, Zhōuzhuāng Yóukè Zhōngxīn %0512 5721 1655; Quanfu Lu, 全福路 )
Near memorial archway.
8Getting There & Away
From the North Long-distance Bus Station in Sūzhōu, buses (¥16, one hour) leave for Zhōuzhuāng every 40 minutes between 7am and 6.20pm. From the bus station in Zhōuzhuāng, turn left and walk till you see the bridge. Cross the bridge and you’ll see the gated entrance to the village. The walk is about 20 minutes; a taxi should cost no more than ¥10.
Local bus 263 (¥2) from Tónglǐ runs to Jiāngzé (江泽) bus station, a 10-minute walk from Zhōuzhuāng. There are also buses from Jiāngzé bus station to Sūzhōu South Long-distance Bus Station (¥13, first/last 6.33am/4.10pm) and Shànghǎi Hóngqiáo bus station (¥30, first/last bus 7.30am/6.10pm). If you want to get to Hángzhōu, you will need to go back to Sūzhōu (frequent) or Tónglǐ (four a day).
It's also possible to run to Tónglǐ by fast boat (¥180, 20 minutes).
Zhèjiāng
Hangzhou
Moganshan
Wuzhen
Nanxun
Xinye
Zhuge
Siping
Jinhua
Ptuoshan
Ningbo
Shaoxing
Zhèjiāng
Pop 55 million
Why Go?
It's Hángzhōu, the handsome capital city, that lands Zhèjiāng (浙江) on many a traveller's itinerary. Home to picture-perfect landscapes of classical Chinese beauty (and just a short train ride from Shànghǎi), Hángzhōu is the obvious highlight. Yet the province offers so much more. There are water towns with spiderweb networks of canals and restored Ming and Qing dynasty merchants' homes (Wūzhèn and Nánxún), also in easy striking distance. Among the thousands of islands dotting a ragged and fragmented shoreline is the island of Pǔtuóshān, one of China's four most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites. More intrepid travellers can head west, where ancient villages retain their traditional architecture and bucolic charms. Meanwhile travellers looking for the opposite of intrepid can hole up in one of the stylish resorts nestled among the hillside bamboo groves and tea fields of naturally cool Mògànshān.
When to Go
ALate Mar–early May Spring sees low humidity and vegetation turning a brilliant green.
AAug & Sep Flee the simmering lowland heat to the cooler heights of Mògànshān.
ALate Sep–mid-Nov Steal a march on winter and evade the sapping sum
mer in Hángzhōu.
Best Places to Eat
A Green Tea Restaurant
A Xiánhēng Jiǔdiàn
A Zǎozishù
A Gāngyāgǒu
A Nan Fang Mi Zong
Best Places to Sleep
A Le Passage Mohkan Shan
A Four Seasons Hotel Hángzhōu
A Hofang International Youth Hostel
A Luxun Native Place Youth Hostel
Zhèjiāng Highlights
1 Hángzhōu Cycling around scenic West Lake, a reflecting pool for willow trees and traditional pavilions.
2 Pǔtuóshān Basking in the glow of the goddess of mercy on a sacred island.
3 Zhūgě Exploring the cobblestone alleys of an ancient village designed for maximum feng shui.
4 Mògànshān Trading urban landscapes for the lush forested ones of a 19th-century hill station.
5 Nánxún Strolling alongside the waterways of Zhèjiāng’s most charming canal town.
6 Tàishùn Riding through the countryside to discover China's best collection of antique covered bridges.
Lonely Planet China Page 49
