How Could I Not Recall Jiangnan’s Beauty? A 5-Day Road Trip through Yixing, Yancheng, Yangzhou, and Nanjing

The South is beautiful, its scenery I once knew so well. At sunrise river flowers are redder than flames, in spring the river waters are as green as blue. How could I not miss the South? Since ancient times, Jiangnan has been known for its scholars and beauties, thriving water towns, and advanced education. It is a land of outstanding talents and picturesque landscapes. Taking advantage of the May Day holiday, one day longer than usual, I set off on a Jiangnan road trip.

We arrived in Yixing at noon. The food at Waipo Renjia Restaurant (Grandma's Home) was just average.

The Yixing Purple Clay Teapot City. I don't know much about zisha teapots, but they looked quite nice.

Huaxi Village, a place I've wanted to visit since childhood. You can tell it was built as a tourist destination, but it's lost its former glory.

The five-star hotel that once stood is now very quiet, with few visitors.

The legendary villas where every family is said to live.

Yixing is famous for its pufferfish, so we had to try it.

The pufferfish had tiny, prickly bones. As for taste... maybe we shouldn't have ordered it braised in soy sauce, as it masked its natural delicate flavor.

A pricey plate of knife fish dumplings.

We got stuck in traffic on the highway, crawling along at about 50 km/h.

Finally arrived in Yancheng. No delicacies can compare to the taste of home.

Experiencing farm life – being a fisherman was the happiest.

In the evening, we set off for Yangzhou.

On the highway, the car lost power while driving. Yuanyuan pulled over safely and discovered we were out of gas. Since it was a rental, the fuel gauge was different from our own car. We had carelessly overlooked something as crucial as refueling. Awkward with a capital A.

Just a few days ago, I'd seen a car that had stopped on the highway get hit again, causing a secondary accident. So we quickly got behind the guardrail and started searching Baidu for what to do.

Unexpectedly, right after we called, a roadside assistance vehicle suddenly pulled up next to us. When we asked, it turned out to be pure coincidence.

Their price quote felt like they were making it up as they went along, and they said they could only take us to the highway exit.

After much pleading and paying more, they agreed to take us to a gas station. When it was time to pay, Yuanyuan thought the price was still too steep and asked if they could lower it a bit. The two guys turned really nasty. Fine, they could've just said no – couldn't they just be civil? I yelled at them and they finally shut up.

Being towed along, I felt a bit uneasy, even thinking of scenes from horror movies. Haha.

Once in Yangzhou, we needed some barbecue to calm our nerves. Shang Laosan BBQ, which was featured on the documentary 'The Story of Chuan'er'. The large fatty skewers were delicious.

After the barbecue, another story unfolded. This Jiangnan trip was a spur-of-the-moment thing; we didn't plan much, assuming we could just book a place when we got there. But it turned out Yangzhou is a very small city, and with the May Day holiday, hotel availability was extremely tight.

We had painstakingly booked a room online, but when we arrived, the front desk told us it was gone. We called the booking website, and they eventually arranged another hotel. By then it was past 2 a.m. The room was of a 300-yuan standard, but we paid over 700. That was probably the worst value stay I've ever had.

We slept until we woke naturally. Yangzhou in May was gorgeous.

The Jiulufen Branch near Ge Garden: so-so ambience, so-so food – a typical breakfast spot near a tourist site.

The 'da zhu gan si' (braised shredded dry tofu) didn't even pass muster on knife skills.

Ge Garden, a private garden of a Qing dynasty salt merchant's residence in Yangzhou, famous for its bamboo groves and the rockeries representing the four seasons.

It's easy to stumble into tourist traps near scenic spots.

Then we drove to Yangzhou Toy City. The toys were incredibly cheap and of good quality; ones that normally sell for 70-80 yuan outside could be bought for 20 here. But due to the impact of e-commerce, business wasn't great, and many shops had closed. If tour groups must take you shopping, I think places like this would be much more popular. I ended up lugging several back.

I highly recommend this hidden gem: Heipi Shaguo (Black Skin Claypot), tucked in a small alley. It's not easy to find; near the city wall, first locate Donglin Duck Shop, then go into the alley next to it, and where you see a queue of people, that's the place.

The chicken feet are a must-order.

The city wall. It cost about 60 yuan per person to go up. The night view was fantastic.

Found this noodle shop online. It's a humble hole-in-the-wall that often makes me want to hop on a high-speed train just to eat there again. The portions are huge and delicious. I especially love the cured fish noodles. The fish is chewy, and the noodles are a bit on the dry side – it suits my taste perfectly.

The Ganxi Mansion, the largest and best-preserved private residence in Nanjing, is the ancestral home of actress Hai Qing.

Hong Mansion, a restaurant full of Republican-era charm.

Salted duck. The taste was okay, but if you can't finish it, don't take it away – you know the gamey smell.

First time trying 'opium fish', highly recommended.

Black truffle soup dumplings, nothing wrong except the price.

Presidential Palace – didn't go inside.

Among these cities, I surprisingly found Nanjing my favorite. The city is clean, the roads are wide, and it wasn't too crowded during May Day. Most importantly, I discovered great food here – the standards of a foodie are different indeed. Haha.