5-Day Self-Drive Tour Starting from Shanghai: Jiaxing, Huzhou, Gaochun, Xuyi, Huai'an in 2013 (Feiying Pagoda, Gaochun Old Street, Ming Ancestral Mausoleum, Qingyan Garden)

The 2013 National Day self-drive route was quite "winding," visiting and staying overnight in Jiaxing, Huzhou, Lishui, Gaochun, Nanjing, Xuyi, and Huai'an, covering a total distance of 1,399 km. According to plan, we should have returned to Shanghai on October 6, but due to the approaching typhoon "Fitow," we ended the trip one day early. On the way back to Shanghai, we couldn't avoid highway traffic jams. Shortly after entering the Beijing–Shanghai Expressway, we had to creep along at a "snail's pace." I exited the expressway at Gaoyou, took a detour along a provincial road running parallel to the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal, and later encountered another traffic jam on the Shenyang–Haikou Expressway. The drive from Huai'an to Shanghai, nearly 420 km, took over 7 hours. Compared to the National Day holidays of the previous two years, the weather in 2013 was excellent. Especially the blue skies captured in photos taken from October 2 to 5—truly uplifting.

Driving route map: red for outbound, blue for return.

October 1, 2013 (Huzhou weather: cloudy, 18–27°C)

Departed from home in Shanghai Pudong at 10:30.

11:05, arrived at the Linhai Highway tollgate on the Shenjiahu Expressway, cumulative mileage 25 km.

11:40, arrived at the Shanghai–Zhejiang mainline tollgate on the Shenjiahu Expressway, cumulative 84 km.

11:50, stopped at the Jiashan Service Area on the Shenjiahu Expressway, cumulative 98 km.

12:10, arrived at the Wangjiangjing tollgate on the Shenjiahu Expressway, cumulative 114 km.

Went to Jiaxing city center to buy Wenhu braised duck, 18 yuan/jin.

Headed to Wangjiangjing Town in Jiaxing.

Changhong Bridge, located in Wangjiangjing Town, Jiaxing. Spanning the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal, it is the largest stone arch bridge in Jiaxing and a rare giant three-arch solid-spandrel stone arch bridge on the Grand Canal. The Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal was listed as a sixth batch National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit in 2006. This bridge is an important cultural relic on the Grand Canal. Unfortunately, there is no national protection monument at the site, only a provincial one.

14:02, arrived at the Wangjiangjing tollgate on the Shenjiahu Expressway, cumulative 145 km.

14:45, stopped at the Nanxun Service Area on the Shenjiahu Expressway, cumulative 197 km.

15:10, arrived at the Huzhou North tollgate on the Hangzhou–Nanjing Expressway, cumulative 225 km.

Feiying Pagoda, designated by the State Council on January 13, 1988, as a third batch National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit, category: ancient architecture and historical memorial buildings, dating to the Southern Song dynasty. Park entry is free; a ticket to ascend the pagoda costs 15 yuan. The wonder of Feiying Pagoda lies in its pagoda-within-a-pagoda structure.

Drove a stretch of National Highway 104, then got back on the expressway at Changxing.

17:05, arrived at the Changxing tollgate on the Hangzhou–Nanjing Expressway, cumulative 260 km.

17:20, arrived at the Zhejiang–Jiangsu tollgate on the Hangzhou–Nanjing Expressway, cumulative 282 km.

18:19, stopped at the Donglushan Service Area on the Hangzhou–Nanjing Expressway, cumulative 376 km. Filled up with 93-octane gasoline for 210 yuan at 7.75 yuan/liter.

18:24, arrived at the Lishui East tollgate on the Hangzhou–Nanjing Expressway, cumulative 386 km.

First went to the China Resources Suguo in Lishui for dinner. Surprisingly, there was a branch of Huiwei Old Duck Vermicelli Soup, a well-known chain restaurant from Nanjing.

19:58, checked into the Jinjiang Inn Lishui Zhenzhu Road, standard room B at member price 142 yuan. Cumulative mileage 393 km.

October 2, 2013 (sunny turning partly cloudy, 15–26°C)

Below is the Jinjiang Inn Lishui Zhenzhu Road, newly opened on September 26, 2013.

Went to the Guihua Duck shop on Zhongda Street in Lishui to buy salted duck.

Drove to Gaochun. From Lishui to Gaochun one could take the Nanjing–Xuancheng Expressway, but due to congestion at the expressway entrance, we took the provincial road instead.

Gaochun Old Street was extremely crowded with tourists; unable to find a parking spot nearby, we parked in a residential compound.

Chunxi Town is the seat of the Gaochun district government and was recognized as a third batch Famous National Historical and Cultural Town. The town's most famous attraction is Gaochun Old Street, the best-preserved Ming-Qing era street in Jiangsu Province. On the old street, there is the Former Site of the New Fourth Army First Detachment Command, declared a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Unit in 1992.

Gaochun abounds in hairy crabs.

Gaochun Old Street is right next to the Guanxi River.

15:51, arrived at the Ninggao Road tollgate on the Nanjing–Xuancheng Expressway, cumulative 489 km.

16:06, arrived at the Airport Road tollgate on the Nanjing–Xuancheng Expressway, cumulative 509 km.

In the evening, went to the Shiziqiao (Lion Bridge) Food Street near Hunan Road in Nanjing for dinner.

18:43, arrived at the Nanjing Second Bridge tollgate on the Nanjing Ring Expressway, cumulative 576 km.

19:22, checked into Jinjiang Inn Nanjing Dachang Jingjiu Road, standard room B at member price 133 yuan. Cumulative 598 km.

October 3, 2013 (Xuyi weather: sunny to partly cloudy, 13–24°C)

Jinjiang Inn Nanjing Dachang Jingjiu Road.

Street view in Dachang, Nanjing.

10:15, arrived at the mainline tollgate on the Nanjing–Lianyungang Expressway, cumulative 610 km.

10:45, stopped at the Liuhe Service Area on the Nanjing–Lianyungang Expressway, cumulative 631 km. Filled 93-octane gasoline 180 yuan at 7.75 yuan/liter.

11:25, arrived at the Xuyi tollgate on the Xinyang Expressway, cumulative 697 km.

Xuyi crayfish is a household name in Shanghai. Starting from April 2013, Xuyi launched a one-year campaign offering free admission to all tourist attractions.

The Dìyī Shān (First Mountain) Inscriptions, designated by the State Council in May 2013 as a seventh batch National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit, category: cave temples and steles, dating from the Song dynasty to the Republic of China era. The Huai River flows past the side of First Mountain.

Tasted crayfish at a small shop in the county town; selected the kind priced at 38 yuan/jin, with a minimum purchase of 2 jin.

Headed to the Ming Ancestral Mausoleum; because of the many self-driving tourists, traffic police directed us to park quite far away, and we ended up walking nearly 8 km round trip.

Ming Ancestral Mausoleum, designated by the State Council on November 20, 1996, as a fourth batch National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit, category: ancient tombs, dating to the Ming dynasty.

17:45, arrived at the Xuyi tollgate on the Nanjing–Lianyungang Expressway, cumulative 736 km.

18:28, stopped at the Hongze Lake Service Area on the Nanjing–Lianyungang Expressway, cumulative 807 km.

18:59, arrived at the Huai'an South tollgate on the Nanjing–Lianyungang Expressway, cumulative 837 km.

20:40, checked into Jinjiang Inn Huai'an Economic Development Zone, standard room A at member price 141 yuan. Cumulative 865 km.

October 4, 2013 (Huai'an weather: sunny to partly cloudy, 12–24°C)

Jinjiang Inn Huai'an Economic Development Zone.

Wenlou Soup Dumpling Restaurant, a well-known time-honored brand in Huai'an, specializing in Huaiyang cuisine.

Soup dumplings awaiting steaming; there are several varieties of crab roe soup dumplings, the cheapest at 20 yuan each.

Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall, free admission.