Four-Day Tour of Nantong and Taizhou
I had long planned a trip for the May Day holiday. For me, the Jiangnan region in spring holds a special fondness, but tickets for popular routes are very hard to buy. Moreover, I often travel south and have already visited Suzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuxi, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Kunshan, Jiaxing, Shaoxing, and Ningbo. So this time I decided to choose a place I hadn't been to, and thus decided to travel to Nantong and Taizhou. I managed to snatch train tickets online 15 days in advance — if you're too slow, they sell out in seconds. Then I booked a hotel. Four days later, I secured return tickets and began to look forward to planning the itinerary.
On April 30, my wife worked during the day. After work, we took the Z51 train from Beijing to Nantong, soft sleeper, 18:54 to 8:20. We rested on the train overnight, ready to start sightseeing upon arrival the next morning.
On May 1, we arrived at Nantong Station at 8:20 sharp. After exiting, we took a taxi to the hotel. The hotel was named Meiqin, located at the north gate of Nantong University's new campus, close to Langshan Scenic Area. We checked in, rested briefly, and then took a taxi to Langshan Scenic Area as our first stop. Passing by the botanical garden along the way, we arrived in about ten minutes. Langshan is the most famous scenic spot in Nantong. Five small hills stand along the Yangtze River — the other four are Jianshan, Junshan, Huangnishan, and Ma'anshan. Langshan was originally an isolated island in the Yangtze, and its name appears in the account of Monk Jianzhen's eastward journey, "The Biography of the Great Tang Monk on His Eastern Journey": "On the 27th day of the sixth month, we set out from Chongfu Temple, took a boat down to Langshan in Changzhou Prefecture. The wind was fierce and the waves high, and the mountain seemed to spin." It is now a national 4A-level tourist attraction and one of the Ten Scenes of Jiangnan, known as the "First Mountain of Rivers and Seas." The mountain is not high, only 109 meters above sea level, but it stands tall and elegant by the Yangtze, with beautiful scenery. The tomb of Luo Binwang, one of the Four Great Poets of the Early Tang, is at the foot of the mountain. On the mountain are Guangjiao Temple, with the Zhiyun Pagoda towering at the summit; many cliff inscriptions dating from the Tang dynasty onward; and Linxi Jingshe, the Zhao Hui Shen Xiu Building, and Zhang Jian Garden. The lake and mountain views are picturesque. Coming out from the south gate, you can walk to the Riverside Park and enjoy the majestic beauty of the Yangtze.
From the riverside, we took a taxi to Seyuan, the cemetery of Zhang Jian and his son Xiaoruo. It is now a national key cultural relic protection unit. The tombs of the Zhangs were damaged during the Cultural Revolution and were restored in the 1980s. Zhang Jian's tomb had a bronze statue that was also smashed during the Cultural Revolution; it was recast in 1985. The garden includes Qiting (a charming Chinese-Western style building) and Xiangtang (now an exhibition hall). There is a small Jiangnan garden called Huanxi Guanyu, and a large Magnolia Lake for strolling. The garden is densely forested, with flowers blooming in all seasons, making the scenery very beautiful.
After leaving Seyuan, we crossed the road to Nantong University. We originally wanted to visit the campus — partly because our hotel, Meiqin, was on the other side of the campus, and partly to experience the atmosphere of the university — but the security guard absolutely refused to let us in, citing school regulations. In the end, we took a taxi for a 2-kilometer detour back to the hotel.
After dinner, we took a taxi to Haohe Scenic Area to see the night view. We returned to the hotel about an hour later.
On May 2, we got up at 6:30, washed up, and had breakfast at 7:00. After breakfast, we checked out and took a taxi to Haohe Scenic Area. Our first stop was Haonan Bieye — Nantong Museum, now a national key cultural relic protection unit. Haonan Bieye was Zhang Jian's residence, a three-story Western-style villa. Next to it is China's first museum, founded by Zhang Jian in 1905, consisting of a new building and an old one. The new building houses exhibitions on Nantong's history and natural history; the old building is the original museum founded by Zhang Jian, comprising four small buildings in the south, center, north, and east, along with other structures. Zhang Jian spent his life promoting industry, education, and charity. Although he worked mainly in one county, he always had a global perspective. The first museum he founded in China is still open to the public. He also created many other 'firsts' that continue to benefit later generations. Truly, half the history of Nantong is about Zhang Jian!
Around 11:00, we left the museum, crossed Haohe River, and visited Wenfeng Pagoda, an ancient pagoda built during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The pagoda courtyard now houses a gallery for a modern painter.
Around 12:00, we had lunch at a noodle shop next to Wenfeng Pagoda. The noodles were delicate and tasty. After lunch, around 13:00, we walked north along the east bank of Haohe to the north side of Haohe, then took a taxi to the station to catch the C426 train from Nantong to Taizhou, 14:50 to 15:57.
After about an hour, we arrived in Taizhou on time and took a taxi to check into the New Era Kaitai Hotel. We rested until 17:00, then had dinner at the hotel's Chinese restaurant, Hailing Hall. After dinner, we rested for half an hour and then went swimming in the hotel pool.
On May 3, we got up at 6:30 and had breakfast at 7:00. Then we took a taxi to Jiangyan Qintong Ancient Town, a small town surrounded by water and known for producing many talented people: one family produced two top scholars and three academicians from the same clan. It also has the world's oldest camellia tree, which has weathered the winds of the Song and Yuan dynasties and the rains of the Ming and Qing. This 4A-level town, adjacent to the 5A-level Qinhu National Wetland Park, is simply stunning. It is a perfect blend of cultural history and natural ecology!
Around 4:00 PM, we returned to the hotel, rested for an hour, had dinner, and then went swimming for another hour.
On May 4, we got up at 6:30 and had breakfast at 7:00. Then we took a taxi to the Fengcheng River scenic area. Our first stop was Mei Garden, the memorial hall for Mei Lanfang, a delicate southern garden-style building that exhibits his life story.
Second stop: Across the road is Taizhou Old Street, next to Peach Garden, built in memory of Kong Shangren's "Peach Blossom Fan" from the Qing dynasty. Within the garden is Yi Garden, which was Kong Shangren's former residence in Taizhou.
Third stop: Willow Garden. From Peach Garden, we walked along Sanshui Bay and the cultural-commercial district to reach Willow Garden. This was built to commemorate Liu Jingting, the famous storytelling master from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.
Fourth stop: Nanshan Temple Pagoda and Wenchang Pavilion. From Willow Garden, we crossed the Fengcheng River via a boardwalk and walked to Nanshan Temple Pagoda, a newly built structure with an underground palace open for visits. Then we walked to Wenchang Pavilion, also newly built.
At noon, we took a taxi back to the hotel, had lunch, rested for about two hours, and then checked out.
In the afternoon, we took a taxi to the Wanghai Tower scenic area. We could climb the tower, and there were many attractions to see. After that, we walked about 1.2 kilometers to Qiao Garden, the private garden of Qiao Songnian, the salt commissioner of the Lianghuai region in the Qing dynasty. It is now a national key cultural relic protection unit and is known as the "Number One Garden East of the Huai River."
Nearby is the pedestrian street Shisheng Street, and to the north is Salt Tax Street, both ancient streets. At around 16:45, we took a taxi to the train station and boarded G2590, 18:02 to 23:29, from Taizhou to Beijing South Station, returning to Beijing and ending this pleasant trip.
During this four-day trip, there were many other places I wanted to visit but didn't have time for, such as the Dasheng Cotton Mill site founded by Zhang Jian, Dasheng Dock, Junshan, Jianshan in Nantong; and in Taizhou, Chongru Temple, Dutian Palace, Xuezheng Examination Hall, Taizhou Old Street, Taiba Government Office, Daohe Block, Lizhong Water Forest Scenic Area, Qianduo Scenic Area, and Shi Nai'an Cultural Park. I'll save them for another trip.
