Autumn Trip to Jiangnan: A Week-Long Journey Featuring Free Red Leaves, Gingko and Red Walls, Little Bridges over Flowing Streams, Jiangnan Gardens, and City Nightscapes
No long holiday because you're working non-stop?
Want to travel but can't find a buddy?
Can't go abroad due to the pandemic?
Well, I can't really solve any of those problems for you.
But I can recommend a one-week autumn route packed with free sights,
including red leaves, gingko trees against red walls, classic Jiangnan water-town scenes, Jiangnan gardens, and urban night views.
Let me take you through it.
A flight from Guangzhou to Nanjing costs under 300 yuan β definitely book it.
It seems flights from most cities across the country to Nanjing are also reasonably priced, so keep an eye out.
Before departure I read a lot about Nanjing,
and it appeared to be a rather laid-back city with a history as the ancient capital of six dynasties.
The feng shui layout of Nanjing is quite interesting;
feel free to look it up yourself β I won't go into detail here.
Touching down in Nanjing, I finally felt I'd arrived in a city where autumn really exists.
My first stop was the Gingko Valley in Qingliangshan Park,
where a vast swath of golden gingko leaves gave me exactly the autumn colors I was after.
The valley is home to over 300 gingko trees,
and mid-November is prime viewing season.
The park even holds a month-long "Qingliangshan Gingko Cultural Tourism Festival."
This time I arrived a little late,
but apart from the thick layer of fallen leaves on the ground,
the trees were still lush with golden foliage and just as beautiful.
With the crowd thinning out, I quickly set up my tripod to capture myself immersed in the autumn scenery (a wide-angle lens is a great tool for making your legs look miles long).
Just as I was enjoying my solo shoot,
two young women suddenly appeared in front of my camera, watching me intently.
Out of politeness, I chatted with them and learned they were also traveling in Nanjing.
They had a flight back home that evening, so this was their last sight.
I offered to take a few photos of them, and they also took a Polaroid of me. We exchanged WeChat and said goodbye.
After they left, I kept hunting for the right angles for my self-portraits here.
But as more people arrived I gave up and moved on to the next spot. (Apologies for the many selfies!)
There were about two more hours before sunset,
so I hopped in a taxi from the Gingko Valley straight to Mochou Lake Park.
Chatting with the driver, I learned that Mochou Lake Park is a place Nanjing locals often visit,
though it's not free. The ticket isn't expensive, around 35 yuan,
but the guard at the gate will have you scan a QR code and you only pay 20 yuan.
Don't ask me why.
The scenic area around Mochou Lake is a classic Jiangnan garden, a celebrated site going back to the Six Dynasties.
There's an exhibition about the story of Mochou if you're interested.
I had a short stroll, taking in the park's red maple and gingko leaves along the way.
I'd planned to walk around the lake,
but it was so chilly by the water this time of year.
The sky was also getting dark,
and after a short while my nose felt like it was about to freeze off, so I beat a hasty retreat.
That evening I went to the Confucius Temple Pedestrian Street,
but I was busy shooting video and didn't take any photos, so you'll have to see the video at the beginning for this part.
Confucius Temple is similar to Beijing Road in Guangzhou, Kuanzhai Alley in Chengdu, or Wangfujing in Beijing β
great for wandering, snacking, and taking videos or photos to make your friends drool on social media.
Day two, I slept in and set off after breakfast (or maybe lunch?) of a steamer of soup dumplings and a bowl of duck-blood wontons.
While I'm at it, let me also recommend the duck-blood vermicelli soup and the handmade fish-cutlet noodles I had the day before β cheap and delicious.
But... I forgot the name of the place. There are quite a few handmade noodle shops in Nanjing.
I took the metro to Gulou Station, and from there it was a five-minute walk.
Nanjing Drum Tower was originally built in 1382 (the 15th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming dynasty),
grand in scale and of very high status, though later destroyed in war.
Today's Drum Tower Park is quite small and you can see the whole thing in half an hour,
but if you enjoy taking photos, you can easily spend over an hour there β like me.
Red walls, yellow leaves, the perfect sunlight β it's a photographer's playground.
From the metro, another short walk brought me to one of the gates of Xuanwu Lake Park.
Right at the entrance I bumped into a tour group of Cantonese-speaking visitors just leaving;
they gathered for a group photo by the gate and looked like they'd seen most of what there was to see β while I was just on my way in (cue eye roll).
I hadn't intended to walk the whole park anyway, since it's quite big and tiring;
I came mainly to photograph the gingko-lined avenue here at dusk.
(On the way I encountered several master photographers capturing the landscape; I waited patiently until they finished before setting up my tripod for my own selfies.)
Xuanwu Lake Park is free; the adjacent city wall costs 30 yuan to climb.
The park is quite large β for more, check the video at the beginning.
In the evening you can visit Laomendong nearby, right next to the Confucius Temple area,
but I didn't make it there either; I just shot a few video clips and left.
Because... I'm lazy.
An early start took me on the high-speed train to Shaoxing North Station.
Anchang Ancient Town isn't far from the station;
you can take a taxi or a bus.
The town isn't very big; a day of strolling will do it. There's no entry fee,
though some individual attractions require tickets (you can buy a combo ticket),
but I wasn't in the mood for those so I passed.
It's a great place for photography, especially for the cured meats and the classic Jiangnan water-town vibe.
If you come in the twelfth lunar month you can catch the "Twelfth Month Folk Festival"
and photograph rich folk activities, but I didn't have that luck.
If you're a fan of cured meats, you can buy and courier them home from here.
I took a careful look at the production process β quite interesting β and quickly snapped a photo.
I sampled a tiny cured quail: hmm... not very tasty, the meat a bit greasy and tough.
Maybe it needs just the right cooking method to bring out the flavor.
The stinky tofu was also average, not as good as what I had in Zhuji, so I decided to concentrate on photography.
The next day I took a bus to Lu Xun's Hometown. Entry to all sights here is free with your ID card.
I mainly visited the Sanwei Study, the Baicao Garden, Lu Xun's Former Residence, and the Lu Xun Memorial Hall.
Lu Xun's family property wasn't small at all β half a day passed quickly just exploring.
You can also tour the area on a local black-awning boat,
though I think it's better to take one at Cangqiao Straight Street, where the canals are wider.
Check the prices online before you go.
Shaoxing is a fairly laid-back city, and on ordinary days the scenic spots aren't too crowded, so you can wander at leisure.
The architecture of Lu Xun's Former Residence is typical traditional Jiangnan residential style:
white walls and dark tiles, with a layout similar to a northern courtyard house.
It faces south for better indoor light;
wooden beams bear the weight, with walls of brick, stone, and rammed earth for protection.
The main hall is the centerpiece, with elaborate carved beams and painted rafters, and decorative roof ridges and eaves.
Baicao Garden is in the backyard of the residence,
once a shared vegetable plot for the Zhou family and a few neighbors.
It was where Lu Xun played as a child,
and through young Lu Xun's eyes, the garden was a vibrant paradise full of life and fun.
I love places like that too.
When I was little, I was quite the playful child, catching fish in streams, running wild in the fields, climbing trees for wild fruit.
Those times remain some of my most vivid and happy memories.
I won't go into detail about the Sanwei Study here β we all studied that text in school;
if you're interested, you can revisit the scene of Lu Xun's schooldays described there.
Inside Lu Xun's Former Residence there's also a model showing old Shaoxing folk customs,
lifelike and very interesting.
As a tourist site, of course there are some "curious" souvenirs and local specialties:
Shaoxing's specialty is yellow rice wine, especially when served warm β it goes down easily.
After half a day's exploring I was hungry.
Nearby there's a reasonably priced restaurant that serves generous portions called "Nongxiao Shitang" (Agricultural College Canteen).
A local friend took me there;
I've been to Shaoxing twice, and both times we ate there.
Now the place has been renovated and prices have crept up a bit,
and the braised pork with fish head is gone β such a loss.
But the other dishes remain unchanged; I particularly like their drunken crab made with yellow wine.
The "Shao San Xian" (Shaoxing three-fresh soup) is also good.
With a full stomach and a short rest,
I hailed a Didi to the next spot.
Cangqiao Straight Street stretches 1.5 kilometers,
harmonizing canals, folk houses, and neighborhoods.
Most of the houses date from the late Qing and early Republican periods.
On both sides of the street you'll find traditional shops and restaurants.
The local authorities have also set up galleries for Yue opera, yellow wine, local theatre, and calligraphy/painting.
The area is predominantly traditional water-town dwellings,
and every backyard has its own little river landing,
forming a classic "one canal, five streets" pattern typical of old Shaoxing,
steeped in Jiangnan water-town atmosphere.
The canal here is wider than the one at Lu Xun's Hometown,
and there are more traditional houses.
So if you want a ride on a black-awning boat, I'd suggest this spot.
There are three boat docks along the canal,
each offering different route lengths,
so the fares vary.
Last year my friend brought me here,
so I'll share a few portraits she took for me then.
And as thanks, I also took some for her.
Let me properly introduce this friend:
I met her in a youth hostel last year; she was studying at university in Shaoxing and really knows the city.
That's why part of my itinerary came from her advice,
though I didn't actually visit that many places β
again, because I'm lazy... I don't like packing my schedule too full.
If you get hungry wandering Cangqiao Straight Street,
there's an authentic Shaoxing restaurant here called "Aqiu Shiwantou."
Good food, fair prices, traditional decor; it's a spot locals frequent.
My friend and I ordered four dishes and a pot of warm yellow wine; the bill came to less than 120 yuan.
We probably only ate half of everything;
I'd say four dishes are enough for three or four people.
That was it for the day; I said goodbye to my friend.
There really wasn't anything I wanted to do in Shaoxing at night.
There's probably a shopping mall nearby for eating and strolling,
but that's no different from any other city.
So I rested up, and the next morning took the high-speed train to Shanghai.
I then made my way to this great metropolis,
heading straight for the must-visit spots for first-time Shanghai visitors: City God Temple and Yu Garden.
Honestly, I'm not a fan of crowds,
I just strolled through City God Temple on my way to Yu Garden.
Take the metro to Yuyuan Station, and it's just a short walk.
On the way I met an American family traveling in China
who asked me how to get to Yu Garden.
I told them I was a tourist too,
and we chatted for a bit.
They thought I was from Hong Kong, which was funny.
Eventually we asked others for directions and walked to the Yu Garden area together, then split up.
Yu Garden was originally a private garden from the Ming dynasty.
Inside there are halls like the Sui Hall, Iron Lion, Quick Building, Moon-Gaining Tower, Jade Exquisite Stone, Jade-Water Corridor, Listening-to-the-Waves Pavilion, Hanbi Tower, Inner Garden Quiet-Viewing Hall, and the ancient stage, along with rockeries, ponds, and over forty ancient structures.
A resident cat in the garden became a star for many visitors' cameras.
Watching it lounge lazily in the sun,
it seemed well accustomed to being a model dealing with long lenses and big equipment.
You'll also find plenty of Shanghai street snacks here,
but the prices aren't particularly kind.
It's better to wander, snack and shop in the smaller stores along Shanghai Old Street.
For instance, these salty egg yolk and preserved vegetable crispy pancakes β
great price, crispy and delicious.
I wolfed down three at once,
and immediately felt my throat go dry β a classic case of "heatiness."
Delicious, but best not to overdo it.
Also, around the fifteenth day of the first lunar month each year,
the City God Temple hosts a lively Lantern Festival celebration.
If you're interested, you could time your visit for that and join the bustle.
The night view on the Bund is another must-see for first-timers to Shanghai,
the Oriental Pearl TV Tower on the other side just begging for a souvenir selfie β
though, oops, I didn't take one.
At night, with the Huangpu River breeze blowing,
watching the glittering towers opposite and the advertising boats drifting on the water,
then turning back to look at the Western-style buildings on this side,
the Bund really is a delight. Just avoid the national holidays.
The most expensive ticket on this trip was for the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium, at 160 yuan.
Considering the variety of sea creatures inside,
and the chance to see adorable penguins,
I guess I got my money's worth. A good place for parents with kids.
What was that hanging on the cluelessly lovable penguin's wing? I didn't notice at the time.
The jellyfish area is perfect for snapping someone with the creatures in the background.
When you get tired, there's a "Xiao Yang's Pan-Fried Buns" right next door,
but it's quite crowded and you need to queue. Even on a normal day, it's busy.
The shengjian buns taste really good, and the price is moderate.
On my last afternoon,
I chose to check out the 1933 Old Millfun creative park,
basically wanting to have some fun with photography.
Unfortunately the weather wasn't great,
so I wasn't really in the mood and left after a short walk.
But the nearby alleyways caught my eye,
so I decided to just wander and shoot.
Later I happened to see on a magazine cover that Lin Gengxin and Zhao Youting had done a photo shoot around here;
that was pretty cool.
(The photo above is from the internet; will remove if infringing~)
Went back to stroll the Bund one more time that evening; the journey basically ended there, and I headed home the next day.
I travel alone,
and I'm not too fussy about accommodation,
so I won't recommend any.
Just use the major booking apps, search in your price range, and compare cost-effectiveness.
Itinerary:
1. A short video and some photos first
2. Self-introduction
3. Trip map
4. Day 1 β Qingliangshan Park Gingko Valley
5. Day 1 β Mochou Lake Park
6. Day 1 β Confucius Temple Pedestrian Street
7. Day 2 β Nanjing Drum Tower
8. Day 2 β Xuanwu Lake Park
9. Day 2 β Confucius Temple Pedestrian Street (Laomendong)
10. Day 3 β Shaoxing Anchang Ancient Town
11. Day 4 β Lu Xun's Hometown
12. Day 4 β Cangqiao Straight Street
13. Day 5 β City God Temple, Yu Garden
14. Day 5 β The Bund
15. Day 6 β Shanghai Ocean Aquarium
16. Day 6 β 1933 Old Millfun + old Shanghai alleys
17. Day 7 β Homeward journey
18. About accommodation
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