An 8-Day Trip to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai in the Post-Pandemic Era

2020 was destined to leave memories. The Xi'an trip planned for the Spring Festival, with flights and hotels all booked, was thrown into disarray by the sudden COVID-19 outbreak. And there seemed to be no sign of improvement. By the May Day holiday—which for the first time in years had a five-day break—the pandemic had eased a lot. I planned a Nanjing trip, but it fell through because of my workplace's prevention requirements. After that, there were no more long holidays until National Day, when the domestic situation stabilized and the whole country was low-risk. Having not traveled for nearly a year, I snapped up a bargain flight from China Southern Airlines and took my parents on an eight-day trip to Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Shanghai.

Preparations

Once the destinations were decided, the first thing was to book hotels. I usually go for chain hotels—not too pricey, standardized management, neither great nor terrible. The pandemic had hit tourism hard. Although hotel rates rose a bit during the National Day holiday, they didn’t double or triple like in previous years. Based on our itinerary, I quickly locked in our hotels: Ibis Hangzhou Wensan Road and Hanting Suzhou Shantang Street, both family rooms, and they were pretty good overall.

Then came the flights. Initially we planned only Suzhou and Hangzhou, without Shanghai, and I was budgeting for high-speed train tickets. Later I saw on the China Southern website a flight from Shanghai to Guiyang on the evening of the 8th for only 280 yuan, and it was a large 787 aircraft. I immediately booked the return flight, adding a day in Shanghai to our itinerary. Next, I kept an eye on the Guiyang–Hangzhou flight. The fare fluctuated—from over 500 to more than 600, then back to over 500. The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, it suddenly dropped to 460 yuan. With taxes and surcharges, it was still over 100 yuan cheaper than the high-speed train, so I booked it right away.

Cost Overview

This Mid-Autumn & National Day double holiday trip was quite a bargain, with transportation costs about a third lower than expected.

Major transport: Guiyang–Hangzhou flight (incl. fuel) 510 yuan per person, Shanghai–Guiyang flight (incl. fuel) 330 yuan per person. Airport shuttle buses total (60+20+25) = 105 yuan per person. The three cities are close, so we took direct express trains, to enjoy the scenery and save money: Hangzhou–Suzhou 41.5 yuan/person, Suzhou–Shanghai 14.5 yuan/person. Total around 3,000 yuan.

Local transport: all by bus and metro, not carefully tracked, but no more than 70 yuan per person; estimate 200 yuan total.

Hotels: 4 nights in Hangzhou at 283/night, 3 nights in Suzhou at 223/night, total 1,800 yuan.

Admission: Liangzhu National Archaeological Site Park 60 yuan, Wansong Academy 10 yuan, Qian Wang Temple 15 yuan, Hanshan Temple 20 yuan, Humble Administrator’s Garden 80 yuan. These are adult ticket prices. Dad is over 70, so free; Mom is 65 and got half-price; total 280 yuan. A reminder: due to pandemic control, both free and paid attractions require advance reservations. Check the scenic spot’s official account or local government announcements for the booking window and book as early as possible.

Souvenirs: bought a few fridge magnets and bookmarks for friends, about 220 yuan.

Food: I’m not too particular about this. We basically ate at random local eateries, and for far-flung spots, we brought our own snacks, so spending was low, under 900 yuan total.

Total for 3 people, 8 days, around 6,400 yuan. Very good value.

Itinerary

Day 1, October 1: From home to Hangzhou. Almost a full day on the road.

I booked China Southern flight CZ6381, departing Guiyang Longdongbao Airport at 2:40 p.m., arriving Hangzhou Xiaoshan at 4:45 p.m. To be safe, I bought a 10:30 bus ticket from Anshun to Guiyang Airport. It didn’t disappoint—normally the journey takes 1.5 hours, but holiday traffic turned it into 2.5 hours, so we didn’t reach the airport until almost 1 p.m. Fortunately, we had very little luggage, no need for check-in. After printing boarding passes, security was quick, and we were soon in the departure lounge.

The flight was uneventful, no delay, arrived on time at Xiaoshan Airport. Currently, there is no metro from Xiaoshan to downtown Hangzhou, so we took the airport shuttle. Based on our hotel location, we got off at Wulinmen, 20 yuan per person, then transferred to a bus to reach the hotel. It was already past 6 p.m., just dinnertime. On our first day out, not yet sure what food was nearby, we simply ordered delivery to fill our stomachs and looked forward to the journey starting the next day.

Day 2, October 2: Liangzhu National Archaeological Site Park, Liangzhu Museum

First, a note about our Hangzhou hotel: the booking included only one breakfast, but since the hotel restaurant wasn't ready, the front desk gave each of us a 15-yuan voucher for Xinfeng Snacks, a local breakfast spot. The variety was great—xiaolongbao, noodles, vermicelli soup, wontons, steamed buns, bread, milk, yogurt, soy milk, etc. It easily met our breakfast needs. Our family eats small portions; we couldn't finish everything, so we packed the leftovers as snacks. That kept our food spending low in Hangzhou.

Liangzhu Site, in Yuhang District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, is no stranger to history buffs. Discovered in the 1920s and with nearly a century of archaeological excavation, it pushed the history of rice cultivation in China back to around 6,000 years ago, providing archaeological support for the theory that both the Yangtze and Yellow River valleys are cradles of Chinese civilization. Artifacts from the site are mainly housed in the Liangzhu Museum and Zhejiang Provincial Museum. In 2019, the Liangzhu Site successfully applied for World Cultural Heritage status, greatly boosting its fame. The National Archaeological Site Park, built later, opened on a trial basis late last year. As a history major and archaeology enthusiast, I made this my first stop. The site park admission is 60 yuan; the museum is free. Both require advance online reservations.

We went to the site park first. It was quite far, a bus ride with one transfer, about 1.5 hours. Arrived at the south gate entrance around 10 a.m. After exchanging tickets at the service center, we queued to enter. You can follow the park's WeChat account for routes and audio guides. About 100 meters in, there's a sightseeing bus ticket office—20 yuan per person. I recommend it unless you have a special interest in studying the site slowly, because it’s really large. (Don’t ask how I know.) Perhaps because it’s still under development, the scenery was stunning—photos taken with a phone, no filter, looked beautiful. But as an archaeological site park, personally, it still has some way to go compared to the Hanyangling Archaeological Site Park.

After about four hours, we went from the site park to the Liangzhu Museum, located in Liangzhu Meilizhou Park, which also has the Meilizhou Church. The distance between them is three or four kilometers. We took a bus and arrived around 3 p.m., showed our reservation codes and health codes, and entered.

The Liangzhu Museum, built in the 1990s, mainly houses Liangzhu artifacts. This time, the temporary exhibition hall featured a photo introduction and materials on the World Heritage application.

Due to the pandemic, following the advice to spend about an hour in relatively enclosed spaces like museums, we quickly browsed the sections we were interested in and left.

As usual, we took the bus back. There was a fast-food place downstairs from the hotel. Not being foodies, we just packed some braised pork, shredded potato, and green beans & eggplant to eat in the room. I thought the taste was quite good, and the prices were reasonable. For the rest of our Hangzhou days, we ate fast food there.

Day 3, October 3: Wansong Academy, Qian Wang Temple, Su Dongpo Memorial Hall, Su Causeway

A trip to Hangzhou isn't complete without West Lake. But the scenic area is huge; a full tour would take days. So I picked a few spots of interest and visited them in two separate outings.

Wansong Academy, on the southern edge of West Lake at Fenghuang Mountain’s Wansong Ridge, was first built in the 11th year of the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty (1498). Once called Taihe Academy and Fuwen Academy, it was the largest, longest-standing, and most influential gathering place for literati in Ming and Qing Hangzhou. Great scholars like Wang Yangming of the Ming and Qi Zhaonan of the Qing lectured here; the 'Suiyuan poet' Yuan Mei also studied here. When Qing emperors Kangxi and Qianlong visited the south, they bestowed plaques reading 'Zhe Shui Fu Wen' and 'Hu Shan Cui Xiu.' Nowadays, many know it from the legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai—it's said to be where they met and fell in love. So when you climb the steps, you'll see the roadside covered with matchmaking ads, almost all placed by parents on behalf of their children. After walking this short 'matchmaking street,' you finally enter the academy proper.

The academy is not large. Main structures include Yangsheng Gate, Mingdao Hall, Dacheng Hall, and Yuxiu Pavilion. Yuxiu Pavilion was originally a guesthouse for visiting scholars; now it houses the 'Liang-Zhu Study,' recreating the scene of the two studying diligently shoulder to shoulder. Mingdao Hall served as the lecture hall, with exhibits on China’s imperial examination culture. Dacheng Hall is for worshipping Confucius, featuring a mural of 'Confucius Teaching.' An hour is enough for a thorough visit.

Leaving Wansong Academy, we headed to Qian Wang Temple, 2 km away. We planned to take a bus, but seeing heavy traffic around West Lake, we walked instead.

Qian Wang Temple was originally built in the 10th year of the Xining reign of the Northern Song Dynasty (1077) to honor the achievements of the Qian kings of Wuyue. The current structures are reconstructions; only the Eight-Character Wall survives from the original. To uncover Hangzhou’s historical and cultural depth and restore historical landscapes, the city government rebuilt the ancient temple in 2001 on its original site—now part of the Orioles Singing in the Willows park on the southern line of West Lake. After expert design and citizen voting, the reconstruction plan was finalized, with construction starting in February 2002 and completed just before National Day 2003. The temple restored the statues of the three generations and five kings of the Wuyue Qian family, the Merit Archway, and main halls. The rebuilt temple covers 11,300 sq m with a building area of 4,600 sq m. Inside, there are exhibitions of Qian family historical traces, and high-tech sound, light, and electronic displays recreating scenes like 'King Qian Building the Sea Wall'—steeped in ancient charm. There’s also an ancient stage performing 'The Story of Qian Liu' and Kunqu, Peking, and Yue operas. The rebuilt temple blends seamlessly with Orioles Singing in the Willows, forming a new garden attraction for sightseeing, cultural presentation, and historical research.

The temple itself is small and can be toured in an hour.

Leaving the temple, we strolled along West Lake. In October, it was still lush and green, with willow branches swaying and emerald water. Phone photos even turned out a bit bluish, as if we were by the sea.

We walked on to Su Causeway. Next to the entrance is a two-story Su Dongpo Memorial Hall, though only the ground floor was open. Inside were photo and text introductions about Su Dongpo’s tenure in Hangzhou and other 'West Lakes' around China. We looked through carefully, then exited to walk the causeway.

The current Su Causeway is 3.2 km long, spanning six stone arch bridges: Yingbo, Suolan, Wangshan, Yadi, Dongpu, and Kuahong. In fact, today’s causeway is no longer the one built by Su Dongpo when he dredged West Lake. After renovations through dynasties, it now looks like an ordinary road. Most visitors probably come more for the poet’s renown.

At the end of the causeway, across the road, is Yue Fei Temple. But it was late, and the crossing was far away, so we didn’t bother going in. We snapped a photo and took the bus back.

Day 4, October 4: Zhejiang Provincial Museum (Wulin Branch), water bus, Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal Museum, Jiangshu Railway Relics Park, Hefang Street

Zhejiang Provincial Museum has three branches: Wulin, Gushan, and Zhejiang Art Museum. Not much into art, I only visited the first two. Today, we went to Wulin Branch, about half an hour by bus. Walking to the museum, we passed the Grand Canal.

The permanent exhibitions at Wulin Branch are 'Songs of the Yue Land—Zhejiang History and Culture' on the first floor and 'Qianjiang Tide—Zhejiang Modern Revolutionary History' on the second. The third floor features special displays like 'Between Mountains and Waters—Huang Gongwang’s Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains and Ming-Qing Landscape Paintings from the Collection,' 'Extraordinary Voices—Chinese Guqin as World Intangible Heritage,' 'Ingenuity Shines—Zhejiang Folk Plastic Arts,' and 'Ten Miles of Red Dowry—Red-Lacquer Furniture in Ningbo-Shaoxing Wedding Customs.' The basement temporary exhibition hall was closed when we visited.

A museum visit takes about 3 hours. Afterward, following my pre-trip research, we walked to Hangzhou Water Bus Wulinmen Dock and took Water Bus Line 1 to Gongchen Bridge Dock, fare 3 yuan. Whenever I travel, I try to find a local water bus along a river or canal to ride. During the holiday, besides locals, there must have been many tourists like us ticking it off their list.

The boat we took had a slightly retro look. After about 40 minutes, we arrived at the dock, right behind the Ming Dynasty’s Gongchen Bridge.

The Grand Canal Museum is at Canal Square. Past lunchtime, we first filled our stomachs, planning to try the famous Jiangzhe pan-fried buns. We chose the well-reviewed Yaobudé Gaozu Shengjian, ordering two portions of shrimp shengjian and one olive vegetable & sausage fried rice. As someone who accepts all regional cuisines, everything tasted good to me.

The China Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal Museum is on the south side of Canal Culture Square in Gongshu District, adjacent to Gongchen Bridge, the southern terminus marker of the canal. It has a building area of over 10,000 sq m and exhibition space of over 5,000 sq m, divided into an atrium and four halls: 'Excavation and Evolution of the Grand Canal,' 'Utilization of the Grand Canal,' 'Cities Along the Canal,' and 'Canal Culture.' Thousands of artifacts and historical materials on display illustrate the canal’s role in Chinese history. On entering the first floor, there’s an ancient ship in the center and, on the right, an introduction to famous canals worldwide.

I had planned indoor spots today because of the rain forecast. But after leaving the canal museum, it was still early, and we were reluctant to just go back. Luckily, the rain was light, so we opened umbrellas and wandered somewhat aimlessly to Jiangshu Railway Relics Park.

The over 16-km Jiangshu Railway was Zhejiang’s first railway, opened in 1907, and dismantled by the invading Japanese army in 1944, leaving only parts of the roadbed. Later, the Hangzhou city government built the Jiangshu Railway Relics Park here, covering about 10 mu. The park recreates a clock tower, waiting room, old locomotive, and sections of track.

The park also serves as a constitution education base, with the four sides of the clock tower introducing the four revisions of China’s constitution in 1956, 1975, 1978, and 1982. Inside the waiting room is the Jiangshu Railway Relics Exhibition Hall, but it wasn’t open.

After the park, we took a bus to Hefang Street. Every city has one of these streets—under the banner of culture, with similar-looking buildings and similar goods, drawing tourists from all over. Hefang Street is no different. Apart from the ubiquitous stinky tofu, fried skewers, and candied hawthorns, perhaps its distinction lies in the many shops selling West Lake Longjing tea.

We wandered aimlessly for a bit, then headed back to the hotel.

Day 5, October 5: Xiling Seal Society, Zhejiang Provincial Museum (Gushan Branch), Bai Causeway, Hangzhou Confucius Temple, Hangzhou to Suzhou

According to the plan, we were heading to Suzhou tonight, so after getting up, we checked out, had breakfast, and took a bus to the Xiling Seal Society on Gushan (Solitary Hill) by West Lake.

Xiling Seal Society was founded in 1904 (30th year of the Guangxu era) by Zhejiang school seal carvers Ding Fuzhi, Wang Fu’an, Wu Yin, Ye Weiming and others, with Wu Changshuo as the first president. Its mission is 'to preserve epigraphy, study seal-engraving, and engage in calligraphy and painting.' It is the longest-standing, highest-achieving, and most internationally influential folk art group researching seals, calligraphy, and painting, known as the 'Number One Society Under Heaven.' Covering 7,090 sq m with a building area of 1,750 sq m, its pavilions, terraces, and towers are artfully arranged along the hillside, layered but orderly. Main buildings include Bai Hall, Bamboo Pavilion, Yangxian Pavilion, and Huanpu Jingshe, all adorned with plaques and couplets. Outside, cliff carvings and inscriptions by famous artists are everywhere. In 1961, it was designated a key cultural heritage site by the Zhejiang Provincial Government.

I’d originally wanted to have a seal carved, but it was too crowded, and we were pressed for time, so I gave up. After leaving the society, a few hundred meters’ walk led to the Gushan branch of the provincial museum. It mainly exhibits fine porcelains through the ages, artifacts unearthed from Leifeng Pagoda, and the 'Wenlan Legacy—Wenlan Pavilion and the Siku Quanshu' special display. The Gushan building, built during the Republican era, has a more historic feel than the newer Wulin branch, though it’s much smaller; an hour and a half is enough.

Walking ahead from the museum, we arrived at Bai Causeway. Spanning 1.2 km, it was built when Bai Juyi served in Hangzhou. The most famous spot is Broken Bridge in the middle, bustling with tourists taking photos. We couldn’t resist joining in.

Sitting leisurely by the lake, eating the snacks we’d brought from breakfast, gazing at distant hills, I wanted to soak in a little more of Hangzhou’s memory.

At the end of the causeway, a bus stop was nearby. With a bit of time left, and because I work at Anshun Confucius Temple, I always like to visit local Confucius temples wherever I go, so we took a bus to Hangzhou Confucius Temple.

Hangzhou Confucius Temple (also known as Hangzhou Stele Forest) lies at the foot of Mount Wu southeast of West Lake. The area at the foot of Phoenix Mountain was the site of the Confucius temple through the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, later destroyed. At the beginning of this century, Hangzhou rebuilt it. The new temple covers 1.32 hectares with a total building area of 5,581 sq m, comprising an interconnected yet relatively independent eastern and western section. The western area is the central axis, showcasing the temple’s cultural essence. The eastern zone is a typical Jiangnan garden-style courtyard with flowers, birdsong, and babbling streams, where buildings are scattered like pearls. The water courtyard is at the center, with structures like the Stone Classics Pavilion, Celestial Phenomena Hall, and Wenchang Pavilion nestled among rockeries and ponds, linked by winding corridors. Nearly 500 stone steles, rich in historical and humanistic value, are displayed among pavilions and towers, blending with the elegant Jiangnan garden. Highlights include the Southern Song Stone Classics by Emperor Gaozong, the Sixteen Arhats Carving by Guanxiu, Confucius and His Seventy-Two Disciples Carving by Li Gonglin, and the Five Dynasties Stone Carving Star Map.

The temple area isn’t large, about an hour to tour, then we headed to Hangzhou Railway Station.

After comparing options, we chose train Z282, departing Hangzhou Station at 17:04 and scheduled to arrive in Suzhou at 20:25. It was delayed, though, and we didn’t reach Suzhou until almost 9 p.m.

Our Hanting Hotel Shantang Street was not far from the station, just two metro stops. Located near Shilu Pedestrian Street and Shantang Street, it was still lively at past nine.

It was late, so we grabbed beef noodles from a Lanzhou lamian shop downstairs and some guokui for dinner. After eating, we went to sleep, looking forward to two days in Suzhou.

Day 6, October 6: Hanshan Temple, Imperial Kiln Gold Brick Museum, Xiaolongkan, Shantang Street

For breakfast, we chose the locally famous Lüyang Wonton Shop, ordering sesame tangyuan, wontons, and braised pork noodles. Everything was tasty and very cheap—just 27 yuan total.

Outside Gusu, the Cold Mountain Temple; at midnight, the bell reaches the traveler’s boat. This poem, 'A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge' by Tang poet Zhang Ji, made Hanshan Temple famous. Visitors to Suzhou treat it as a must-see, so we chose it as our first stop in Suzhou.

We took a direct bus, bought tickets, and entered. Most of the current structures are Qing-era reconstructions, including the Mahavira Hall, Sutra Library, Bell Tower, Stele Corridor, Fengjiang Tower, and Shuangzhong Pavilion. Our whole family isn’t Buddhist, so we didn’t have deep feelings about temples; we came more for the poem.