Starting from Shanghai, 2016 Suzhou Self-Drive 2-Day Tour (Xiyuan Temple, Shantang Street, Wufeng Garden, Canglang Pavilion, Ke Garden)

After our Dragon Boat Festival road trip in 2016, we didn't travel outside the province for three consecutive months. The summer of 2016 was sweltering; Shanghai saw significantly more high-temperature days than previous years, with some days reaching 40°C (104°F). The Yangtze River Delta and non-coastal areas of East China suffered from the heat. Aside from parents and students taking summer vacations, most people probably didn't want to brave the sun. Moreover, accommodation costs during the summer were often higher than usual. By September, the maximum temperature gradually dropped to around 30°C (86°F), making travel more comfortable. As the saying goes, 'Up above there is heaven, down here we have Suzhou and Hangzhou,' so we chose Suzhou for a short road trip. The whole journey covered 232 km. Suzhou is very close to Shanghai—a round trip only 200-plus kilometers—and I've visited Suzhou many times before. This time, we toured Ke Garden, which had newly opened to the public since the 2015 National Day holiday. With that, I've pretty much visited all the notable classical gardens open to the public in Suzhou's city center.

September 10, 2016 (Suzhou weather: overcast, 22 to 29°C)

11:15 a.m. Departed from home in Pudong, Shanghai.

12:20 p.m. Arrived at Jiangqiao Toll Station on the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway, total distance traveled 29 km.

12:35 p.m. Arrived at Anting Toll Station, total 48 km, highway toll 15 yuan.

12:58 p.m. Arrived at Yangcheng Lake Service Area, total 86 km.

1:12 p.m. Arrived at Suzhou Toll Station, total 99 km, highway toll 25 yuan.

Drove along Baita East Road towards Xizhongshi. Since the Suzhou Zoo had relocated from Dongyuan, traffic on this road had improved.

Checked into Home Inn Suzhou Changmen Shantang Street Branch, standard twin room, 210 yuan for gold members. This hotel is tucked in an alley off Xizhongshi, very quiet, with ample parking. It's just over 100 meters on foot to Changmen Gate, and at night you can stroll Shantang Street and enjoy the night view. Xizhongshi and the nearby Shilu commercial area have plenty of shops and restaurants. From here, it's less than a 10-minute walk to Yipu Garden, Taibo Temple, and Wufeng Garden.

After picking up the ticket at the hotel lobby, you could park in the adjacent Suzhou Zhonghua Accounting Correspondence School.

Parking lot inside the school.

Went to Xiyuan Temple to offer incense. The photo below shows the Xiyuan Temple parking lot; next to it is a large commercial complex with Decathlon, Yonghui Supermarket, and more.

Xiyuan Temple, a national key Buddhist temple in Han Chinese areas, entrance fee 25 yuan. Over 20 years ago, my classmates and I often took an early morning train from Shanghai to Suzhou to burn incense at Xiyuan Temple, making a half-day round trip.

Jiezhuanglv Temple is an alternative name for Xiyuan Temple, designated a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Unit in 1982.

Among ancient temples in Jiangnan, the garden at Suzhou's Xiyuan Temple is large and exceptionally beautiful.

Street view of Guangji South Road. Occasionally there are traffic jams in Suzhou's old city, but not as severe as in Hangzhou.

Xizhongshi has been the main commercial street inside Changmen since the Ming Dynasty, and many houses along the street still retain architectural styles from the Republic of China period. The photo below shows the Leiyunshang Songfentang building, a Suzhou Cultural Relic Protection Unit.

Changmen Gate is not far away.

My familiarity with Xizhongshi is thanks to this Zhu Hongxing restaurant. Their freshly fried shredded eel noodles are my favorite Suzhou dish.

Very affordable—stir-fried eel silk noodles with freshly cooked toppings cost only 16 yuan. The portion is generous.

Heading west from Changmen, you reach the lively Shantang Street.

September 11, 2016 (Suzhou weather: light rain, 22 to 27°C)

The weather forecast played a trick, turning from overcast to light rain. From the Zhu Hongxing restaurant on Xizhongshi, walking north past Taibo Temple, you'll soon reach Wufeng Garden.

Wufeng Garden, originally built during the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, was listed as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit in 2002. The garden is small; it used to be the cheapest classical garden in Suzhou but is now open to the public for free.

In the garden stand five Taihu Lake stone peaks, each about two zhang (approx. 6.6 meters) tall, exquisitely wrinkled, slender, and delicate. Rising together on a high mound, they resemble old men, hence also called the Five Old Men Peaks: Zhangren Peak, Guanyin Peak, Sanlao Peak, Qingyun (Celebratory Cloud) Peak, and Qingyun (Soaring Cloud) Peak.

A cute cat.

Taibo Temple, on the same lane as Wufeng Garden, is a Suzhou municipal-level cultural relic protection unit, free to visit. Suzhou's Taibo Temple was built to commemorate Taibo, the eldest son of King Tai of Zhou, and its history dates back to the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is the first temple in the Jiangnan region dedicated to Taibo, the founding ancestor of the Wu region.

Wu Taibo, also known as Taibo, was the first ruler of the State of Wu and the cultural ancestor of Eastern Wu culture. His family name was Ji. His father was Gugong Danfu, leader of the Zhou tribe. He was the eldest of three brothers, with two younger brothers, Zhongyong and Jili. The father intended to pass the leadership to Jili and his son Jichang, so Taibo and Zhongyong moved away to the Jiangdong region and established the state of Gouwu.

According to the staff, Taibo Temple always has very few visitors.

Taibo Temple is located in the Taohuawu Historical District, surrounded by many old streets and houses, though many have been demolished in the northern part.

'Arriving in Gusu, you'll see every household nestled by the water.'

Passing by the Qili Shantang Scenic Area outside Changmen.

At the corner of Xizhongshi and Changxu Road, Zhanyudun has been renovated into a cultural park. Here stands the self-ringing tower clock at the intersection.

The Shilu commercial hub, with a century of history. Adjacent to Shantang Street, it's synonymous with the bustling area outside Changmen Gate, known as 'Century-old Shilu.' In 1895, after the Treaty of Shimonoseki designated Suzhou and three other cities as open ports, in an effort to preempt the Japanese opening, Viceroy Zhang Zhidong, together with Suzhou-born officials like Lu Runxiang, secretly decided to establish shops outside Changmen, Xumen, and Panmen for development, with support from Sheng Xuanhuai. Because Shilu was a land-and-water junction with a large population, it was developed first, quickly filling with merchants and thriving trade.

When checking out of the hotel, I took a photo from the third floor capturing a corner of Changmen Gate.

Yan Wenliang Memorial Hall, east of Canglang Pavilion, is accessible from inside Canglang Pavilion. It was the former site of Suzhou Fine Arts College. In 1922, art educator and oil painter Yan Wenliang founded the college here, and in 1928 the 'Suzhou Art Museum' was established on campus.

Walking along the lane north of Canglang Pavilion, you can already feel the charm of classical gardens.

Canglang Pavilion, listed by the State Council on December 20, 2006, as part of the sixth batch of national key cultural relics protection units (ancient architecture category, Yuan to Qing dynasties). This classical garden was first built during the Northern Song Dynasty as the private garden of literati Su Shunqin. Canglang Pavilion and Ke Garden face each other across a lane. A combined peak-season ticket costs 40 yuan. The photo below was taken from Canglang Pavilion Street outside the garden. Personally, I think the view from inside doesn't compare to the one from outside.

Entrance to the Canglang Pavilion scenic area.

The pavilion on the rockery inside the garden is Canglang Pavilion, bearing a couplet: 'The refreshing breeze and bright moon are priceless; the near waters and distant mountains are all full of sentiment.' The first line comes from Ouyang Xiu's 'The Canglang Pavilion': 'The refreshing breeze and bright moon are priceless, it's a pity they only sell for forty thousand coins.' The second line is from Su Shunqin's 'Passing Suzhou': 'Green willows and white egrets all enjoy themselves; near waters and far mountains all carry feeling.'

Opposite Canglang Pavilion is Ke Garden. This is Suzhou's only academy-style garden, opened to the public since last year's National Day holiday. Ke Garden was first built during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, over 500 years earlier than the Humble Administrator's Garden. However, from a visitor's perspective, Ke Garden looks too new, as if the paint has only just dried.

The lane in front of Canglang Pavilion has parking at the PLA 100th Hospital, accessible from Wuque Bridge Road to the east.

Street view of Nanyuan South Road. Ahead, across the East Inner Ring Road, is Suzhou South Gate Bus Station. I used to arrive or depart here when taking coaches between Shanghai and Suzhou.

3:36 p.m. Arrived at Suzhou City Station on the Changtai Expressway, total distance traveled 125 km.

4:13 p.m. Arrived at Dianshan Lake Toll Station on the Shanghai-Changzhou Expressway, total 173 km, toll 20 yuan.

Near the Jiangqiao Toll Station on the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway, traffic increased noticeably, and we experienced stop-and-go jams.

4:43 p.m. Arrived at Jiangqiao Toll Station, total 202 km, toll 20 yuan.

Traffic worsened upon entering the city.

6:19 p.m. Returned home in Pudong, Shanghai. Total journey covered 232 km.