From Shanghai: A 2016 3-Day Road Trip to Wujiang and Kunshan — Zhenze Ancient Town, Shijian Hall, Chuihong Bridge Ruins, Xiemaqiao Ancient Village

Just two weeks after our 2016 May Day holiday road trip, we were back in Suzhou, seeking out ancient towns and villages. The biggest regret of this trip was how unreliable the weather forecast turned out to be. It promised clear to partly cloudy skies, but in reality we got an overcast day. The whole self-drive journey covered 382 kilometers. We spent the night before in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, but all the sights we visited were in Suzhou, Jiangsu, with Wujiang taking center stage. I first set foot in Wujiang in 2003 and visited Tongli Ancient Town in 2008, but neither was a road trip. This was my sixth visit to Wujiang, and my fourth time driving there. Previous self-drive trips in January and May 2011 and in August last year had taken me to Zhenze, Lili and Luxu in Wujiang respectively. Wujiang is very close to Shanghai — just over 80 kilometers to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. But for me, since I live in Pudong, driving to Wujiang can take a while, mainly because crossing downtown Shanghai often means getting stuck in traffic. This time, revisiting Wujiang’s Zhenze, I took far more photos, making up for the pitifully few shots I had back in January 2011. On that occasion, time was too short and I also missed seeing Shijian Hall.

May 13, 2016 (Jiaxing weather: overcast, 16–26°C)

At 6:25 PM, after my wife got off work, we set out together from our home in Shanghai’s Pudong.

7:20 PM – arrived at the Shenjiahu Expressway Puxing Highway toll booth, 23 km driven.

7:25 PM – stop at Hangtou Service Area on the Shenjiahu Expressway, 25 km driven.

7:55 PM – arrived at the Shanghai–Zhejiang main line toll station on the Shenjiahu Expressway, 82 km driven; expressway toll: 35 yuan.

8:16 PM – arrived at the Wangjiangjing toll gate on the Shenjiahu Expressway, 112 km driven; expressway toll: 15 yuan.

We stayed at Hanting Hotel Jiaxing New Culture Square. As a Platinum member, we paid 144 yuan for a superior twin room. Perched on the 23rd floor, this was a Hanting 2.0 room — very spacious, with two 1.5-meter-wide queen beds. This was my third stay at this hotel. The place should have been wonderfully peaceful, but something strange happened this time. From midnight until past 3 AM, planes kept roaring overhead at intervals of about 3 to 5 minutes. The noise was really loud — I suspect some low-altitude night training flights. By the end of the day, we had driven 125 km.

May 14, 2016 (Wujiang weather: overcast to partly cloudy, 18–26°C)

The view from our 23rd-floor window at the hotel.

Hanting Hotel Jiaxing New Culture Square, with the Jiaxing May Fourth Culture Museum right next door.

Driving route from Jiaxing to Tongluo in Wujiang, about 26 km. Tongluo lies right on the Jiangsu–Zhejiang border and was originally called Yanmu — legend has it a tomb of the retired Western Han Dynasty official Yan Ji gave the place its name. Tongluo was once a separate town but has since been merged into Taoyuan Town.

Tongluo’s Fengqiao River Corridor, a protected cultural relic of Suzhou.

Route from Tongluo to Zhenze, about 12 km by car.

Zhenze Town in Wujiang District, Suzhou — one of the sixth batch of nationally designated famous historical and cultural towns. A celebrated Jiangnan water town with over two thousand years of history, Zhenze is also renowned as the home of silk. Its main sights include Shijian Hall, Ciyun Temple Pagoda, and the tomb of Wang Xichan.

A local specialty of Zhenze: black dried tofu.

Ciyun Temple Pagoda — a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (the seventh batch, announced on March 5, 2013), classified as ancient architecture, dating from the Ming Dynasty. The pagoda stands inside Ciyun Temple, which has a 10-yuan admission fee. It was first built during the Xianchun reign of the Song Dynasty (1260–1274) and rebuilt under the Zhengtong reign of the Ming (1436–1449); it was originally called Guangji Temple. During the Tianshun reign (1457–1464), an imperial plaque reading “Ciyun Chan Temple” was bestowed. The pagoda and temple underwent multiple renovations or expansions in 1577, 1615, 1668, 1681, 1683, 1684, 1753, 1788, and 1836. In 1860, the temple was destroyed by war, with only the pagoda surviving. Around the Tongzhi–Guangxu transition, local people raised funds to repair the pagoda. In 1926, an autumn gale tore off the fifth-storey roof. In 1950, Ciyun Chan Temple was requisitioned as a grain depot, and in 1954 and 1982, government grants allowed major restoration of the pagoda.

Yuji Bridge in front of Ciyun Temple, spanning the ancient Dida Canal. Built in 1715 (54th year of the Kangxi reign) by locals to commemorate Yu the Great’s flood-control achievements. It was repaired in 1775 and rebuilt in 1779.

Ciyun Chan Temple admission ticket: 10 yuan.

Shijian Hall — a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (the sixth batch, announced on May 25, 2006), classified as ancient architecture, dating from the Qing Dynasty. Shijian Hall and Ciyun Temple stand on the same old street in Zhenze, just over a hundred metres apart. Admission to Shijian Hall costs 20 yuan. The hall originally belonged to the Xu family, a prominent Zhenze clan. It was listed as a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relic in 1995, restored from 2002, and opened to the public in 2004.

Inside Shijian Hall is a tiny garden covering just 240 square metres — Chujing Garden, said to be the smallest traditional garden in China.

Driving route from Zhenze to Shengze, about 20 km. Shengze Town is a major silk textile production base and distribution hub in China. Historically famed for “ten thousand bolts of silk at sunrise, clothing the world”, it is known as the “Silk Capital”.

Xiancan Shrine — a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (the seventh batch, March 5, 2013), ancient architecture, Qing Dynasty. Ticket: 10 yuan. Xiancan Shrine is also called the Hall of the Silkworm Goddess or the Hall of the Silkworm King. In ancient times, the silkworm goddess held great importance, and sericulturists offered sacrifices here praying for a bumper harvest. Shengze’s Xiancan Shrine was first built in 1840 (20th year of the Daoguang reign) by local silk merchants.

At 2:36 PM, we arrived at the Changtai Expressway Shengze toll gate; cumulative distance: 183 km.

At 3:03 PM, we arrived at the Changtai Expressway Wujiang toll gate; cumulative distance: 214 km; expressway toll: 15 yuan.

We checked into Jinjiang Inn Wujiang Economic Development Zone, a 178-yuan Standard Room A. The hotel is very close to the expressway exit, parking is convenient, and it’s extremely quiet at night. It’s about 7 km from Tongli Ancient Town. However, note that this inn isn’t in the main urban area of Wujiang, so it might not be so handy for guests without a car.

The hotel is surrounded by several 4S car dealerships; the photo was taken from our room on the fourth floor, facing east.

There’s a Zhuhongxing noodle shop in Wujiang too — freshly stir-fried toppings on noodles, inexpensive, and tastes exactly the same as in downtown Suzhou.

By the end of the day, we had driven 228 km.

May 15, 2016 (Wujiang weather: overcast, light to moderate rain, 14–25°C)

Chuihong Bridge Ruins in the old town of Wujiang. The bridge was originally built in 1048 (8th year of the Qingli reign, Northern Song) as a wooden structure. It was destroyed by war in 1275 and rebuilt the same year with 85 arches. In 1304 (8th year of the Dade reign, Yuan Dynasty), it was expanded to 99 arches, but soon part of the bridge collapsed, blocking over fifty zhang (about 150 metres). It wasn’t until 1325 (2nd year of the Taiding reign) that the county magistrate Zhang Xianzu replaced the wood with stone, creating a multi-arch stone bridge made entirely of white stone, over 500 metres long with 72 arches. It collapsed on May 2, 1967. The surviving remnants were listed as a protected cultural relic of Wujiang County in 1986. In 1996 and 2005, the Wujiang Municipal People’s Government restored a total of 17 arches at the west and east ends. In June 2006, the site was again listed as a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relic. The eastern section of the ruins stands at the corner of Huayuan Road and Chuihong Road. The pagoda in the background is called Huayan Pagoda.

In the photo, the broken bridge in front is part of the Chuihong Bridge Ruins, and the bridge behind belongs to Chuihong Road.

Huayan Pagoda was first built in the 4th year of the Yuanyou reign of the Song Dynasty. Seven storeys high with four sides, commonly known as the Square Pagoda, it was the number one ancient landmark of Wujiang. It collapsed in 1910 (second year of the Xuantong reign) and was rebuilt in 2005.

The western part of the Chuihong Bridge Ruins.

Kaiping Road, which leads west from Wujiang town towards the shore of Taihu Lake.

We parked at the western end of East Taihu Avenue, walked past the billboard on the right in the photo, rounded a corner, and saw Yuehu Terrace. This stretch of Taihu Lake is called Suzhou Bay.

New residential towers under construction by the lake.

Taihu Lake’s Suzhou Bay. The water between Suzhou’s Wuzhong and Wujiang districts is called Suzhou Bay.

Yuehu Terrace. It consists of a 211-metre-long “figure-8” looped viewing bridge that resembles a bird spreading its wings.

The lake was very choppy, so the terrace wasn’t open to visitors. This is a free attraction, but it’s about 6 km from Wujiang’s old town — not easy to reach without driving yourself.

Villas under construction along Suzhou Bay.

At 1:38 PM, we refueled at the Sinopec station on Zhongying Avenue, Wujiang, adding 100 yuan of 92-octane petrol at 5.77 yuan per litre. Cumulative distance: 263 km.

This station doesn’t supply 95-octane; instead, it sells what it calls “luxury petrol” — 98-octane, priced at 6.72 yuan per litre.

A metro station under construction on the streets of Wujiang — part of Suzhou Rail Transit Line 4, which will connect to downtown Suzhou.

At 1:53 PM, we reached the Changtai Expressway Wujiang toll gate; cumulative distance: 269 km.

At 2:22 PM, we reached the Suzhou–Shanghai Expressway Qiandeng toll gate; cumulative distance: 310 km; expressway toll: 20 yuan.

Xiemaqiao Village in Qiandeng Town, Kunshan — one of the third batch of Traditional Chinese Villages. Very close to Qiandeng Ancient Town, Xiemaqiao is a place almost untouched by tourists, and naturally there’s no admission fee. This village was once a market town of a certain scale, probably taking shape in the mid-Qing period, and was reclassified from a township to a village in the 1990s. Local legend links it to the Southern Song general Han Shizhong’s resistance against the Jin invaders.

Xiemaqiao Stone-slab Street, a protected cultural relic of Kunshan.