Stepping into Two-Sided Suzhou: A 2-Day, 1-Night Deep Journey, Only 20 Minutes Away

Suzhou is like a double-sided embroidery, one side representing ancient charm and the other artistic fashion. This travelogue will take you into the diverse Suzhou – there’s bound to be something you want to know. Suzhou is one of my favorite cities. For one thing, it’s only 20 minutes from the nearest high‑speed railway station to Suzhou Station, much closer than many other places I go in Shanghai, making it a city I can visit whenever I want. For another, the pace of work and life in Shanghai really is quite fast; when I go to Suzhou, I go to relax. The moment I stand at Suzhou Railway Station, I feel things slow down – that’s the slow lifestyle I’ve been longing for.

With the year‑end work basically wrapped up, I gave myself a holiday and arranged a trip to Suzhou. My itinerary includes an ancient town packed with heritage buildings, a classic Suzhou garden, a literary pedestrian street, and a commercial street lined with time‑honored brands. Fellow Suzhou lovers, please bookmark this.

Day 1, 1:30 pm | Tongli Ancient Town

From Suzhou I took the metro to Tongli – the metro terminal is Tongli Station; a quick 8‑minute taxi ride from there brought me to the scenic area. Tip: Tongli Ancient Town is a 5A‑rated scenic area, one of the six famous ancient towns in Jiangnan, with an entrance fee of 100 yuan. My connection with Tongli goes back to 2013, when my daughter and I came here to film the TV series “Shan Shan Comes to Eat”. I played the neighbor Little Tail and her mother, next to Zhao Liying. Returning after eight years, I tried to recall those memories. My impressions were a bit hazy, so let me get to know you again – Tongli Ancient Town. The town is brimming with gardens, temples, residences and former homes of celebrities built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Fifteen small canals crisscross the town in the shape of the character “川”, dividing it into seven little islands, while 49 ancient bridges link them all together. It’s renowned for little bridges, flowing water and local households.

The afternoon sun was warm and gentle; I strolled leisurely through the ancient town, soaking up its unique tranquility.

In Tongli Ancient Town the first must‑see is Tuisi Garden, a Suzhou garden‑style building and a World Heritage site. As a fan of classical architecture, I simply had to see it. Tuisi Garden is composed of pavilions, terraces, towers, galleries, corridors, arches, bridges, waterside gazebos, halls and rooms, all centred around a pond so that the entire complex seems to float on water.

Two buildings are connected by a covered horse corridor with floor‑to‑ceiling long windows on both the north and south sides. On rainy days you won’t get wet, and on sunny days you won’t get sunburned – truly an ingenious design.

The interplay of light and shadow inside the rooms was especially beautiful; I lingered there for a long time, utterly captivated.

There are still many local residents living in the ancient town, and that’s one reason I like it so much. Here I can recall childhood scenes of sitting in the lane, sunbathing and chatting with neighbours. Our houses may be nicer now, yet human connections have faded – we often don’t even know the names of the neighbours next door. I much prefer the old days of visiting one household after another; it’s a heart‑warming memory etched forever in my mind.

You can also take a hand‑rowed boat ride and watch the everyday bustle along the riverbanks, with people washing clothes and vegetables. When the boatwoman is in a good mood, she’ll even hum a tune – so leisurely.

Then I stepped into another historic building, Jiayin Hall. Its main entrance uses a stone‑arched gateway. Passing through the entrance hall and looking up, you see the three stars of ‘Fu, Lu and Shou’ (Fortune, Prosperity and Longevity) perched right at the centre of the main ridge. The main hall of Jiayin Hall is commonly called the ‘Official Hat Hall’, an imitation Ming‑dynasty structure. The hall is lofty and spacious, covered everywhere with carvings. There are eight vividly depicted scenes from “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms” – ‘Meeting at the Ancient City’, ‘Three Heroes Battle Lü Bu’, ‘Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage’, ‘Borrowing Arrows with Straw Boats’ and others – so lifelike they seem ready to leap out. I was astonished and couldn’t help applauding; this set of woodcarvings has even been included in “The Annals of Chinese Opera – Suzhou Volume”.

There are eight more historic buildings in the town, such as Gengle Hall and Songshi Wuyuan, well worth exploring. Inside an old mansion, you uncover the stories behind those grand courtyards. I walked onto Jili Bridge, one of the three famous bridges, and the tour guide said crossing it could increase one’s good fortune – so I went to soak up a little luck myself.

The late‑afternoon sunshine was the most pleasant; I sat for a while on a stone bench by the river, but of course you could also head to Nanyuan Tea House to savour tea and listen to pingtan storytelling.

Nanyuan Tea House is a century‑old tea house where pingtan performances take place every afternoon from 2 to 4 pm. Call the waiter for a pot of hot tea and order a bamboo steamer of steaming xiaolongbao made in‑house – a perfectly arranged Chinese afternoon tea. Listening to the ballad songs, such enjoyment can probably only be found in Tongli. In summer, Nanyuan Tea House also serves homemade sour plum drink. Although the traditional ‘tiger stove’ and thermos bottles never featured in my own childhood, I’d often heard my grandmother talk about them, so they felt quite novel.

Looking up, the clear sky was a delight; I truly felt winter’s warmth in Tongli. By the time I finished my tea, my Suzhou friend had arrived. Knowing I was travelling, she volunteered to guide me and join in the fun. Travelling alone can be a little lonely; having a friend by my side made it perfect.

A 30‑minute drive from Tongli Ancient Town brought us to Zhouzhuang, where we went that afternoon to see its night view. Tip: Zhouzhuang Ancient Town is a 5A‑rated scenic area, China’s Number One Water Town, with an entrance fee of 100 yuan. Zhouzhuang was one of the very first ancient towns to be developed, selling its first ticket in 1989 – back then the price was just 6 mao. If you come to Zhouzhuang, don’t miss its nightscape; it will absolutely enchant you.

When the lights came on, Zhouzhuang burst into vibrant life. The night view of the North and South City Rivers is mesmerizing, and everyone stays out to enjoy these wonderful moments – even sleeping feels like a waste. The best photo spot is on Fu’an Bridge; get there right after sunset to shoot, because if you wait too long the sky will darken and the blue hour only lasts a few minutes.

Another spot worth checking out is the ‘Rain Alley, Flower Alley’ light and shadow show. In Flower Alley you can behold a sea of blossoms, and in Rain Alley you can watch the long, drizzling rain. The theme of Zhouzhuang’s light show changes with the seasons; March’s theme is Goddess Street, and now it’s centred on winter.

Walking through the ancient lanes, the atmosphere was dreamlike. At the entrance of a grand old mansion, a swarm of ‘fireflies’ seemed to dance around me – I wished I could scoop one into my palm.

On the river, shifting images appeared as if a film were playing, presenting Zhouzhuang through the four seasons. I’ve now seen it in spring and winter; I’ll definitely have to return to experience summer and autumn.

The most famous restaurant in the ancient town is Shenting Restaurant, near Fu’an Bridge. A century‑old eatery, it serves genuinely local flavours. We ordered oil‑fried river shrimp, sizzling eel paste, stuffed fried tofu with meat, and whitebait scrambled eggs – every dish was a local specialty, delicious, reasonably priced, and great value for money.

After dinner, my friend and I strolled by the lake and before we knew it, we’d arrived at our booked guesthouse – Sheyu Guesthouse. The room wasn’t large, but it was cosily decorated. The owner is a local and kept everything spotlessly clean.

Pushing open the window revealed a beautiful view. Sitting by the window and gazing at the houses in the distance, with every household’s lights already on, I knew that tonight I too could sleep with the sound of water, experiencing life as the locals do.

Day 2, 10:00 am | Jinji Lake & Ligong Causeway

Tip: Jinji Lake is a 5A‑rated scenic area with free admission. At 9 am we drove from Zhouzhuang to Ligong Causeway on Jinji Lake – about an hour’s drive. Yesterday we saw the ancient, traditional side of Suzhou’s “double‑sided embroidery”; today I’ll show you the other side – Suzhou that is artistic and cosmopolitan.

The weather was fine and it had warmed up a little. Along Jinji Lake, willow leaves swayed gently in the breeze. In Suzhou you won’t really notice any trace of winter, because everywhere you look is green. Every time I come to Suzhou, I never miss Jinji Lake.

A thin layer of mist hung over the lake, like a Jiangnan ink‑wash painting.

I absolutely had to capture my silhouette in such a beautiful place.

The pavilion with an octagonal double‑eaved spire roof is the Mid‑Lake Pavilion, an iconic structure on Ligong Causeway and a quiet, secluded extension of the causeway. Though small, it’s the finishing touch of Ligong Causeway. In warmer weather, egrets will fly past here, making you feel as if you’re wandering within a painting, with enchanting ripples on the lake.

Walking along, I saw many time‑honoured restaurants, tea houses and cafés – making it an ideal spot for a leisurely meal and tea with a few good friends.

On the other side of Jinji Lake, the landmark “Big Pants” building stood before us. At sunset, many fitness enthusiasts walk briskly along the footpath. Nearby, the large East Gateway Mall lets us enjoy the scenery while shopping – a huge mall where you can find almost every brand you can think of.

At lunchtime we wanted to find a restaurant by Jinji Lake with a lake view. We discovered a popular noodle shop, Su Mian Fang, located inside the Tony’s Lamborghini Hotel. A hip noodle shop is certainly no ordinary place; it’s said people queue every day. The shop isn’t large, with about 20 seats, and already several tables were occupied. I had checked the prices online – they weren’t cheap – but since it’s both pricey and yet always has a queue, we decided to give it a try.

The setting is truly lovely; it feels more like a study than a noodle shop, cosy and welcoming. Tea is served the moment you sit down. There’s none of the usual noodle‑shop clamour; everyone listens to pingtan while quietly sipping tea or eating noodles. We ordered the Crab Supreme set, which came with side dishes and a sweet soup – pickled greens with edamame and candied cherry tomatoes – and the noodles were handmade Suzhou‑style thin noodles.

I’ve always been fond of thin noodles, and the Crab Supreme comes with mixed noodles. A tip: mix them well straight away while they’re still hot. Every strand was coated in crab roe and crab meat, not the slightest bit fishy – the best crab‑meat noodles I’ve ever had, truly satisfying. When I make spring‑onion‑oil noodles at home, I add soy sauce and oyster sauce, which makes the sauce a darker colour. But here, the spring‑onion‑oil sauce is a light hue. It turns out they use a concentrated broth made from stewed red‑braised pork; no wonder the noodles are so delicious. Although it’s a little pricey, being able to see Jinji Lake right from the noodle shop inside a star‑rated hotel makes it a very special kind of Suzhou noodles. Great value – I highly recommend it.

Don’t miss the Suzhou‑style dessert ji tou mi (fox nut seeds), which is especially precious because of its low yield; you can only taste the most authentic version here in Suzhou.

Tip: The Humble Administrator’s Garden is a 5A‑rated scenic area, a representative masterpiece of Jiangnan classical gardens, with an entrance fee of 70 yuan. When in Suzhou, you must visit a Suzhou garden, as Suzhou epitomises private gardens and has the highest concentration of gardens in the country. The Humble Administrator’s Garden is highly representative. It is celebrated alongside the Summer Palace in Beijing, the Mountain Resort in Chengde, and the Lingering Garden in Suzhou as one of China’s four great gardens.

Construction of the garden began in the fourth year of the Zhengde reign of the Ming Dynasty (1509), giving it more than 500 years of history. Since its inception, it has experienced divisions, reunifications, rises and falls, with many changes of ownership. In the fourth year of the Chongzhen reign (1631), the eastern part was purchased by Vice‑Minister Wang Xinyi, who built the Garden of Returning to the Countryside. Wang Xinyi was skilled in landscape painting and arranged the hills and ravines with an artist’s eye. In the garden, winding corridors meander, streams connect, peaks cluster in verdant splendour, and bamboo and trees cast dappled shade; attractions include the Shuxiang Pavilion and the Lanxue Hall. In the tenth year of the Xianfeng reign (1860), Li Xiucheng, the Loyal King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, constructed his princely mansion here, with hundreds of craftsmen toiling all year round; the complex of elegant towers, winding balustrades and hidden chambers resembled a fairyland. Later, the eastern, central and western sections were reunited into one complete yet individually distinctive celebrated garden. In the early 1990s, the residential quarters in the southern part were restored, and China’s first museum dedicated to classical gardens was established here.

The entire garden is centred on water, which accounts for one‑fifth of its area, and all the buildings face the water. Although the foliage is sparse in the cold weather, the reflections of branches in the water give me a sense of peaceful, gentle time.

Wandering through the garden, I sought out Suzhou’s unique delicate charm – it is exquisite and full of character, leaving a lasting aftertaste. Warm golden sunlight fell on my shoulders, and the leaves turned translucent. I was so content I didn’t want to leave.

I also saw several couples sitting nestled together in the garden. Who says young people must go to the cinema for a date? Strolling through a classical garden is also a wonderful choice. Nowadays, young people are increasingly drawn to things from the past and cherish bygone days more and more. Modern work and life move too fast; sometimes we need to slow down and look back at the traces of history.

The Thirty‑Six Mandarin Duck Hall caught my attention because it has numerous blue and white glass panels. Looking through the blue glass, the scenery outside appears snow‑covered. In the dazzling summer sunshine, a crystal‑clear, translucent feeling is particularly strong, giving a sensation of coolness. The hall also has a connection to the renowned Kunqu opera master Yu Zhenfei; he spent his childhood years here and began his opera career in this very place. Yu Zhenfei lived with his father for a long time in the Bu Yuan garden, learning and practising music; the Thirty‑Six Mandarin Duck Hall was where he played the flute and practised singing. Kunqu opera has been inscribed on the World Heritage list as intangible heritage, so in this hall, both Suzhou classical gardens and Kunqu opera – two world heritages – come together.

Exiting the Humble Administrator’s Garden, nearby you’ll find other famous attractions such as the Suzhou Museum, Lion Grove Garden and the Lingering Garden – all worth a visit. Pick a day with warm sunshine and wander through the gardens; this is the lifestyle I love now, and I hope you’ll enjoy it too.

Pingjiang Road is a historic old street, a long‑standing classic water alley and a microcosm of old Suzhou.

Every time I come to Suzhou, I always make a point of visiting Pingjiang Road because the atmosphere is so artistic and it’s great for a stroll. There are several distinctive cafés you’ve probably heard of, like Momi Café, Mersey Coffee and Fang Coffee. I particularly like dropping by the Momi Café – Cat’s Sky City Concept Bookstore – because it’s both a bookstore and a café. Find a window seat, pick a favourite book, order a fragrant latte and I can while away an entire afternoon.

This time I explored Pingjiang Road with a friend, and we had a marvellous time taking beautiful photos together along the way.

No trip is complete without food, and the special snacks on Pingjiang Road quickly drew us in. Osmanthus cake, cranberry pastries, sesame cakes, lard‑sugar candies and osmanthus rice wine – everything looked tantalising. A little shop selling handmade sugar figures made me stop in my tracks. The owner has been there for six or seven years, not full‑time, but working after his day job and on weekends – he was surprised that I knew this. After all these years, he’s put on a little weight, but his craftsmanship is still excellent. I still remember that summer when children and their mums crowded around him, eagerly watching him create sugar figures.

I’m partial to the sweet fragrance of osmanthus, so I bought some to take back and share with my family. My friend loves the sesame flavour and picked up sesame cakes for her family.

If you have time, you can spend a whole day on Pingjiang Road. For lunch, head to Peach Blossom Spring to try Suzhou snacks like red‑bean‑paste rice balls, peach gum and white fungus soup, eight‑treasure chicken wontons, and house‑made vegetable rice. The braised pork bone and hand‑grabbed pig trotters are signature dishes that will never disappoint, and the per‑person cost averages less than 60 yuan. For dinner, at Yu Shi Fan Dao you can sample Jiangzhe home‑style cooking; I recommend the stir‑fried hand‑shelled shrimp, steamed white fish, and East Mountain free‑range chicken steamed with Huadiao wine – all for under 100 yuan per person. Truly great value.

At the Su Fan Museum’s cultural‑creative store, you’ll find some exhibits unique to Suzhou, and you can also pick up a gift or two to take home – you always want to bring back local specialties from a trip.

In just a 19‑minute walk you can go from Pingjiang Road to Guanqian Street. To me, a Shanghainese, Guanqian Street is extremely famous. Back when there weren’t so many newly built pedestrian streets, whenever people mentioned Suzhou, Guanqian Street was a must‑visit.

Guanqian Street is located in the Gusu District, near Chayuanchang Station on Metro Line 4. It’s the old‑school commercial pedestrian street of downtown Suzhou, lined with numerous time‑honoured brands. Daoxiangcun, He Shou Ye and the Huang Tian Yuan Cake Shop are all here. I’m personally very fond of Jinjin dried bean curd; every time I come to Suzhou I buy a few boxes, and you really must get the kind in the paper box. There used to be only the original flavour, but now they’ve added many more. Take a bite and the juice from the bean curd bursts out – sweet but not cloyingly so, exactly the taste I loved as a child.

At Huang Tian Yuan Cake Shop I bought red bean cake and mint cake. Listening to the elderly shop assistant’s soft Suzhou dialect felt so warm. He told me to eat them as soon as I got home, just steaming for 2–3 minutes over water. The shop has a huge range; besides cakes, there are fresh pork mooncakes and plum blossom cakes – I really wished I could buy more to bring home and try.

There are other chain stores along the street, too – candied hawthorn skewers, Yi Dian Dian milk tea and the like, which younger visitors will appreciate.

Guanqian Street recently set up a festive market, so we went to soak up the buzz. We saw lots of people buying waxed chicken and other new‑year goods, and the sense of New Year’s cheer felt really strong.

As dusk fell, the sky turned a beautiful shade of blue. I love the night scenery here. A branch of Shanghai’s Yuyuan Bazaar has also opened on this street, along with clothing boutiques and restaurants serving authentic Suzhou cuisine.

The two‑day, one‑night Suzhou journey was drawing to a close. I’m grateful for my friend’s company over the last two days, allowing me to deeply experience the charm of Suzhou. Boarding the train back to Shanghai, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of the “double‑sided embroidery”, and the affection I feel for Suzhou will surely endure. Suzhou, I will definitely return.