Shanghai Departure: A 2023 Suzhou 3-Day Self-Drive Tour (Hanshan Temple, Baodai Bridge, Tongli Ancient Town, Tuisi Garden, Siben Bridge, Jingsi Garden)

The first Spring Festival after pandemic restrictions were lifted showed a clear revival in tourism, with hotels, restaurants, and scenic spots packed with people. During this Spring Festival, state-owned scenic spots in Suzhou were free, and buses, rail transit, and trams were also free—truly commendable. This trip covered 287.1 km, and it had been 21 months since our last interprovincial self-drive tour.

January 22, 2023 (Lunar New Year's Day, Year of the Rabbit; Suzhou weather: light rain, 6–7°C)

10:35 a.m. Departed from our home in Pudong, Shanghai.

11:17 a.m. Arrived at Xujing Toll Gate on the Huyu Expressway; cumulative distance 28.0 km.

11:48 a.m. Stopped at Dianshan Lake Service Area on the Huyu Expressway to rest; cumulative distance 66.2 km.

12:16 p.m. Arrived at Wujiang South Toll Gate on the Changtai Expressway; cumulative distance 98.8 km.

Checked into Suzhou Donghengsheng International Hotel, a listed five-star. Deluxe twin room for two nights (including breakfast for two) at 693 yuan total. This is an older five-star hotel, convenient parking, decent rooms, and a large bathtub. Right across from the hotel is Tianhong Shopping Center, very handy for dining. The room rate with breakfast for two was affordable, but the breakfast variety could be improved. Also, the heating/AC in the room wasn't strong enough, possibly related to our floor (10th floor).

The view from the hotel window: the building on the right is the Tianhong Shopping Center.

Originally, we planned to visit Xiyuan Temple first, but found out that non-local license plates are restricted there.

Driving from Wujiang to Suzhou's Hanshan Temple is about 20 km, very convenient via the elevated road, roughly half an hour. At around 2 p.m., the area in front of Hanshan Temple was still packed with traffic, and parking spaces were tight. Hanshan Temple was crowded with visitors. Entrance fee: 20 yuan.

Hanshan Temple belongs to the Linji school of Chan Buddhism. During the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, the renowned monks Hanshan and Xiqian founded the temple. Over 1,000 years, it was destroyed by fire five times (some say seven), the last reconstruction being during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty. Historically, it was one of China's ten most famous temples, with many ancient relics inside. Hanshan Temple is a National Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese Areas and a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Unit. "Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City"—the poem "Mooring by Maple Bridge at Night" was written by Tang poet Zhang Ji.

We parked in a roadside temporary spot, 20 yuan (unlimited time).

After almost nine years, we revisited Baodai Bridge. Compared to the past, a park has been built around it, plus a parking lot; currently free. Baodai Bridge is a Fifth Batch National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit, originally built in the 11th year of the Yuanhe period of the Tang Dynasty (816 AD). It spans the Daidai River mouth between the Grand Canal and Tantai Lake, running parallel to the ancient canal. It is the longest and best-preserved large ancient multi-arch stone bridge in China. In 816 AD, it was constructed under the supervision of Prefect Wang Zhongshu, who raised funds by donating his own precious belt—hence the name Baodai (Precious Belt) Bridge; another explanation says the bridge resembles a belt floating on water.

Returned to the hotel in the evening. Felt the AC wasn't warm enough, so requested a room change. This room's bathroom layout was better. Night view outside the room.

As of that night, cumulative distance: 158.7 km, average fuel consumption: 7.1 L/100 km.

January 23, 2023 (Suzhou weather: light rain, -2–7°C)

Hotel parking lot.

Tongli Ancient Town has several free temporary parking lots. We parked on the north side of the town; the walk to the scenic area wasn't far, about 800 meters to Tuisi Garden. Individual visitors can take the Wujiang Smart Tram to Tongli Ancient Town. During this Spring Festival, entry to Tongli Ancient Town was free.

Tuisi Garden, a Fifth Batch National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit, was built between the 11th and 13th years of the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty (1885–1887). It was constructed by Qing official Ren Lansheng after he was dismissed from office and returned to his hometown. The garden's name comes from a line in the Zuo Zhuan: "In serving his lord, Linfu's way was: advance and think of loyalty, withdraw and think of making up for mistakes."

The ancient town also has sites like Gengle Hall, but due to rain and overcrowding, we didn't visit them.

Pu'an Bridge, a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relic Protection Unit.

Compared to regular buses and BRT, the smart tram has a larger capacity, with over 300 passengers in full load.

We sought out Siben Bridge. One of the oldest surviving bridges in Wujiang, it was built by Tongli poet Ye Yin during the Baoyou period of the Southern Song Dynasty. Its name means "always think of the people as the foundation." It is a Seventh Batch National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit. Siben Bridge sits between fields and factories.

In the evening, we dined at Jiangcheng Grilled Fish on the 5th floor of Tianhong Shopping Center, 161.80 yuan. We chose sturgeon. As of that night, cumulative distance: 184.1 km, average fuel consumption: 7.7 L/100 km.

January 24, 2023 (Suzhou weather: sunny, -6–0°C)

At 9:30 a.m., the hotel's breakfast buffet was still packed. Before the pandemic, we had never seen such a bustling scene.

The hotel has a swimming pool and gym on the 8th floor.

At noon, we again enjoyed Jiangcheng Grilled Fish, 166.80 yuan.

Jingsi Garden, free during this Spring Festival. This is the private garden of entrepreneur Mr. Chen Jingen, covering over 100 mu. Construction began in 1993 and took 10 years to complete. The name "Jingsi" means "quiet contemplation and far-reaching thought." The garden's architecture follows the tradition of classical Suzhou gardens. Parking fee: 5 yuan. The garden displays a large collection of Lingbi stones, especially the "Qingyun Peak," which is over nine meters tall and weighs 136 tons—a Guinness World Record for Lingbi stones.

We drove from Tongli, passing through Zhouzhuang and Grand View Garden, back to downtown Shanghai. Passing Zhouzhuang, the roadside was full of parked cars, showing how many visitors were on holiday.