An Impromptu Journey
This Spring Festival, I hadn't planned on traveling far, but staying at home felt like wasting this rare holiday. My family also suggested going out for a trip, so we just packed up and left. Early on the morning of the second day of the lunar year, we embarked on our journey.
First stop: Yangzhou. Yangzhou is located at the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal. It is one of the first 24 nationally recognized historical and cultural cities. In ancient times it was called Guangling. The great Tang dynasty poet Li Bai’s poem ‘Seeing Meng Haoran off to Guangling’ made it famous far and wide. We arrived in Yangzhou in the afternoon and headed first to Dongguan Street, the most representative historic old street in the city. During the festive period, Dongguan Street was extraordinarily lively. It would be no exaggeration to say we were squeezed into the street rather than simply walking in. We shuffled along with the crowd. Both sides were lined with shops doing a booming business, and almost every shop had a queue outside. After more than an hour, looking up, the 1,000-odd-meter-long Dongguan Street seemed still endless. Passing by the time-honored brand Simi Pickle Shop, we queued to buy a jar of pickled cucumber, then hurriedly pushed our way out of Dongguan Street, weaving through the surrounding hutongs to get back to the car park.
A trip to Yangzhou would be incomplete without visiting Slender West Lake. The lake was originally formed from the waters of the ancient Sui-Tang Grand Canal and the moats of successive dynasties—Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing. Its source is the Grand Canal, and it covers an area of 700 mu (about 47 hectares). On 22 June 2014, it was inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO. Hearing that there was an evening performance at Slender West Lake, we deliberately bought nighttime tickets. The night session opened at 6 p.m., just as the lanterns were first lit, casting a shimmering, multicolored glow. We queued for over twenty minutes to get in. On the shore, crowds wandered, and performances came thick and fast. The musical fountain’s water columns soared with the flashing lights and high notes, then vanished, then swayed left and right in a graceful dance. The molten iron fireworks display—at times like Nezha’s Wind Fire Wheels, spraying sparks in all directions, at other times like a waterfall cascading down. The drone show: first, multicolored phoenixes soared through the sky, then a golden dragon twisted and flipped overhead—simply magnificent. Dragon and lion dances: the dragon and lions tumbled and leaped, and suddenly fireworks shot out from many little tubes on their heads and backs. The surrounding visitors screamed and dashed backwards, shouts of amazement filling the air. While watching the performances, visitors also toured scenic spots such as Xiaojin Hill, Five Pavilion Bridge, the White Pagoda, and Twenty-Four Bridges.
Second stop: Nanshan Bamboo Sea. On the third day of the lunar new year, we traveled south and arrived at the Nanshan Bamboo Sea Scenic Area. Located in Liyang City, Jiangsu Province, the area boasts beautiful green hills, a vast bamboo sea, and clear tranquil lakes—truly the poetic charm of green hills and blue waters. As it was the Spring Festival holiday and the scenic area happened to offer free admission, visitors poured in like a tide. Even taking a shuttle bus required a long queue, so we ended up walking. We walked through the bamboo forest, our eyes filled with emerald-green bamboo stretching like a vast ocean. Not far ahead, a lake came into view, its water serene and deep. Poling a bamboo raft, we leisurely enjoyed the ripples and the harmony of water and bamboo, utterly relaxed. Because of my leg condition, I couldn’t hike long distances, so after spending a little over an hour there, we descended the hill and drove to Deqing to rest, preparing for the next day’s trip to Moganshan.
Third stop: Moganshan. Moganshan is situated in Deqing County. Legend has it that over 2,000 years ago, during the Spring and Autumn period, the swordsmiths Mo Ye and Gan Jiang forged their swords here, giving the mountain its name. The mountain is covered not only with dense bamboo groves but also over 200 charming old villas, like a hidden paradise. However, the shuttle bus stops are quite a distance from the scenic spots, so walking can be tiring. In the afternoon we visited Yucun. Yucun is not a village but a small town at the foot of Moganshan. This was once the retreat of Huang Fu, a former foreign minister of China, who attempted rural reform here. Today, it has become an internet-famous check-in spot. Strolling around Yucun Square, we saw its iconic European-style clock tower, the Republican-era library, Moganshan’s old station, and more. The Republican-era atmosphere gave us a unique experience.
Fourth stop: Hangzhou. We drove from Yucun to the vicinity of ‘Xiaohe Park’ in the evening. We walked along the canal bank towards Xiaohe Straight Street Historic and Cultural Block. All along the way, brightly lit pleasure boats shuttled back and forth on the canal, and the lights on both banks complemented each other. When we got tired, we found a tea house by the bank, sipped tea and rested awhile—truly delightful. Crossing a small bridge and turning right, then descending a few steps, we soon reached Xiaohe Straight Street, already ablaze with lights and surging with crowds. The buildings in the block are typical riverside dwellings of Jiangnan. Whitewashed walls, black-tiled little buildings standing over the water, with shops on the ground floor and living quarters upstairs; that is, the street-facing first floor is commercial, and the second floor is residential. Many people come to Xiaohe Straight Street not really for shopping but to enjoy a slow, leisurely stroll along the old street, immersing themselves in the passage of time and the flow of years.
Early on the morning of the fifth day, we rushed to Lingyin Temple. During the Dragon Year Spring Festival, despite traffic restrictions, there were still jams near Lingyin Temple. The closer we got to the scenic area, the more people and vehicles we encountered. Inside, it was a sea of people; those who had come to pray for blessings could only inch forward, tightly packed. After leaving Lingyin Temple, we took a bus to Leifeng Pagoda. Along the West Lake shore, crowds gathered everywhere, and traffic crawled. At Leifeng Pagoda, on the first and second floors, we viewed the pagoda’s foundation from before it collapsed, behind sealed glass walls. Scattered broken bricks lay in disarray. For some reason, at that moment I half-believed the legend of the White Snake and felt a deep resentment toward the meddling Fahai. We wanted to climb the pagoda, but the queues were simply too long, so we could only sigh in disappointment. In the afternoon, we drove to Xixi Wetland. The wetland has many entrances; we bought tickets at Zhoujia Village and entered. Since it was late, tickets for the sightseeing cars and boat rides had already stopped selling. Having come in a hurry with little knowledge of the area, we could only wander aimlessly. Everywhere we went, there were plum gardens, branches laden with red and white plum blossoms. One interesting thing was that some trees bore both red and white flowers at the same time, which struck us as quite marvelous. Though our time was short, being able to see so many plum blossoms—‘alone blooming before spring arrives’—made the trip worthwhile.
Fifth stop: Suzhou. On the sixth day of the lunar new year, we got up a bit late, feeling tired from the previous day. After breakfast, we drove to Suzhou. We chose a hotel by Taihu Lake. Passing the Taihu Lakeside National Wetland Park, we bought tickets and went in. A fine drizzle was falling. Wooden boardwalks made of treated wood extended into the lake, and walking along them felt like walking on the water’s surface. Flocks of water birds played and foraged in the lake. From a height, the clear water stretched endlessly. Far from the city’s hustle and bustle, this was the perfect place to find peace of mind.
I’m not sure how many times we’ve been to Pingjiang Road. Perhaps because of the morning’s chill and rain, although there were a lot of people, it seemed less crowded compared to our visit during the National Day holiday. The Pingjiang Historical and Cultural Block in Suzhou has a history of over 2,500 years. Little bridges over flowing streams, whitewashed walls with black tiles, the soft Suzhou dialect, the melodies of pingtan storytelling—all come together like a scroll painting of Jiangnan waterside life.
In the evening, we went to Jinji Lake and strolled along Ligong Causeway, making a point of dining at the Deyuelou Restaurant to taste authentic Suzhou cuisine. Deyuelou was established during the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty. When the Qianlong Emperor traveled to the Jiangnan region, he dined at Deyuelou and was so impressed by the exquisite flavours that he bestowed the title ‘The Best Restaurant under Heaven.’ After dinner, we walked along the lakeside, surrounded by a kaleidoscope of lights. The towering Gate of the Orient was particularly dazzling and eye-catching.
On the seventh day, we first went to Hanshan Temple to ring the bell and pray for a wonderful year ahead. Silently reciting Zhang Ji’s timeless poem ‘Mooring at Maple Bridge,’ we ascended Jiang Bridge and Maple Bridge to soak in the poetic atmosphere the poet once captured.
The distance from Hanshan Temple to Shantang Street is only a few kilometers, but the drive took far less time than finding a parking spot. Shantang Street stretches from Changmen Gate in the east to Tiger Hill in the west, about 3,600 meters long—or roughly seven li—hence the name ‘Seven-Li Shantang.’ The old section of Shantang Street is only 360 meters. Though just a tenth of the full stretch, it is the quintessence, known as ‘the epitome of old Suzhou, a window into Wu culture.’ The old street is crammed with shops and thronged with visitors. We sat down at a little shop selling ‘sweet soups’ and ordered ‘sweet congee.’ The gorgon fruit in the congee is a specialty of the Jiangnan area—fresh qianshi (also called chicken head rice). It was my first time trying it, and it was wonderfully chewy and delicious. At lunchtime, we ate at the time-honored Rongyanglou, having soup dumplings and pan-fried buns, which were excellent.
Heading northwest from Shantang Street, we arrived at Tiger Hill. Legend has it that in the Spring and Autumn period, King Helü of Wu was buried here, and three days after his burial, a white tiger was seen crouching on the hill, hence the name ‘Tiger Hill.’ Su Dongpo once said, ‘Visiting Suzhou without seeing Tiger Hill is a great pity,’ making it a must-see for travelers. The Tiger Hill Pagoda, also called Yunyan Temple Pagoda, stands on Tiger Hill. It was built in the sixth year of the Later Zhou Dynasty’s Xiande period (959) and completed in the second year of the Northern Song Dynasty’s Jianlong period (961). There is a saying: ‘See Tiger Hill Pagoda before you see Suzhou City.’ It is an octagonal, imitation-wood, brick-and-wood bracket-style pagoda of seven storeys, 48.2 meters high. The pagoda is composed of three parts: outer wall, inner corridor, and central core. Due to uneven foundation settlement, its top gradually tilted away from the center. In December 1981, work began to reinforce its base, and the project was completed in 1986, fundamentally eliminating the risk of further sinking and tilting. Measurements show that the pagoda’s central axis deviates from the vertical by 3°59′. Below the pagoda lies a deep pool, where cliffs, rocks, and waterfalls converge, and water flows endlessly—dark and unfathomable. This is the famous ‘Sword Pool.’ It is said that the pool was not naturally formed but carved by human hands. In the pool lie King Helü’s swords and treasures. Of course, until it is confirmed by archaeological excavation, this remains a thousand-year-old mystery. At the entrance to the Sword Pool, the four characters ‘Hu Qiu Jian Chi’ (Tiger Hill Sword Pool) are said to be inscribed by Yan Zhenqing. Later, the two characters for ‘Hu Qiu’ were stolen. The present ‘Hu Qiu’ were inscribed by later generations, hence the saying: ‘False Tiger Hill, true Sword Pool.’
In recent years, we’ve always taken off on a whim each Spring Festival, even knowing in advance that travelers would not be few. I just want, together with my family, to immerse ourselves in mountains, lakes, seas, streets, and alleyways, to see red Chinese knots hanging everywhere, to see people from all corners of the country gathering with their families, dressed in new clothes, ringing bells for blessings, admiring beautiful scenery, savoring delicious food—their faces beaming with happiness. It makes one feel the strong flavor of the New Year and the ambiance of traditional Chinese culture. These experiences make us cherish and appreciate the small, beautiful moments in life even more, and make us love this vibrant and hopeful festival even more deeply.
