[2025 Suzhou Attraction] Travel Guide for Dongshan Island, Taihu Lake (Updated May)

Looking for a weekend of slow life? Dongshan in Taihu Lake is the perfect spot. Sleepy water towns, hipster coffee shops, and calming walks along the water. The highlights for us: - Independent coffee shops all over the island. Out favorite was Maison 11 with the most amazing cheesecake and a breezy backyard just off the canal. - Explore the old town just by Maison 11 - it's beautiful 😍. It's not on the maps, wonder around the find it! - Head to the lakeside for real oven pizza, great coffee, and amazing photo ops at 望听cafe - Relax at one of the many small hotels dotted around the island. Ours was pet friendly and the dog enjoyed the trip too. #太湖 #Suzhou #苏州 #petfriendly

The ancient town of Luzhi is surprisingly beautiful in the height of summer. When it comes to day trips from Shanghai, Suzhou has always been our family's first choice. We arrived at Luzhi Ancient Town at 8:30 in the morning, and there were very few people. The scenery of this ancient town is excellent, very quiet, and not overly commercialized. It feels very natural. There are small ducks walking up and down the steps, which I really like. Any casual photo taken here turns out great. I brought along a lacquer fan I made myself, which fits the current atmosphere perfectly. There are lacquer fans sold in small shops along the street, but I think mine looks better, haha. Having a bowl of Aozao noodles for lunch was very satisfying. In the afternoon, we went to Dongshan in Taihu. The scenery along the way was very healing. If the weather wasn't so hot, we could have taken a walk. We discovered a hidden gem resort, Suzhou ATE·Atelier Resort. The swimming pool and the seamless view of Taihu are perfect for photos. There's also a lotus pond. Spending a weekend here would be quite nice. I hope to stay here for a night someday; it would be very relaxing.

⛰️ Dongshan, also known as Dongting East Mountain, is located in Wuzhong District, Suzhou. It is a peninsula extending into Taihu Lake, surrounded by water on three sides, with vast lake views merging with the sky. It is known as the 'Little Kamakura of Suzhou', giving me the illusion of being far away from the city. From Xishan to Qiyuan—Daixin Bay—Shijing (bus station)—Luxiang Ancient Village—Frog Village—along the Ring Mountain Road—along the Binhu Boulevard—leaving Dongshan It's actually just circling Dongshan along the edge of Taihu Lake. 📷 Recommended photo spots: ✔️ Daixin Bay The first lakeside bridge after entering Dongshan from Xishan, because it has a curve, facing Taihu Lake and backing against Moli Peak, the scenery is particularly beautiful. It is also a place where many self-driving tourists stop to check in. It's especially comfortable to feel the lake breeze here. ✔️ Shijing (bus station) Also a pretty curve, right below Moli Peak, but I personally prefer Daixin Bay. ✔️ Frog Village This village has many frog elements and an abandoned amusement park. Currently, apart from residents, there are some residential houses (visible), but nothing else. If you have time, you can take a walk; if you're in a hurry, skip it. ✔️ The scenery along the way is actually quite nice, and if you find something you like, you can stop to take pictures. Parking on the roadside is generally friendly. ⚠️ Pay attention to proper parking, do not obstruct the passage of other vehicles, and also be careful when taking photos, as it is still by the roadside. 📷 Other check-in spots: ✔️ Luxiang Ancient Village, known as the first ancient village of Taihu Lake, has an ancient street from the Ming Dynasty, with three Ming Dynasty archways of 'Tan Hua, Hui Yuan, and Jie Yuan'. This is also the hometown of Wang Ao, a prime minister during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty. ✔️ Diao Hua Lou, the entire building is exquisitely decorated with brick carvings, wood carvings, gilding, stone carvings, color paintings, clay sculptures... and is known as 'the first building in the south of the Yangtze River' for its intricate craftsmanship. ✔️ Sanshan Island, the ferry terminal is diagonally opposite Frog Village. Park your car here and take a boat to the island. ✔️ Other places like Qiyuan, Twenty-Four Bends, Ciyun An, Yuhua Shengjing... are worth visiting if you have time. 🏍️🚴 I also met many cyclists along the way. Here, you will feel that riding a motorcycle is a very cool thing to do, with beautiful scenery and good road conditions, making it perfect for cycling. PS: Dongshan also has many specialties, such as Biluochun tea from March to April, loquats from April to May, bayberries that just hit the market in June, and oranges in autumn (Zhou Xun's 'The Oranges Are Red' was filmed in Dongshan).

Zhugong Well Pavilion is located at the west end of Renmin Street in Dongshan Town, along the street at the entrance of Miaodu Lane. The well was built in the Ming Dynasty and the pavilion was built in the Qing Dynasty. In the 24th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1545), there was a severe drought and the Taihu Lake dried up. The residents of Dongshan had difficulty in getting water. At that time, the elders in the village proposed to raise funds to dig wells to solve the water shortage. When the well was completed. The surrounding residents have benefited greatly from it. In order to commemorate the founders and donors, they named it "Zhugongjing" to keep them in mind. 1⃣️The pavilion is 3.35 meters wide in one room and 7.56 meters deep in three rooms, with a single-eaved hip roof. top. The roof is supported by eight pillars. The front eaves and front golden pillars are stone pillars with rounded corners. The stone drum is placed below, and the octagonal stone "Zhugongjing Pavilion" is placed on the top of the Liu Mansion. The columns are slightly tapered, and the capitals are rolled in a cone shape. The rear pillars are all made of round wood, with stone drums underneath. The top of the stone column is chiseled with a cross-shaped groove and embedded with the lintel beam, which is supported by a flat plate beam. A six-row bracket is installed with a phoenix head and the middle beam is a longitudinal beam that supports the hip roof. The top is in the form of a gable roof. An octagonal caisson is built in the middle. In the back, a longitudinal beam is built on the column, and then horizontal purlins are applied to form a gable roof. The front and middle wells are open, with stone railings on both sides for people to rest. 2⃣️The well is located in the middle of the pavilion with an octagonal bluestone well ring. The inner diameter of the well wall is about 1.3 meters. After 466 years, the well is still 7.35 meters deep. The outer circle of the well mouth is octagonal, with an outer diameter of 82 cm, a circle height of 41 cm, and an inner diameter of 40 cm. There are rope marks on the edge of the mouth, some of which are as deep as 3 cm. The front of the back room is separated from the front "middle" by a fence, with a double-leaf wooden door in the middle, and a statue of General Liu Meng is enshrined in the room. In the old days, in the first month of every year, the god Liu Mengjiang was carried to the well for worship. Afterwards, the god was carried to the Lingyou Temple on Miaoshan Mountain. 3⃣️Wells are public water sources, mainly for fire prevention. Pavilions are built on the wells, which are not uncommon in other areas, but the roofs of the wells are all opened with empty frames, so that the sky can be seen directly. Empty, and this pavilion covers the roof. It is even rarer to see a well and a temple combined into one. Zhugongjing Pavilion is a multifunctional building integrating religion, folk customs and fire protection. Located on Dongshan West Street, near Xiangshuijian, it is within walking distance of the navigation.