Meili Ancient Town in Wuxi
The first impression upon entering the ancient town is its novelty, especially new, and not just new but also very large, it is said to be the largest ancient town in the south of the Yangtze River...
Meili Ancient Town is known as 'the ancient capital of Gouwu and the new city of Meili', which was the capital when Taibo, the eldest son of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty, established the state of Gouwu. More than 3200 years ago, King Zhou had three sons, the eldest Taibo, the second Zhongyong, and the third Jili. King Zhou was very fond of Jili's son, Ji Chang, and wanted him to succeed to the throne in the future. To fulfill his father's wish, Taibo renounced the throne three times and, together with his brother Zhongyong, moved from the Central Plains to Meicun, now a suburb of Wuxi, which is Meili, and developed the vast region of the south of the Yangtze River, establishing the state of Wu. Hence, Meili is known as 'the first ancient town in the south of the Yangtze River'.
When I visited during the National Day holiday, there were quite a lot of people, probably because it's far from the city center, but it wasn't too crowded to walk around. The ancient town is divided into several areas, separated by crisscrossing rivers, and each area has its unique features. Of course, the commercialization of the ancient town is quite serious, with almost one side being a commercial street for dining and shopping. For me, any place with a convenience store is a good place, haha...
There is no admission fee for the ancient town, and I checked that the night view is very beautiful. Unfortunately, I didn't stay until the evening, when there should be a lot of people...
The ancient town lacks natural scenery, and although the architectural style is imitative of ancient times, it is not very uniform. However, it is indeed a different kind of ancient town, overturning the feeling of small bridges and flowing water typical of other ancient towns, adding a more modern touch...
Address: Northeast corner of the intersection of Xinhua Road and Meili Middle Road, Meicun, Xinwu District, Wuxi City