If you only have one day in Suzhou, please come directly to this ancient town that has been around for a thousand years
"Mudu Ancient Town, a place visited six times by Emperor Qianlong"
I happened to be in Suzhou during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, and every scenic spot in the old city area was crowded with people. So I escaped to Mudu Ancient Town, which is not far from the city center, and enjoyed a whole day of peaceful and beautiful time alone. The bluestone paved roads, small bridges over flowing water, white walls and black tiles, all paint a picture of the scenery of the Jiangnan area.
Mudu Ancient Town
Mudu Town, Wuzhong District, Suzhou City
0 yuan (free)
Mudu is a famous ancient town in Jiangnan, the same age as the city of Suzhou, with a history of more than 2,500 years. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Mudu was the most prosperous port to the west of Suzhou City. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty visited Jiangnan six times, and each time he would pass through Mudu Ancient Town. There is also a Shantang Street here, named after the famous street in Suzhou City, but it is less crowded and more peaceful. Strolling around, it feels so comfortable.
Walking around Shantang Street, if you get tired, you can sit and drink tea in a teahouse, or sit at the imperial dock inscribed by Emperor Qianlong and enjoy the breeze, or take a ride in a sculling boat and admire the scenery of the Jiangnan area on both sides of the river. This ancient town may not be as outstanding as others, but it has a more authentic and peaceful atmosphere.
After spending a day in Mudu Ancient Town, I didn't want to leave, so I stayed overnight. I checked into the elegant and beautifully situated Suzhou Garden - Suzhou Qingpu Cultural Hostel Royal Inn, located on Shantang Street. It was once the residence of Shen Shou, the 'Embroidery Queen' of the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, and is now a private garden hostel.
Entering through a small door next to the main gate of Shen Shou's former residence, walking along a long alley into the depths, the courtyard suddenly opens up, revealing a Suzhou garden-like courtyard with pavilions, winding bridges, Taihu rocks, century-old pomegranate trees, and a lotus pond, each window offering a view that fully embodies the elegance of Suzhou style.
The guest room I stayed in faced a lotus pond. Strolling along the winding bridge in the courtyard, I enjoyed the tenderness of the Jiangnan breeze; by the way, the hostel also has cultural performances. Listening to the Kunqu opera 'A Dream in the Garden' in the deep courtyard, I felt like I was transported back a thousand years.
Must-visit spots:
Yan's Garden (about 300 meters from the hostel)
Hongyin Mountain House (next to the hostel, just step outside to get there)
Bangyan Mansion (about 400 meters from the hostel)
At four o'clock, I visited the three attractions on the ticket in 1 hour, and I have been here to watch the flowers! Tour guide card is not exempt from tickets. I have to bring a group to have an itinerary, which completely hurts the mood of a tour guide and takes the family to revisit. The tourism industry is really unfriendly to the tour guide. Please learn more about other attractions that give the tour guide free of charge.
It is forecast to be rainy all day. I hesitated for a long time or went shopping. The surprise is that there is only occasional light rain. Maybe because of the rain, there are not many tourists, and the comfort of the tour is unexpectedly good. Although the fare is slightly higher, it is worth seeing.
Mudu Ancient Town is a long-standing ancient town, along the main street Shantang Street construction of the main attractions are: Yanjia Garden, Hongyin Mountain House, Gusong Garden, Mingyue Ancient Temple, Bangyan Mansion. There is a teak hall in the Yanjia Garden of the Qing Dynasty for more than 400 years, and you can also watch a 15-minute Pingtan and Kunqu performance. Hongyinshan House has a big stage. Every time Qianlong Liuxia Jiangnan comes to see the play, there is a house exhibition in the garden with 12 sacred orders. It is more affordable to buy package tickets.
Mudu Town has changed quite a lot. I remember that about 20 years ago, Suzhou's ring elevated has not been fully built, and the ring highway is far worse. At that time, when you go to Zhenshan Hengyu to sweep the tomb, you will have to elevated the south ring down along the ground. Going through the Mudu Town, where there are not many people. Five or six years ago, it was necessary to deliberately not take the high speed to pass through the wood, but the road at the door was still pitted, the sign was not obvious and it was easy to overturn it. The play was only on the side of Shantang Street. The locals rented out the house to foreign merchants to do business. The items sold are a bit homogeneous. This time I went and found that the subway had been opened to the town gate, so although it was a holiday, the local Suzhou did not need to drive very much. We would have a parking space at 3 pm. The other side of Shantang Street has also been developed. Although it has not been completed, it feels that the atmosphere of eating, drinking and playing is much better than before. It’s just that it’s still a working day, otherwise there are too many tourists in the environment that really can’t make me like it.
It took a day to visit Mudu Ancient Town. I chose Bangyanfu-Gusongyuan-Hongyinshanfang-Mingyue Temple-Yanjia Garden. This order perfectly avoids the flow of people in the tour group. I took a lot of beautiful empty shots. The perfect weekend free travel from Yanjia Garden directly to the subway. Suzhou Station is properly not going back
The last day of May Day went to Mudu Ancient Town, I didn't expect that there were few people and the experience was very good, especially the Yanjia Garden. It was so beautiful. It felt more beautiful than the Lingering Garden. It may be that there were too many people in the Lingering Garden. They were all people who took pictures. What did you feel? It rained lightly on the 5th, but the garden in the rain was more fresh and refined. The rockery, pond, pavilion, flower windows, and the scenery were changed. It was not charming. Later, I went to see the palace of Emperor Qianlong in the south of the Yangtze River. It was also very good. Although the cruise ship over there is short, it is much cheaper than queuing in the city. . . Ancient town worth a visit
Recommend this ancient town of Suzhou! very good! Not only the mountains and rivers, flowers and plants, but also the more iconic punch-in attractions! Overall, it is an ancient town worth visiting! There are also a variety of 'delicious snacks'! First of all, the visitor center has an exclusive parking lot, just at the entrance of the ancient town! The ancient town itself does not need tickets, but there are several attractions inside, which is needed! (There are preferential policies, elderly, children, special types of work) First, is the 'Yanjia Garden Q' Yanjia Garden is located on the bank of Q Wangjia Bridge, Shantang Street, Mudu Town, the door is opposite Xiangxi, backed by Lingyan, "although it is in the mountains and forests, and the essence of the garden structure, does not allow the city", is one of the famous gardens in Jiangnan. Yanjia Garden covers an area of 16 mu. The predecessor was the residence of Suzhou famous man and Shen Deqian, editor of "Ancient Poetry Source" during the Qing Qianlong period. Second, it is the "Hongyin Mountain House Q", which is the private garden of Xu Shiyuan, a literati of Mudu in the early Qing Dynasty. Every time Qianlong goes to the south of the Yangtze River, he must first abandon the boat and land in the shore and enter the park. Then, it is the 'Gusongyuan Q', also known as Cai Shaoyu 1ju, which is a house garden-style building built in the Qing Dynasty, built for the Mudu rich man Cai Shaoyu in the end of Qing Dynasty. Now it is a cultural relics protection unit in Jiangsu Province. The back garden has a Luo Hansong in the Ming Dynasty, which is green and vigorous and has a beautiful posture. The ancient pine garden is thus known as the pine.