1 day in Pinghu: East Lake & Mo's Manor Marvels

Wuzhen is an ancient Jiangnan town with a long history in the northern suburbs of Tongxiang. The main scenic areas are divided into Xizha and Dongzha. Enjoying the night view of Xizha, riding a rowing boat and watching folk performances are experiences that tourists will not miss. This is also the filming location for "In Time" starring Huang Lei and Rene Liu.

Dongzha and Xizha are about 1.5 kilometers apart. If you want to visit both Dongzha and Xizha in one day, you should arrive at Wuzhen early in the morning. You can visit Dongzha first (2-3 hours), and then start visiting Xizha after lunch. We visited Xizha and stayed until night to watch the night view in Xizha. If you have two days to spare, you can consider one day each in Xizha and Dongzha.

Highlights of Xizha and Dongzha:

You can spend a day wandering on the stone roads in Xizha, trying local snacks such as stinky tofu, Dingsheng cakes, and sister-in-law cakes, or visit old cultural sites such as Zhaoming Academy and the old post office. Of course, you can also take a paddle boat to savor the water town. small town.

If time permits, be sure not to miss the Xizha Night Tour. The water alleys, ancient bridges and white walls are illuminated by the lights, which is so beautiful that the sightseeing tour is even more artistic. After admiring the night view, you can go to the bar to have a drink or watch an outdoor old movie or listen to a flower drum show, which is very relaxing.

Compared with Xizha, Dongzha is smaller but has a richer atmosphere of life. There are also local people living here, and there are also attractions such as the Shadow Puppet Theater, Sanbaijiu Workshop, Xiuzhen Temple, and Mao Dun’s Former Residence. You can also watch performances such as boxing boat (boxing and kicking on the boat) and high pole boat (climbing bamboo poles on the boat), so you can find Richer folk customs and historical connotations. There is a shuttle bus between Dongzha and Xizha.

Food and specialty products:

Braised mutton and duck in sauce are must-try delicacies in Wuzhen, and the mutton is especially famous. Hanlin Mansion Hotel and Fengyuan Restaurant in Dongzha, Yusheng Restaurant and Sauce Duck Braised Restaurant in Xizha are all popular restaurants. You may also want to try the fried stinky tofu, Dingsheng cake, sister-in-law cake and other special snacks in the streets and alleys.

If you want to bring back some specialties, handmade "Sanbaijiu", Tao Xuchang brand bean paste, exquisite wood carvings and bamboo carvings, as well as scarves, tea coasters, umbrellas, wallets and various pictograms made of "blue calico" Pendants, etc. are all good choices, and there are many specialty shops on the street.

Accommodation in scenic spots:

There are many hotels and inns in Xizha Scenic Area, which are all managed by the government. The fees range from low to high. Staying in the scenic area can make it convenient to visit, and you can better experience the night view of Xizha.

There are also many hotels and inns to choose from outside the scenic area, and the prices are cheaper than inside the scenic area.

Located in Suzhou Wujiang, Tongli Ancient Town is a Jiangnan Ancient Water Town established in the Song Dynasty. It has a history of over a thousand years with the bulk of its buildings now constructed during the era of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. River canals divide the town into 7 sections, but the sections are all interconnected by 49 stone bridges. Almost every residential house is facing a river canal. The main attractions of the town include Jiayin Hall and Congben hall, The Tuisi Garden, Three Bridges, and The Pearl Tower. The attractions and be toured in one or two days. The town is 18 kilometers from Suzhou and 80 kilometers from Shanghai.