Shanghai Vicinity | One-Day Tour of Jinxi Ancient Town and Grand View Garden

Attraction Recommendations: Jinxi Ancient Town Jinxi Ancient Town, located in the southwestern part of Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province, is a Jiangnan water town with a history of more than two thousand years, known as the 'Hometown of Chinese Folk Museums'. Historical records show that Empress Chen, a favored concubine of Emperor Xiaozong of the Song Dynasty, loved the scenery of Jinxi so much that she could not bear to leave and was buried in the water here after her death. To commemorate Empress Chen, Emperor Xiaozong ordered the construction of a temple on the shore of Wubao Lake. Main attractions include Empress Chen's Water Tomb, Lianchi Zen Monastery, and Tongshen Imperial Court 1 Tongshen Imperial Court, originally named 'Tianqing Temple', is located at the west end of the South Street of Jinxi Ancient Town. It was first built during the Southern Song Dynasty and was expanded during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Today, the Dongyue Hall and the mountain gate remain, covering an area of 200 square meters. 2 Empress Chen's Water Tomb lies quietly in the Wubao Lake south of the town, surrounded by reeds. Surprisingly, no matter how high the water level is, Empress Chen's Water Tomb always appears above the surface of the lake, swaying with green traces, and is one of the eight great sights of Jinxi Ancient Town. 3 Lianchi Zen Monastery was founded during the Southern Song Dynasty, also known as Lotus Pond or Ancient Lotus Temple. After Empress Chen's death, Emperor Xiaozong ordered the establishment of a monastery here to chant scriptures for her salvation. He also commanded monks to dig a pond and plant lotuses on the east side of the monastery, which was then named Lotus Temple. After more than 40 years of continuous construction, the monastery's halls, corridors, treasure pagodas, and painting boats were all complete, making it one of the most famous Buddhist sites in the south of the Yangtze River. Grand View Garden The Grand View Garden in Shanghai is located in Qingpu District, originally named Dianshan Lake Scenic Area, and was renamed Shanghai Grand View Garden in 1991. It covers an area of about 1500 mu and has a construction area of about 8000 square meters. It is a large-scale antique garden complex designed based on the description in the classic Chinese novel of the Qing Dynasty, 'Dream of the Red Chamber'. The Grand View Garden is centered around the Grand View Tower, featuring attractions such as Yihong Courtyard, Longcui Nunnery, Lixiang Courtyard, and Stone Boat. On the east side, there are more than 20 groups of architectural attractions including Xiaoxiang Pavilion, Hengwu Courtyard, Liaofeng Pavilion, and Daoxiang Village. Transportation: Self-driving is recommended. Jinxi Ancient Town and Grand View Garden are very close to each other, both located in the Dianshan Lake water system. Personally, the scenery of Jinxi Ancient Town is better than that of the famous ancient towns, and it is also much less crowded. Local Snacks: On the right side of the Jinxi Ancient Town scenic area, there is a stall selling 'Youdunzi', which brings back childhood memories and is particularly delicious.