Shajiabang Reed Wetland

Shajiabang reed wetland is located more than 10 km south of Changshu city, on the north side of Yangcheng lake. It gained fame from the model Peking opera "Shajiabang" and was also the filming location for the TV series of the same name. In the scenic area, you can see scenes from the drama, take a cruise deep into the reed marshes, and enjoy the beautiful wetland scenery. In summer, lotus flowers bloom abundantly here. The main entrance of the attraction is at the southwest corner. After passing through the memorial square with statues of characters like Sister Aqing and New Fourth Army instructor Guo Jianguang, you can first visit the Shajiabang revolutionary history memorial hall. The memorial hall is located on the periphery of the main scenic area. Learning about Shajiabang's anti-Japanese history here will give you a deeper appreciation of the revolutionary lives of Sister Aqing and Guo Jianguang when exploring further. Heading east through the Tiankaibojing memorial archway brings you to the main Shajiabang scenic area, where you'll encounter the typical Jiangnan water village of Hongshi. In the village's numerous museums like the root carving museum and wedding customs museum, you can learn about local traditions. Going north past the Yinhu corridor leads to the cruise dock, where you can take a black-canopied boat to Shajiabang national wetland park - reed maze, or board a boat to Hengjing old street film base. The maze, located south of the folk culture village, has both water and land versions - the water maze involves boat rides while the land maze features boardwalks over the water. The boat tour through the maze is highly recommended as it showcases the essence of the scenic area. The reeds here grow taller than people, creating lush green "gauze curtains" on water in spring and summer, while turning golden with floating reed catkins in autumn and winter. This was where Sister Aqing and local villagers hid wounded New Fourth Army soldiers to recuperate and evade Japanese troops. Cruising through narrow waterways with breezes rustling the reeds, spotting egrets, and listening to boatmen sing in soft Wu dialect makes the "Jiangnan" experience feel vividly real. After completing the circular boat route near the original dock, head northeast to Hengjing old street film base. This reconstructed ancient town of Shajiabang for the TV series features complete sets including wine shops, dye houses, bamboo workshops, embroidery rooms, blacksmiths, and weaving workshops. You can visit the agricultural customs museum displaying rural tools, climb up to the balcony of traitor Diao Deyi's mansion (5th army headquarters of the Loyal and Righteous National Salvation Army) from the drama to overlook Hengjing old street, which has a section of city wall built specifically for filming at its northern end. The northern part of Shajiabang contains attractions like Luhua village, Wanzhu island, and national defense education park from east to west. The defense education park displays military aircraft, tanks, and artillery, with obstacle course facilities like ring bridges and swing bridges. Various performances occur throughout the scenic area. The ancient stage in the folk culture village intermittently presents excerpts from the Peking opera "Shajiabang" like "The battle of wits." Hengjing old street's stage also shows Peking opera performances and flower-pole dances at irregular times, with wedding custom performances on weekends. Most teahouses in the scenic area are named Chunlai teahouse after Sister Aqing's establishment in the opera. The original Chunlai teahouse is in Shajiabang national wetland park - reed maze, the second generation at the main entrance, and the third in the folk culture village. After performances, you can order tea at these teahouses while recalling Sister Aqing outwitting Diao Deyi. Hengjing old street offers local snacks like beggar's chicken, stir-fried noodles, and rice cakes showcasing Changshu flavors. Outside the scenic area's parking lot are rows of restaurants, while further south along Xitai highway stand charming waterfront wooden cottages serving delicious fresh dishes like water bamboo shoots, pumpkin porridge, and clam tofu. While nearby Bacheng is famous for Yangcheng lake hairy crabs, Changshu offers equally authentic crabs with less crowds at Shajiabang.