Guanqian Street & Xuanmiao Temple
观前街·玄妙观
Suzhou's busiest old shopping street, centered on the Taoist temple of Xuanmiao, with a concentration of time-honored snacks and Suzhou-style pastries.
Guanqian Street is in the center of the Gusu District. It takes its name from its location in front of Xuanmiao Temple and has been a commercial street for more than a century. Along it are time-honored shops such as Songhelou, Deyuelou, Huangtianyuan, Caizhishi, and Zhuhongxing, where you can try Suzhou noodles, rice cakes, Songshu Guiyu (squirrel-style mandarin fish), and Suzhou candies. Xuanmiao Temple was founded in the Western Jin dynasty, and its Hall of the Three Pure Ones is an important Song-dynasty wooden structure. Admission to the temple is about 10 yuan. Guanqian Street is free to enter, and it is a short walk from Lechiao Station on Metro Lines 1 and 4 or Chayuanchang Station. It is also very close to Pingjiang Road and the Humble Administrator's Garden.
Opening hours
All day (shops about 09:00–22:00)
Nearby sights
- Quyuan Garden
- China Kunqu Opera Museum
- Garden of Pleasance
- Pingjiang Road
- Suzhou Pingtan Museum
- Twin Pagodas of Luohan Temple
- Lion Grove Garden
- North Temple Pagoda (Bao'en Temple)