Jiangnan Water Towns

Suzhou, Hangzhou and the water towns around Lake Tai, with gardens, ancient towns, canals and poetic Jiangnan living.

The Jiangnan water towns refer to the Lake Tai basin in the Yangtze River Delta, mainly covering Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi, Jiaxing, Huzhou, Hangzhou and Shaoxing. As the saying goes, “Above is heaven, below are Suzhou and Hangzhou”: Suzhou has its classical gardens (Humble Administrator's Garden, Lingering Garden, Master of the Nets Garden), Pingjiang Road and Shantang Street, while Hangzhou has West Lake and Lingyin Temple. Famous water towns include Zhouzhuang, Tongli, Luzhi and Jinxi (Suzhou), Wuzhen and Xitang (Jiaxing), Nanxun (Huzhou), Zhujiajiao (Shanghai), and Shaoxing's Lu Xun's Hometown and Anchang Ancient Town; Shajiabang in Changshu and Huishan Ancient Town in Wuxi are also popular. Classic 5–7-day itineraries: Shanghai – Suzhou – Wuzhen/Xitang – Hangzhou, or Shanghai – Zhouzhuang – Tongli – Suzhou. The regional high-speed rail network is dense, but getting between ancient towns usually requires a bus or taxi. Towns are crowded on public holidays, so staying a night to enjoy the evening scenery and quiet early mornings is recommended; during the plum rain season, watch out for damp. Jiangnan is also an important birthplace of silk, Kunqu opera, Pingtan storytelling and tea culture; trying Suzhou embroidery, listening to a Pingtan performance and drinking a cup of West Lake Longjing tea will add cultural depth to your trip. Suzhou-style and Hangzhou-style cuisines emphasize seasonal ingredients, with spring's yanduxian (salted pork and bamboo shoot soup) and autumn's hairy crabs the most popular.

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