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Wuxi: a hidden gem of Jiangsu Province worthy of exploration
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Jiangsu Province is naturally one of the most popular destinations for Shanghai residents wanting a short excursion. It is just next door, it is chock-full of historical and cultural sites, and it boasts a superb transportation network that is integrated with Shanghai’s.
Ask where most people visit, and you will most likely, and rightfully, be told Nanjing, the provincial capital; Suzhou, Shanghai’s quaint neighbor and economic powerhouse; or Yangzhou, the important canal city in which the Venetian traveler Marco Polo worked as an official, if legend is to be believed.
Those in the know, however, will include Wuxi in the list. Few realize it was the ancient capital of Wu State during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), whose territory encompassed all the aforementioned cities including Shanghai, and whose language gave birth to the Shanghai dialect. Wuxi is also the richest city in China for the fourth year running, as measured by per capita GDP.
Wuxi may not be strewn with the classical gardens that have made Suzhou famous, but it does share beautiful Taihu Lake with Suzhou, and some may prefer visiting the lake — the heart and soul of Jiangnan, regions south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River — in Wuxi instead of Suzhou.
Yuantouzhu, or Turtle Head Isle — immortally dubbed “the nicest corner by Taihu Lake” by the influential author Guo Moruo — is an ideal place to go. However, save your lake visit for your second day in Wuxi, and enjoy the city’s cultural offerings first.
After arriving at Wuxi Railway Station, hop onto the subway and head for Huishan Ancient Town.
Huishan Mountain, whose elegance and charm endorsed by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) as “the top mountain in Jiangnan,” is connected to Xishan, a hillock that reputedly gave Wuxi its name. You can visit both; in fact, you are much closer to Xishan as you exit the subway station and enter the scenic area.
Huishan is famous for at least three things: its ancestral temples, clay figurines and the Second-Best Spring under Heaven.
Along Huishan Straight Street, you will pass many ancestral temples honoring various Chinese historical figures, many of Wuxi origin, and built during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties. Many are open to visit. Make yourself welcome.
Huishan clay figurines are a much beloved folk art form, which also made onto the first national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006. I bought a small set in an artisan’s atelier on the street. For those particularly interested in the craft, be sure to check out the sizeable China Clay Figurine Museum.
As for the Second-Best Spring, it was the source of inspiration of one of the most famous pieces of Chinese music, “The Moon Mirrored in the Pool” — the pool being the spring. The composer of the piece, the blind erhu player Hua Yanjun, also known as Abing, was buried not far from the spring. (For those keen on hiking, behind Abing’s tomb is the vast Huishan National Forest Park; walk to your heart’s delight and be rewarded by wonderful scenery at the top.)
It was none other than Lu Yu, the Sage of Tea, who gave the spring its accolade. Lu, who could be more particular about water than a tea master, ranked the spring second in all of China in terms of water quality.
The Huishan scenic area is huge. I have yet to mention the Ming Dynasty Jichang Garden, which delighted Emperor Qianlong enough to order an imitation be built in the Summer Palace of Beijing, and the 1,500-year-old Huishan Temple — check out the two Dharani pillars, or stone pillars of sutras, that guard its entrance. Dated from the late Tang (AD 618-907) and Song (AD 960-1279) dynasties, respectively, they are rare specimens in the Jiangnan region.
Huishan can occupy you for most of a day. After you are done, head for Nanchan Temple by either Bus 15 or the subway. The temple is Wuxi’s landmark with a history as long as Huishan Temple. It is located right next to Wanghu Gate, the southern gate of the old city, whose wall no longer exists.
The temple area, busy with several markets including a book market and an antique market and lots of small shops, is adjacent to the mile-long Qingming Bridge Historical and Cultural Block, which extends along an old stretch of the Grand Canal. The canal has since been moved 2 kilometers away to meet modern transportation demands, but the old stretch is testament to what made Wuxi prosperous historically. Be sure to visit the picturesque Qingming Bridge.
Wuxi cuisine is distinguished by its sweet taste. Wuxi-style soup dumplings are markedly sweeter than those found in Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Nanjing. Try them, as well as the famous Wuxi spare ribs, in one of the many local restaurants in either scenic area.
Yuantouzhu, your main attraction on Day 2, is particularly worth a visit in March and April when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Head there early to avoid the crowd.
If you have time to kill before catching your train back to Shanghai, consider visiting Donglin Academy, the birthplace of a famous couplet that epitomizes Confucian gentleman-scholar ideals:
In my ears are the sounds of wind, rain and reading (风声雨声读书声，声声入耳);
To my concern are the affairs of family, state and the world (家事国事天下事，事事关心).
Not far from the entrance of the academy, you will find a map of the diamond-shaped old city labeled “Baixiang Liangxi,” or A Hundred Alleys of River Liang. Liangxi, Wuxi’s main river, gives the old city’s administrative district its name. Unlike Suzhou, Wuxi’s historic gems are a bit more hidden and await your discovery. Have fun following either route shown, or both!
If you go
There are very frequent services from both Shanghai Railway Station and Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, and the journey takes under an hour.
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