In the early morning, a light mist drifts over the water in Zhouzhuang.
A black-awning boat slowly glides past, the boatwoman humming a soft Wu dialect tune, the sound of oars rippling across the water. White walls and black tiles reflect in the water, red lanterns swaying gently in the morning breeze.
This is the Jiangnan that countless people dream of.
Jiangsu is a place that makes you never want to leave.
Province Profile#
- Location: Eastern China coast, lower reaches of the Yangtze River
- Best Travel Season: March-May (spring flowers), September-November (clear autumn)
- Highlights: Water towns, classical gardens, Wu culture, hometown of scholars
Must-Visit Attractions#
Suzhou Gardens: Creating Worlds Within Small Spaces#
“Jiangnan gardens are the best under heaven, and Suzhou gardens are the best in Jiangnan.”
Suzhou has over 60 existing classical gardens, with the Humble Administrator’s Garden, Lingering Garden, Master of Nets Garden, and Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty listed as World Cultural Heritage sites.
The Humble Administrator’s Garden is the largest, centered around water with pavilions and towers scattered artfully. In summer when lotus flowers bloom, sitting in the Far Fragrance Hall watching the green leaves stretch to the horizon feels like being in a painting.
Lingering Garden is known for its architectural art, with one courtyard after another, each view changing as you walk. The famous “Three Peaks of Lingering Garden”—Cloud Capped Peak, Auspicious Cloud Peak, and Mountain Cloud Peak—are the finest examples of Taihu stones.
Best Experience: Enter the gardens when they first open in the morning, avoid the tour groups, and wander through the corridors alone, listening to your own footsteps echo.
Zhouzhuang: China’s No.1 Water Town#
“Wu trees sway gently, Wu waters flow, Wu boats drift leisurely.”
Zhouzhuang has nearly a thousand years of history, still completely preserving 14 ancient bridges and over 800 original residents. The Twin Bridges, Shen Hall, and Zhang Hall—each place has its stories.
The most romantic experience is taking a black-awning boat, letting the boatwoman row you through stone bridges, watching people on both banks washing rice and vegetables by the river.
Best Experience: Stay overnight in a guesthouse in the ancient town, then go out at five in the morning to see Zhouzhuang without tourists.
Nanjing: The Weight of Six Dynasties#
Nanjing is the capital of Jiangsu and an ancient capital with 2,500 years of city-building history.
Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is built against the mountain, magnificent and imposing; the stone statues along the Sacred Way of Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum remain majestic after 600 years of wind and rain; by the Qinhuai River at Confucius Temple, painted boats glide through the night, reminding one of the verse “Mist veils the cold water, moonlight bathes the sand; I moor at night by Qinhuai, near the wine shops.”
Best Experience: Visit Ming Xiaoling in autumn when the ginkgo trees along the Sacred Way turn golden, walking on the path with fallen leaves crunching underfoot.
Special Experiences#
Tea Tasting and Opera Listening#
On Pingjiang Road or Shantang Street in Suzhou, find a teahouse, order a pot of Biluochun tea, and listen to a Suzhou pingtan performance. The soft Wu dialect melodies, accompanied by pipa and sanxian, can make a whole afternoon pass slowly and pleasantly.
Autumn Hairy Crabs#
“When autumn winds rise, crabs’ legs itch.”
Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs are Jiangsu’s autumn seasonal delicacy. Full of roe and rich in paste, paired with a pot of yellow wine, this is the season Jiangnan people look forward to all year.
Yangzhou Morning Tea#
“In the morning, skin wraps water; in the evening, water wraps skin.”
Yangzhou’s morning tea culture rivals Guangzhou’s. Fuchun Teahouse, Yechun Teahouse—a pot of tea with three-dice buns, jade shao mai, and thousand-layer oil cakes, eaten slowly until noon.
Travel Tips#
- Transportation: High-speed rail network is well-developed; Nanjing, Suzhou, and Wuxi all have high-speed rail stations. Travel between cities is very convenient.
- Accommodation: In Suzhou, stay near Pingjiang Road or Shantang Street; in water towns, stay at inns within the scenic area.
- Note: Gardens and water towns are crowded in summer—try to visit on weekdays or early mornings.
Jiangsu’s slowness is an elegance etched into the bones.
Here, you can sit in a garden pavilion and space out all afternoon, listen to a boatwoman sing a tune on a black-awning boat, or listen to a pingtan master tell a story of scholars and beauties in a teahouse.
The dream of Jiangnan awakens in Jiangsu.
Tomorrow, we head to Zhejiang to see the misty rain of West Lake and the night scenery of Wuzhen.