When visiting Wuxi, what you must not miss is not the Nianhua Bay, but the Huishan Ancient Town!
1. Huishan Ancient Town scenic area is located in the western part of Liangxi District, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China, covering an area of 3.5 square kilometers, with a core area of 1.09 square kilometers. Its history can be traced back to the Huishan Temple built during the Southern and Northern Dynasties.
During the Tang Dynasty and the Ming and Qing Dynasties, gardens and ancestral halls were built next to the temple, forming the Huishan Ancient Town.
In 2017, Xihui Park merged with the original Huishan Ancient Town to form the Huishan Ancient Town scenic area.
Huishan Ancient Town has now become a comprehensive scenic area that combines the charm of everyday life with Jiangnan gardens and ancient ancestral halls.
2. The entrance fee for Huishan Ancient Town is 70 RMB, with a half-price ticket of 35 RMB per person during the New Year period (including Jichang Garden, the Second Best Spring in the World, and Erquan Academy). If you only visit the ancient town, it is free, including the ancestral temples and temples on Xiu Zhan Street.
The following three are excluded: China Clay Figure Museum (30 RMB), China Qiao Jin Lacquer Museum (40 RMB), Wuxi Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall (30 RMB)
In addition, people over 60 years old from outside the province can enjoy a half-price ticket of 35 RMB, and veterans with a veteran's preferential treatment certificate can enter for free.
3. The Huishan Ancient Town scenic area is divided into four areas: Historical and Cultural Street, Cultural Relics and Historic Sites Area, Xihui Scenic Area, and Mountain Forest Protection Area.
I only planned a half-day itinerary and was more interested in historical and cultural heritage. So I quickly passed through the bustling Historical and Cultural Street and went straight to the Cultural Relics and Historic Sites Area for a detailed visit.
The above route took me about 3-4 hours in total.
Xihui Scenic Area has Huishan and Xishan mountains to climb, and there is also a cable car.
After entering from Xihui Park, turn left, where there are children's playgrounds, boating, and other amusement projects, and the cable car to Xishan is also here. During the New Year, there are really a lot of people, and it takes more than an hour to queue.
The restaurants in the Historical and Cultural Street offer a wide variety of food. If you set out in the morning, you can find a place to eat and rest here at noon when you are tired from playing, and then continue with the afternoon itinerary.
4. If you are planning a full-day itinerary, I suggest:
Morning: Cultural Relics and Historic Sites Area (visit famous attractions such as Jichang Garden)
Noon: Historical and Cultural Street (dining + strolling along the street to digest food)
Afternoon & Evening: Xihui Scenic Area/Mountain Forest Protection Area (use the remaining energy to climb and enjoy the view)
If you bring children, it is recommended that they can walk independently and have good physical strength in daily life.
Because the streets of the Historical and Cultural Street are uneven stone slabs, the walkways inside the buildings in the Cultural Relics and Historic Sites Area are narrow with many thresholds, and the gardens are mostly gravel paths, which are not suitable for using baby strollers and mobility scooters.
Note: Be sure to pay attention to the many famous ancestral halls and old residences on both sides of the ancient road. Inside, you can not only temporarily escape the bustling crowd but also feel the cultural atmosphere passed down through generations of various families.
5. The most not-to-be-missed attraction here is Jichang Garden.
Because this is the Jichang Garden where Emperor Qianlong visited seven times during his tours to the south of the Yangtze River! Today, the Xiequ Garden in Beijing's Summer Palace was built imitating its style.
After seeing the gardens in Suzhou, I still like Jichang Garden the most!
The garden cleverly incorporates the scenery of the two mountains of Xihui, with a small space revealing grandeur, ancient trees standing tall, and exquisite rockeries. When passing through the rockeries, I think of 'A Dream in the Garden', 'Beautiful scenery on a sunny day, thousands of purples and reds blooming everywhere.'
The pavilions, terraces, and towers in Jichang Garden are scattered among lush greenery, which is truly elegant!
I really want to stop and fully enjoy the scenery and tranquility of the garden.
Next, you can also visit the famous Second Best Spring in the World. In addition to the inscriptions for photo memories, there is also a spring eye surrounded by pavilions and fences, filled with coins for good luck.
It is worth mentioning that the koi in the nearby pond are really big.
There is also the Erquan Academy founded during the Ming Dynasty nearby.
6. After strolling around and leaving the scenic area at about 3 pm, I headed to Xiu Zhan Street, where a big dragon is located on Xiu Zhan Street, and the lights are turned on after 5 pm.
The entire Xiu Zhan Street is filled with famous ancestral halls and temples, including: Fan Zhongyan Ancestral Hall, Gu Dongyang Ancestral Hall, Lu Xungong Ancestral Hall, Xu Ruzi Ancestral Hall, Dongyue Xing Temple, Zhang Zhongcheng Temple, etc. Each ancestral hall has its own unique architecture and layout.
Looking back at the entire Huishan Ancient Town, it is clear that the town was built around the temple and flourished because of the ancestral halls. The culture of ancestral halls, famous people, spring tea, clay figures, gardens, and folk customs blend and coexist here, truly living up to its reputation as 'Wuxi's Open-Air History Museum'.
Five-star recommendation!
In fact, there is no need to buy tickets. The free area goes a little deeper and there are very good courtyards with few people. But when I came, I didn't save the 70 tickets. The Changyuan is not big, there are no flowers, there are many trees, there are not many people, at least Suzhou Humble Administrator's Garden is worth it.
There is no need to buy tickets outside the ancient town, but the commercial atmosphere is very strong. Unfortunately, such a beautiful building has a lot of people. It can only be eaten and strolled. It is good to enter the central scenic spot where you buy tickets. The time is only to enter the Jichang Garden.
The ancient town is very large and the scenery is quite beautiful. When I went there, I just caught up with the azaleas of the rhododendron Festival. There is a garden in it. The garden is not very beautiful. I am tired of shopping and I have no chance to climb Huishan. I will come again in the future!
There is a commercial street at the entrance of the scenic spot. It is decorated in antique style. There are many snacks and shops. Don’t worry about eating and drinking here. Crossing the commercial street is the scenic spot. The scenic spot covers a small area. The scenic spot building is very simple. The pavilions in the park are very beautiful. There are many locals who come here to drink tea and set up a dragon gate, which is very suitable for leisure time. However, the fare is really a bit expensive. There is no discount for the elderly aged 60-69. It is free for more than 70. How many elderly people can come by themselves?
Wuxi's most worth visiting cultural monuments! Garden art, natural scenery and historical culture complement each other, making people linger! Take advantage of the off-season travel before the festival, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the cultural ancient city calmly. It is a worthwhile trip!
The ancient town does not need to buy tickets. The inside of the Changyuan Park needs to be entered with tickets. The Changyuan is a mountain villa-type Ming Dynasty garden. In a small range, various pavilions, small bridges and flowing water, halls and corridors, you can't go shopping. Feeling, you must do your homework before you go to see it happily.
I bought tickets to Huishan Ancient Town one day in advance (including Jichangyuan and Xihuiyuan), which can be discounted by five yuan compared to the day. I tasted Wuxi ribs like silver noodles and braised pork in Xinwanxin Yinsi Noodle Restaurant. The business was booming and the guests were waiting in line. On April 6, Xihuiyuan, only rhododendrons are on display, and Tokyo evening cherry is still swaying on the branches. The tomb of the blind man Aqi moved to Xihuiyuan. When some tourists hung Aqi, the mobile phone played "Erquan Yingyue". The ear was a melodious and mournful Erhu solo. Every note was full of reverence and remembrance for the old master.
Xihui Park is located in the west of Wuxi city, covering a large area, is a comprehensive park integrating natural scenery, humanistic landscape and leisure and entertainment. The park is surrounded by mountains and rivers, beautiful scenery, both the gentleness of the Jiangnan water town and the boldness of the mountains and forests. Entering the park, the first thing that came into view was the blue wave of Yingshan Lake, the lake was clear to the bottom, reflecting the surrounding green mountains and green trees, like a natural ink painting. Walk along the lakeside path to enjoy a variety of plants and flowers, they bloom in turn in the four seasons, adding endless vitality and color to the park. In spring, peach blossoms and cherry blossoms are in full bloom, like a pink cloud; in summer, the lotus is full of fragrance. In autumn, chrysanthemums are colorful and colorful; in winter, pine and cypress are upright and snowy, which has a unique charm. In addition to the natural scenery, Xihui Park also carries a rich historical and cultural connotation. Jichang Garden is one of the four famous parks in Wuxi. It attracts tourists with its exquisite garden architecture and deep cultural heritage. The pavilions and rockery pools in the park are full of simple and elegant atmosphere, making people seem to have traveled to the ancient Jiangnan water town. In addition, Xihui Park is an open civic park, attracting a large number of citizens to come to relax every day. The park is fully equipped with spacious lawns for people to relax, lively playgrounds for children to play, and quiet bamboo forests for people to enjoy the scenery. Here, people can temporarily forget the hustle and bustle of the city, enjoy the gifts of nature and the tranquility of the soul.