Shihu Lake and Shangfang Mountain
An inner bay of much larger Taihu Lake, Shihu Lake is a scenic spot of peaceful farm life and relics of the Wu and Yue kingdoms of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). Temples, pagodas and tombs on Shangfang Mountain near the lake are worth visiting. Taihu Lake is China’s third-largest freshwater lake, after Boyang Lake in Jiangxi Province and Dongting Lake in Hunan Province.
Taking a boat ride in Shihu Lake in the early morning, I felt refreshed by the mist that burned off in the warm sunlight. I sipped a cup of Biluochun, a famous local green tea with a pleasant aroma, and ate delicious dim sum, such as plum cake, jujube congee and sweet lotus root.
The boatman told me that Shihu Lake used to be a popular gathering spot in ancient times. Hundreds of people from nearby cities, including royalty, officials, and literati convened to compose poetry, paint, discuss art and literature and, of course, to drink baijiu (distilled white spirits).
Moonlight gatherings were famous during traditional festivals, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival.
After breakfast I strolled along a path fringed with sweet osmanthus and took in an exhibition of chrysanthemums of many colors, gold, orange, bronze, deep red. The scene is reminiscent of the garden of Fan Chengda, a retired official and poet of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) who retired to live near Shihu Lake. There he wrote 60 poems about peasant life over four seasons, saying he drew inspiration in his garden near the lake.
The Shihu Lake Chrysanthemums Exhibition covers 2,000 square meters and runs through the end of November. It features Suzhou-style bonsai displays and a flower arrangement competition. Visitors watch folk music performances and demonstrations of painting and calligraphy in competitions.
It’s all so appealing that it’s understandable the literati wanted to linger in autumn.
Maple Bridge Scenic Area
This scenic spot is closer to downtown Suzhou than Shihu Lake and Tianping Mountain.
The Maple Bridge over the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal is more than a bridge. It’s part of the Grand Canal of China, part of an ancient town, part of a temple, and a famous image in a poem.
More than one thousand years ago, poet Zhang Ji of the Tang Dynasty rowed a boat under the Maple Bridge and listened to bells in nearby Hanshan Temple on an autumn evening. He moored the boat at the foot of the bridge, looked at the moon in the clear dark sky, and felt deeply homesick. He wrote “A Night Mooring near Maple Bridge.” I stood at the place where he moored the boat, saw Maple Bridge and nearby Jiangcun Bridge and knew why he was inspired.
Climbing to Tieling Pass, I reached the three-story gate used in battles against Japanese pirates during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). I looked out over two bridges (Maple Bridge and Jiancun), Hanshan Temple and a few boats on the canal.
Tieling Pass connected to the Maple Bridge is 7 meters high, 15 meters wide and stretches more than 10 meters.
Maple Bridge Town west of Suzhou was the most important water transport hub for grain, food and tribute since the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618).
There are many rice shops, traditional crafts shops, embroidery studios and also weaving and textile shops on the streets.
How to get there:
High-speed train from Shanghai Railway Station or Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station takes half an hour. One-way, second class costs 40 yuan (US$6.50).
Nearby attractions:
Mudu is a historic cultural town in Suzhou’s rural western suburbs and it’s connected by the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal with Taihu Lake. It contains more than 30 private gardens, both delicate and elaborate. Built during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, they include Yan’s Garden, Bangyan Mansion and Hongyin Villa. Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty called Hongyin Villa his imperial palace during his regular tours of the region south of the Yangtze River. The aesthetics of the garden with its streams, ponds, paths, rockeries, pavilions and plantings drew him back again and again.
There are many traditional restaurants along Qionglong Road. Aquatic plants and animals are recommended, including “Three Whites in Taihu Lake,” meaning silver fish, white fish and white shrimp. Another dish combines lotus root, and seeds of gorgon euryale, a water plant.
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