General Discussion

How early was that?!

Personally, I feel there's a huge difference. When we went, it was incredibly crowded. We didn't get to appreciate the beauty of the Jiangnan water towns, nor did we experience much of the local culture. Plus, as someone from northern China, I wasn't used to the food. It was my worst travel experience. Now I miss my trip to Chengdu even more.

Dongguan Street in Yangzhou, you mean? For Suzhou, I'd recommend: Humble Administrator's Garden, Lion Grove Garden, Lingering Garden, Xiyuan Temple, Shuangta Market, Pingjiang Road, and Shantang Street. These are all suitable.

I walked the Jinji Lake trail; it seemed like there were no boats at night.

I want to go.

You don't need a visa! It's visa-free.

It's actually better if people like that don't go. You should breathe a sigh of relief, don't be angry~

I can't speak for everything else, but at the entrance to Tiger Hill, there are so many scammers selling smoked plums. If you don't buy, they'll chase you down and yell at you. The tricycle drivers and the guys offering photoshoots are incredibly persistent; even if you say no, they'll follow you and keep talking endlessly. Street vendors sell silk scarves for 10 yuan, but if you take a moment to pick a color, they'll scold you. Liquor stores make you buy at least half a kilo, and if you ask for a smaller bottle, they just sneer. Who can understand these infuriating local 'customs'? (lol) I came all the way from Northeast China, and this completely shattered my dream of Jiangnan.

@摆烂咸鱼也翻身

No, it was actual food poisoning, definitely due to unhygienic conditions. My daughter doesn't eat spicy food, and what she had wasn't oily either.

Tourist visas are not an option.

Sweetie, I've had a very similar experience. Suzhou healed some deep wounds for me too. I hope things continue to look up for all of us.

Suzhou has plenty of old streets out in the countryside. Would you even bother visiting those?

It's hard to compare; one is a provincial capital, and the other is a prefecture-level city. But I've always loved the saying, 'Above there is heaven, below there are Suzhou and Hangzhou.' I'm very fond of both places.

Visiting Suzhou? It's great for sightseeing and strolling around. As for the food, don't get your hopes too high. It tends to be on the sweeter side, which people either love or absolutely hate. Suzhou's attractions have been incredibly crowded these past couple of years, so the most important thing is to keep a good attitude. Anyway, it's all about experiencing different scenery. The gardens are quite similar, so visiting one is probably enough. In the old town area, just wander into any alleyway – they all have their own unique charm.

The gardens and temples are truly beautiful. I had originally planned to visit seven, but I just didn't have the energy and only managed to see four. The best experience by far was Xiyuan Temple! It's huge, with so many lush trees, and it was wonderfully cool when I went in the morning. There really were lots of adorable cats, which was so therapeutic. Counting the Arhats was also quite interesting. Although I kept wondering which Arhat to start counting from, the fortune slip I ended up with told me not to be indecisive – so accurate!

Just got back yesterday and it was pretty mediocre... I'm from Jinan, and honestly, this so-called 'authentic Jiangnan' experience didn't live up to the hype. The water there is quite dirty; Jinan's water is significantly better. The gardens are admittedly larger than ours, being 'authentic Jiangnan' and all, but really, everything was just... average. Nothing special. P.S. Attaching photos of Jinan's water and scenery.

Regretting it already, not much fun here.

If there's no purchase limit, the store clerk should be blamed, not me.

Haha, Sandu Mountain Sports Park is right in our village, and Guantang Hotel is in Longgang Town!