“Once you enter Suzhou, you will be overwhelmed by Jiangnan

Let’s go to Suzhou once.

Let’s go and experience the small bridges and flowing water of the people’s homes.

Let’s go and marvel at the way people in the south of the Yangtze River live on the water.

No, a group of us came to the real Jiangnan in poetry and paintings ~

One of the Four Great Garden in Suzhou - Lion Forest

After a hurried lunch, we first arrived at the famous Lion Forest

The Lion Forest was first built in the Yuan Dynasty and was originally the backyard of a Zen temple. It was later purchased as a private residence. It is famous for its exquisite rockeries and intricate garden paths.

The rockery is the core of a garden, made up of stones of all sizes, divided into three layers: upper, middle, and lower. It has different shapes and peaks, making people feel like they are immersed in the natural landscape.

Gardens, on the other hand, serve as a backdrop for rockeries, with lush tress, blooming flowers, and flowing bridges, creating picturesque scenes. Strolling through it, not only can you enjoy beautiful scenery, but you can also feel the profound heritage of traditional Chinese culture.

It is said that this garden was deeply loved by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. He would visit this place every time he went to Jiangnan. He even said that there were five hundred stone lions in the rockery group. So far, there are still plaques such as “Zhenqu” given by Qinglong in the park, and even the Lion Forest has been imitated in the Old Summer Palace and Chengde Mountain Resort, which shows the love for the Lion Forest.

After leaving the Lion Forest, we arrive at Qili Shantang Street.

The First Street in Gusu - Qili Shantang Street

Suzhou, with its colorful scenery, always leaves one intoxicated by its softness and ancient charm. And the top street in Gusu, Qili Shantang Street, is a brilliant gem of this city.

Qili Shantang Street, according to legend, was first built during the Baoli period of the Tang Dynasty, when Bai Juyi first became the governor of Suzhou. When passing by Huqiu, he saw that the river here was silted up, so he immediately discussed opening a river and building a road here, and the Shantang River was born.

Starting from Changmen in the east and ending in Huqiu, the “number one scenic spot in Wuzhong” in the west, it has a total length of about seven miles and is known locally as the “Seven Li Mountain Pond to Huqiu.”

Walking on the historic and modern Shantang Street, the crowds make you slow down. We immediately arrived at the antique tea house, held a cup of green tea, smelled the faint aroma of tea, sat and listened to Wu Nong’s soft words, and enjoyed this unique and comfortable time.

Gusu Maple Viewing Holy Lang - Tainting Mountain

When you come to Suzhou in November, how can you not visit Tianping Mountain?

Early the next morning, we arrived at Tianping Mountain, one of the four major maple viewing sites in China. In autumn, it feels like God has knocked over the color palette here, with rich colors!

Whether you are walking in the red maple forest or standing on the top of the mountain overlooking the entire scenery, you will feel the beauty and magic of autumn.

In addition to red maple, there are also golden ginkgo trees, deep green pine and cypress trees, and various colorful autumn leaves, together creating a beautiful autumn painting.

When you are tired from hiking, you can visit the intangible cultural heritage market here. Whether it is sugar figures, clay sculptures, Bian embroidery or wooden New Year pictures, etc., the unique "slow fashion" is demonstrated through the hands of the new inheritors.

The Ultimate Taste of the World in Suzhou

The sophistication and elegance of Suzhou people are always reflected in their food without leaving a trace, turning into ordinary meals for Suzhou people throughout the four seasons.

There is a folk song in Suzhou: “There are many famous snacks in Suzhou, the taste is sweet, soft, and glutinous. Pan-fried steamed buns with yellow crab shells, tiger claws twisted into sticks…”

There are many special foods here, such as Kunshan Aozao Noodles, Suzhou style fresh meat moon cakes, various sweet and warm glutinous cakes, crab yellow noodles, squirrel mandarin fish, sugar Congee, red bean paste dumplings, etc. When it comes to the hairy crabs in Suzhou, everyone knows them all. Suzhou hairy crabs are known for their plump, tender meat, and creamy yellow color, making them the preferred choice for many crab enthusiasts. For example, this trip coincided with the hairy crab season, and I tasted Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs. It was truly a great experience in life.

Overall, whether you have a longing for Jiangnan water towns or specialty cuisine, don't miss Suzhou. This unique calm and charming demeanor is truly beautiful!

Suzhou, looking forward to meeting you again!

“一朝入姑苏，满眼是江南”
——苏州游记

总要去一次苏州吧
去感受一下小桥流水人家
去感叹江南人间的枕水而居
这不，我们一行人就来到了诗画中的真江南~

姑苏四大园林之一----狮子林

中午匆匆干饭结束后，我们首先来到了著名的狮子林。

狮子林始建于元代，原为禅宗寺庙的后花园，后被购为私宅。它以其精美的假山和错综复杂的园林路径而闻名于世。

假山是园林的核心，由大大小小的石头堆砌而成，分为上中下三层，形态各异，峰峦叠嶂，让人仿佛置身于自然的山水之中。

园林则是假山的衬托，绿树成荫，百花争艳，小桥流水，构成了一幅幅如诗如画的景象。漫步其中，不仅可以欣赏到美丽的景色，也可以感受到中国传统文化的深厚底蕴。

听说这座园林也深受清朝乾隆皇帝的钟爱，他六下江南必到此地，还曾说假山群内共有五百只石狮子。以至于园内至今仍存乾隆所赐“真趣等匾额，甚至在圆明园、承德避暑山庄都仿建了狮子林。可见其对狮子林的喜爱程度。

离开狮子林后，我们来到了七里山塘街。

姑苏第一名街--七里山塘街

繁花似锦的苏州，总让人沉醉于它的柔美和古色古香。而姑苏第一名街--七里山塘街，更是这个城市的璀璨瑰宝。

七里山塘街，相传始建于唐代宝历年间，是当时白居易初任苏州刺史，路过虎丘时候，看到这里河道淤塞，于是立即商量在此开河筑路，于是便有了山塘河。

东起阊门，西至“吴中第一名胜”虎丘，全长约七里多，因此被当地人称为"七里山塘到虎丘"。

走在这条历史与现代并行的山塘街道，人山人海让你放慢脚步。我们随即来到古色古香的茶馆中，端一杯绿茶，闻着那淡淡的茶香，坐听吴侬软语的评弹，静享这份独有的惬意时光。

姑苏赏枫圣地-天平山

11月来苏州，怎么能不来天平山呢？

第二天一大早，我们就来到了这国内四大赏枫圣地之一的天平山。一到秋天，这里就像被上帝打翻了调色板，色彩丰富!

无论是漫步在红枫林中，还是站在山顶俯瞰整个景色，都会让你感受到秋天的美好和神奇。

除了红枫，还有那些金黄的银杏、深绿的松柏，以及各种五彩斑斓的秋叶，共同绘制出一幅美丽的秋色画卷。

爬山爬累了，就逛逛这里的非遗集市。无论是糖人，泥塑，汴绣还是木板年画等等，通过新传承人之手展现着别具匠心的“慢时尚”。

人间至味在苏州

苏州人的精巧和雅致，总是不着痕迹地投射在食物上，化作苏州人平凡的四季三餐。

苏州有民谣:“姑苏小吃名堂多，味道香甜软酥糯。生煎馒头蟹壳黄，老虎脚爪绞连棒.."

这里有很多特色美食，昆山奥灶面、苏式鲜肉月饼、各种香甜暖糯的糕团、蟹黄面、松鼠鳜鱼、糖粥、赤豆糊圆子、等等。说到苏州的大闸蟹，那更是无人不知，无人不晓。苏州的大闸蟹以肥美、肉嫩、膏黄著称，是众多食蟹爱好者的首选。就比如我，此次出游也正好赶上大闸蟹的季节，品尝了阳澄湖大闸蟹，真是人生一大享受呐。

总得来说，不管你是对江南水乡还是对特色美食有所向往，就一定不要错过苏州。这独一份不慌不忙的温婉与动人实在是太美啦！

都说“你一句春不晚，我就到了真江南”，这里便是此句顶好的映照！

苏州，期待着与你的再次相遇！