Wuxi: a hidden gem of Jiangsu Province worthy of exploration

Jiangsu Province is naturally one of the most popular destinations for Shanghai residents wanting a short excursion. It is just next door, it is chock-full of historical and cultural sites, and it boasts a superb transportation network that is integrated with Shanghai’s.

Ask where most people visit, and you will most likely, and rightfully, be told Nanjing, the provincial capital; Suzhou, Shanghai’s quaint neighbor and economic powerhouse; or Yangzhou, the important canal city in which the Venetian traveler Marco Polo worked as an official, if legend is to be believed.

Those in the know, however, will include Wuxi in the list. Few realize it was the ancient capital of Wu State during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), whose territory encompassed all the aforementioned cities including Shanghai, and whose language gave birth to the

Shanghai dialect. Wuxi is also the richest city in China for the fourth year running, as measured by per capita GDP.

Wuxi may not be strewn with the classical gardens that have made Suzhou famous, but it does share beautiful Taihu Lake with Suzhou, and some may prefer visiting the lake — the heart and soul of Jiangnan, regions south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River — in Wuxi instead of Suzhou.

Yuantouzhu, or Turtle Head Isle — immortally dubbed “the nicest corner by Taihu Lake” by the influential author Guo Moruo — is an ideal place to go. However, save your lake visit for your second day in Wuxi, and enjoy the city’s cultural offerings first.

After arriving at Wuxi Railway Station, hop onto the subway and head for Huishan Ancient Town.

Huishan Mountain, whose elegance and charm endorsed by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) as “the top mountain in Jiangnan,” is connected to Xishan, a hillock that reputedly gave Wuxi its name. You can visit both; in fact, you are much closer to Xishan as you exit the subway station and enter the scenic area.

Huishan is famous for at least three things: its ancestral temples, clay

A view of Taihu Lake from Yuantouzhu. — All photos by Louis Lee Inset: The entrance of Huishan Ancient Town features two big clay figurines. Huishan clay figurine is a traditional Chinese folk art in Wuxi.

Wuxi-style spare ribs are markedly sweeter than those found in Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Nanjing.