Wuxi

Overview

About

Wuxi, in southern Jiangsu on the north shore of Lake Tai, with the Grand Canal running through it, was known in the past as Liangxi and is a National Famous Historical and Cultural City. Tradition says that at the end of the Shang, Taibo and Zhongyong came south and founded the state of Wu here; Meili east of the city has a temple to Taibo. See also Cities of China.

Yuantouzhu, a headland reaching into Lake Tai south-west of the city, is one of the best places to see the lake, with cherry blossom in spring; Lake Tai is a national scenic area. Below Mount Hui west of the city, Huishan old town is full of ancestral halls; the Ming Jichang Garden borrows the mountain as scenery and is one of the famous gardens south of the Yangtze; beside it the Huishan Spring is called the “Second Spring under Heaven”, which gave its name to the erhu piece “The Moon Reflected on the Second Spring” by the folk musician Abing.

In modern times Wuxi was one of the birthplaces of Chinese private industry, where families such as the Rongs set up textile and flour mills. Along the canal, Nanchang Street and the Qingming Bridge area keep old streets and wharves. Wuxi is known for xiaolongbao, sweet braised spare ribs and Lake Tai boat cuisine.

Travel tips

Getting there: Sunan Shuofang International Airport is east of the city; high-speed trains run to Wuxi and Wuxi East, under an hour from Shanghai or Nanjing.

Sightseeing: Half a day for Yuantouzhu and half a day for Huishan and Jichang Garden; Nanchang Street and the Qingming Bridge are best in the evening.

Photo credits: Yuantouzhu on Lake Tai: 螺钉 (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons); Jichang Garden: 上海道台 (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)