Guanqian Street

Guanqian Street is named because it is located in front of Xuanmiao Temple. It has a history of more than 150 years. It has always been famous for its many century-old shops such as Daoxiang Village, Qiantaixiang, and Huang Tianyuan. The food street located in Bifengfang-Taijian Lane is famous for its Suzhou cuisine in Jiangnan. Xuanmiao Temple, a national key cultural relic protection unit, attracts domestic and foreign tourists with its rich Taoist cultural connotations. Guanqian Street is located in the center of Suzhou Ancient City, covering an area of ​​0.52 square kilometers. The area is prosperous, with many famous shops and historical sites. It plays an irreplaceable central role in Suzhou's modern urban construction pattern of "East Garden and West District, Ancient City in the Center, One Body and Two Wings".

Guanqian Street applies the principle of "complementarity between Confucianism and Taoism" and takes Xuanmiao Temple as the core. At the same time, a vendor market is added on the east side of Gongxiang corresponding to Beiju Square to cooperate with Xuanmiao Temple Square, forming a three-point symmetrical layout. The buildings on Guanqian Street are small in size, forming a low building outline, and the building colors are mainly black, white and gray. Shopping malls and time-honored stores are distributed on the main street of Guanqian Street. The catering industry is mainly concentrated in Taijian Lane, and entertainment and leisure venues are mainly concentrated in Qiaosikong Lane.

Guanqian Street starts from Lindun Road (Cufang Bridge) in the east and ends at Renmin Road (Chayuanchang) in the west. The main street is 780 meters long. It is named after the ancient temple Xuanmiao Temple, which actually means the street in front of Xuanmiao Temple. It is also one of the famous pedestrian streets in Suzhou. Going west from Lindun Road, Guanqian Street feels like a traditional pedestrian street, without the charm of small bridges and flowing water like Pingjiang Road. Compared with the stone road of yesterday, there are a few more time-honored brands, but only a few, such as Lao Fengxiang, Ye Shouhe, Daoxiangcun, etc., and there are more signs that seem to have a slightly foreign flavor.

Guanqian Street was probably named after the Xuanmiao Temple in the middle of the street. The street itself is just a commercial street with no distinct features, and it doesn’t seem necessary to be a tourist destination!

Recommended Caizhizhai



They sell candies, candied fruits, and cakes. Some are freshly made (if you want to see the production process, you have to come a little earlier, we arrived after 6pm and couldn’t see it), and some are pre-packaged after they’re made. The only difference is the weight of the package. They close at 9pm.



recommend:

Candies - Zongzi candy (the signature flavor is stronger when you put it in your mouth, pine nuts), peanut candy, black sesame rolls (they named it themselves, they are soft and look ordinary but taste very fragrant), etc.

Preserved fruits: crisp plums (they only sell crisp and refreshing ones in spring), Suzhou-style plums, flattened sour plums, cream plums, nine-processed tangerine peels, etc.

Cakes - no sugar-free ones, they have gift boxes, if you plan to give it to someone, check the date



1 box of regular + 1 box of mint pine nut rice dumpling candy, 125g each, that is, two boxes totaling half a pound + a box of eggs and peanuts + a box of black sesame rolls, a total of 70 yuan

A bag of crispy plums + a bag of sour plums + a can of Suzhou-style plums, about 70 yuan (I don’t remember the exact amount)



A bit expensive, but the taste is good~

The accommodation was arranged and it was time to have lunch as planned.

The accommodation location is chosen on Guanqian Street. First, it is convenient to go to scenic spots such as Humble Administrator's Garden, Lion Grove, Pingjiang Road (only one bus stop away, not too far to walk), and second, it is close to Guanqian Street, so it is very convenient for dining.

Guanqian Street is a commercial pedestrian street with restaurants and shopping facilities. However, unlike other cities, the streets here all have tiled roofs with curved eaves, a Jiangnan style. There are also small bridges and flowing water outside the street, which is very pleasant to stroll around.

Passing by and checking in, the business is very prosperous and worth a visit (April 2023)

A must-visit commercial street in Suzhou, no reason

Located in Guanqian Street in the center of Suzhou Old Town, the area is prosperous, with many famous shops and historic sites. We live just opposite it, and it only takes five minutes to get there.

The largest commercial street in Suzhou's old city, similar to Wangfujing in Beijing.

It's quite close to Pingjiang Road, you can go for a walk and have a meal.

Guanqian Street, a commercial pedestrian street in Suzhou.

I came here after visiting the Pingjiang Road Historical District.

It is a busy pedestrian street

If you need to shop for clothes

The best place to go

Didn't eat here.

Basically, all I see are shops selling things.

Good for shopping

Suitable for selection

Oh my god, here it comes again. Didn’t I upload it once today?

It should be this picture, hahaha, it’s too old,

Guanqian Street is in the city center. It was a commercial street in the Qing Dynasty and is now a famous snack street in Suzhou. There are many old shops here. If you want to eat authentic Suzhou cuisine, it is best to go here. Xuanmiao Temple on the street is a very famous Taoist temple. It was first built in the Western Jin Dynasty and rebuilt in the Southern Song Dynasty. The Laozi statue inside is the work of Wu Daozi.

There is a Heming Tower at the intersection with Pingjiang Road, but I didn’t notice anything else.

Guanqian Street is located in the center of Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. It starts from Lindun Road (Cufang Bridge) in the east and ends at Renmin Road (Chayuanchang) in the west. The main street is 780 meters long. It was named after the ancient temple Xuanmiao Temple and has a history of more than 150 years.

Located in the center of Suzhou Ancient City, it is an urban commercial center with a strong local flavor.

Guanqian Street, Suzhou's commercial pedestrian street, is famous for its many century-old shops such as Lao Feng Xiang, Dao Xiang Cun, Qian Tai Xiang, Huang Tian Yuan, and Cai Zhi Qi. Especially, De Yue Lou, Song He Lou and other Suzhou cuisines are well-known in Jiangnan.

A street in front of the Taoist temple. In ancient times, this was the most prosperous business district in Suzhou City. There were often various temple fairs, so it was also a place where time-honored brands gathered. It was a very delicious street market. Many friends who came to Suzhou for the first time would complain that Guanqian Street was too commercialized and there was no delicious food. Well, it must be that you don’t have the quality of a foodie.

My Suzhou friend highly recommended Songhelou tofu, which was delicious, but the shrimp was a bit bland and oily.

Very nice place, very lively, but very commercialized

A pedestrian street with a clean environment and many time-honored shops

觀前街因在玄妙觀前而得名，是一條步行街，位於蘇州古城的中心部位，有美食一條街太監弄等街巷縱橫其間，我試了一下蘇州小吃桂花豆沙甜粥，蠻奇妙的搭配。

Guanqian Street is still mainly for tourists, and there are few locals.

These are all shops where you can buy things.

When talking about Shanghai, the first thing that comes to mind is the City God Temple. When talking about Nanjing, there is a Confucius Temple there. When talking about Suzhou, everyone knows Guanqian Street. Once the "No. 1 business district in Suzhou", Guanqian Street was once the favorite place for Suzhou people to go shopping. It is the most upscale place in Suzhou. Only when you reach Guanqian can you be considered to be in the inner city.

Guanqian Street, the first commercial street in Suzhou, is named after the Xuanmiao Temple. The street is not long, only 770 meters, but it is very old, having existed since the Western Jin Dynasty. For 15 centuries, there were majestic palaces, flourishing incense, splendid peach blossoms, and crowds of scholars and ladies. At that time, the prosperity of Guanqian Street was the prosperity of religion and folk customs, not the prosperity of industry and commerce.

It is no exaggeration to say that there is a sportswear store every 5 meters and a gold and silver shop every 10 meters on Guanqian Street.

There are clang clang clang performances in front of silver jewelry shops all year round, and there are clapping and shouting about discounts in front of specialty stores all year round.

On a summer night, go to Guanqian Street for a stroll, you will have a completely different experience!

Only when I arrived at Guanqian Street did I understand what it meant to be crowded with tourists, shoulder to shoulder, noisy and bustling with people.

Suzhou Guanqian Street is well-known throughout the country. I have heard of it before, but after experiencing it in person, I was still impressed by its long-standing heritage, inclusive sentiment and strong business atmosphere.

Although Guanqian Street has a long history and is well-known, it has also suffered from the common problems of many old streets in China, such as being filled with all kinds of counterfeit brands, jingling sounds at the doors of gold and silver shops, deafening sound systems in clothing stores, and crowds of people. If you bring children with you, you have to be on your guard at all times. If your children are younger, it is recommended that you go shopping around Jinji Lake.

This is just a very ordinary pedestrian street, with no attractions at all. There is only one bakery - Master Bao, where there is a long queue.

All in all, Guanqian Street is not worth visiting.

It is like Nanjing East Road in Shanghai and Confucius Temple in Nanjing. It is the commercial center of Suzhou. But relatively speaking, there are more delicious things! Looking all over the street, there are stinky tofu, roasted duck intestines, roasted kidneys, pot cakes, big sausages, roasted spareribs, milk tea...all kinds of food are available, which will definitely satisfy a foodie's pursuit of food. Anyway, I have visited it several times, hehe.

Guanqian Street and Pingjiang Road are two ancient streets, one horizontal and one vertical.

Guanqian Street is a century-old commercial street built in the Qing Dynasty. It is home to many old and famous shops and is the earliest pedestrian street in the country. It is named after the Xuanmiao Temple. It has a history of more than 150 years. By the 1930s, the business industry in Guanqian Street was more prosperous and spread to Taijian Lane and Beiju. There were domestic goods shopping malls, teahouses, restaurants, theaters, cinemas, big hotels, etc., making it a famous entertainment area in Suzhou.

Pingjiang Road is a small road along the river, connecting the Humble Administrator's Garden in the north and overlooking the Twin Towers in the south. It is 1,606 meters long and is a classic water lane with a long history in Suzhou. On the east and west sides of Pingjiang Road, there are small lanes such as Xuanqiao Lane, Daru Lane, Weidao Temple Front, Zhongzhangjia Lane, and Daxinqiao Lane, which are similar to the layout of the Three Lanes and Seven Lanes in Fuzhou. "Water and land run parallel, and the river and street are adjacent", which is a typical feature of a water town. Compared with Shantang Street, Pingjiang Road lacks commercial atmosphere.

There are a lot of snacks here, but many of them are the kind that can be found all over the country, and the prices are reasonable.

 

It was very delicious, but there was too much cumin and chili powder

We had lunch at Guanqian Street. There were a lot of snacks here, but many of them were the kind that could be found all over the country, and the prices were reasonable.

Guanqian Street is full of the sense of the times. Ten years ago, low-end brands such as Daimei and Yichun filled the pedestrian street, which made people doubt their lives.

Big liar. I came to Suzhou to play these two days. I went to Guanqian Street tonight and saw this store. It was really a liar. At first they gave out gifts, and then they said they would give me a learning machine for free and I only needed to pay 30 yuan. Later they said I had to pay 2,000 yuan for learning. The scene was like a sales scene. After some people left, he said those people couldn't even bear to spend 2,000 on their children, so forget it. I bought the 2,000 Alipay one, and I was really dizzy when I opened it on the spot. What does the Shanghai Education Edition of English for the second year of junior high school talk about and when to use what and how? My elder sister is in the second year of junior high school and there is still a year before the high school entrance examination. Instead of teaching me grammar, they taught me things that first graders in elementary school know. I don't say it is a public or private school. Even third graders in elementary school are simple. So I wanted to withdraw on the spot. goods, at this time, the person who claimed to be the boss said that he did not agree, and that if it was opened and activated, it could not be returned. What the hell was it you who opened it and activated it, ok? Fortunately, my mother argued with him, and he finally agreed to withdraw it from Alipay. I checked it online for two hours, haha, the scammers are famous for scamming, and I haven't checked yet. Suzhou Guanqian Street Huimanjin came out. I went back to see that the power bank I had bought at the beginning was still second-hand. The lady standing outside said that more than a dozen people bought it, but only a few of them came out with the machine in their hands. Ha, it turns out that you hired so many people. It turns out that people in Suzhou are all scammers like people in Fujian. Haha, you wasted my time and it can be said that you have learned a lesson. I have so many social software. I don’t believe that I can’t spray you to death.

Walking on Guanqian Street, taking photos of the background gives me the illusion of walking in Kyoto.

There are many sports discount stores here, and the prices are so cheap, so cheap that it makes me question life. However, when I look carefully, I can't tell any difference between them and the ones I bought in the mall, so I just assume they are authentic. If you want to shop, come on.

This street is very lively and close to the subway entrance. The youth hostel where I live is also nearby.

Guanqian Street is located in the center of Suzhou. It is the most popular shopping district in Suzhou and has always been known as the "No. 1 Business District in Suzhou". It is the oldest shopping district in Gusu City. It is named after the ancient temple Xuanmiao Temple. It has a history of more than 150 years and has been a bustling important commercial street since ancient times.

Xuanmiao Temple Ticket: 10 yuan

There are many century-old brands on Guanqian Street. The reason why it is called Guanqian Street is because there is a Taoist temple - Xuanmiao Temple, hence the name Guanqian Street. This is my first time to go to a Taoist temple, and it feels different

Snacks on Guanqian Street, 40 skewers of duck intestines for 10 yuan, taste very good. The stinky tofu is not as delicious as the one in Beijing, so I don’t recommend it.

Guanqian Street is a bit shocking to me. There is PRADA next to the ancient stone gate! It instantly looks so high-end!

From the first visit to Suzhou in 2005 to the second visit in 2018, 13 years have passed. The comparison of the three people's group photo shows everything.

Every city has such a tourist street or commercial street based on certain historical sites. As the historical site of Guanqian Street, Xuanmiao Temple is not too large, but the whole street is not so tourist-oriented. It can be regarded as a daily consumption street for locals.

A large food street, a gathering place for specialty products. Whether it is the rice cakes and zongzi candies from Caizhizhai or the rose cakes and osmanthus cloud cakes from Ye Shouhe, they all taste very good and my family also likes them very much. It is a century-old shop with genuine products and reasonable prices!

This is "The Village Girl Strolling in Guanqian". Suzhou people call strolling in Guanqian Street "swinging in Guanqian", which is said to reflect the unique carefree, chatty, leisurely, relaxed and comfortable shopping mentality of Suzhou people through the word "swing". The work features a scene of a young woman and a child walking together in Guanqian. Through the gait of the two people, the patchwork clothing and headscarves with unique Suzhou traditional characteristics, and the image of talking and laughing, happy and cheerful expressions, it reflects the theme of "swinging in Guanqian" in early summer. The children following behind seem to be attracted by the crowded shops and the dazzling array of snacks, and can't help but stop.

I was using Xiaomi 2S back then, so I didn't take any special photos. I just took a photo of a street sign. I think every city has a street like this. Let's go for a walk~

It's similar to Shanghai Old Street, but there are not so many people. It makes me feel more comfortable with fewer people, at least it's not crowded.

Guanqian Street is one of the largest business districts in Suzhou. Many time-honored cake shops are here, such as Caizhizhai, Daoxiangcun, and Changfa Cake. For those who like silk, the prices here are relatively affordable.

When there are a lot of people, you can go to Guanqian Street and Pingjiang Road. There is no need to see the scenery in these places, just go shopping and eat. The more people there are, the more lively and lively the atmosphere is. If you want to buy cakes, you must go early. We went to Guanqian Street twice. It was raining in the morning of the first day, and there were many people. We bought some cakes that were in limited supply. We went again during dinner on the second day. I wanted to buy Huang Tianyuan mint walnut cake and Jinjin freshly made dried tofu, but they were all sold out...

Guanqian Street is the main large commercial street in Suzhou. It is not just a street but a commercial district.

Guanqian Street is named after the Xuanmiao Temple located here. The street is full of century-old shops. Songhelou, Deyuelou, Caizhizhai, Huangtianyuan, Lu Gaojian, Sanwanchang. Just looking up, you can see words like "started in the reign of Emperor Qianlong" and "Emperor Guangxu".

Guanqian Street is very commercialized, basically a shopping mall with common snacks, similar to Wangfujing in Beijing.

Let me share my deepest feelings: It is very clean. I remember when I went there, someone cleaned it up early in the morning. I immediately fell in love with this city!

Suzhou's traditional commercial district was one of the three ancient commercial streets in Jiangnan in the past. It got its name because there was a Xuanmiao Temple in the center. Today, the main street is a pedestrian street, and there are many side streets and alleys nearby. It is actually a large commercial district. There are delicious food, coffee, art photography, and time-honored brands... It's worth a visit!

The core and most prosperous place in Suzhou Old Town. Many scenic spots are nearby. It is very convenient for eating, staying and shopping.

I came to Suzhou twice, staying for a total of 16 days. I stayed in Guanqian Street both times. It's very convenient, there are many restaurants and it's very lively!

I went to Guanqian Street at night, the busiest street in Suzhou, and there were a lot of people. I felt that Suzhou was really crowded everywhere.

I never write travel notes about places I eat when I travel, because I can't really remember what I ate. Anyway, I ate a lot of things, but there are very few photos.

Guanqian Temple is similar to Shangxiajiu in Guangzhou, with a strong commercial atmosphere. I met a cute golden retriever haha

It is a commercial street with a snack street, Deyue Tower and Songhe Tower.

It is a bustling pedestrian street with food, drink and entertainment, an indispensable feature of every city.

Guanqian Street is the first street in Suzhou, and the merchants there are similar to those in other places. However, I highly recommend Xiuniang silk embroidery, a G20 national gift. It's really beautiful.

Guanqian Street has the most famous pastry shop in Suzhou, Caizhizhai, where you can eat hot fresh meat mooncakes.

When I first walked in through the gate I thought Guanqian Street was just for clothes, but I didn’t expect there were so many snack shops further in.

Guanqian Street is equivalent to Chunxi Road in Chengdu, a place for shopping; but for me, this place left me with a good impression because "I met an old friend in a foreign land". Tingting, who settled in Suzhou, brought me here for a big meal, and I was happy...

Guanqian Street is a famous shopping street in Suzhou. It has old brands such as Huang Tianyuan Cake Shop, Songhelou Hotel, Deyuelou Hotel, and People's Shopping Mall. It is also the city center.

It's okay, there are still a lot of people, it's still okay to visit

A modern street, not far from Pingjiang Road. You can walk there if you have time, but the food there is not as special as that on Pingjiang Road.

Guanqian Street is a very large area and a very prosperous commercial gathering place in the local area. Hotels, restaurants and time-honored brands can be seen everywhere in the surrounding area.

A commercial street with many century-old shops. You can go and see it if you want to bring some souvenirs for your family.

Every time I visit Suzhou, I have to visit Guanqian Street. After all, it is a central location, where you can enjoy both shopping and food. Guanqian Street is like Nanjing Road in Shanghai, where many famous stores are located. Caizhizhai, Huang Tianyuan, Ye Shouhe, etc. You can bring some specialties back.

Every time I go to Suzhou, I always come to Guanqian Street.

Coming out of Tongli, we went to the north square of the railway station, and took Didi again, heading straight to Guanqian Street to take my old classmate Mr. Lu and his wife to see some of Suzhou's time-honored brands.

Linton Road at the intersection of Guanqian Street is already covered with red peach blossoms and green willows. It is really a spring breeze with ten miles of peach blossoms!



Guanqian Street was extremely bustling, and we who had just come out of the ancient town felt a little uncomfortable.

The green dumplings from the time-honored Ye Shouhe brand have just come out of the oven. They are green and lovely.



There was a long queue in front of the old shop "Caizhizhai". It turned out that they were selling fermented rice cakes. So popular! You must try it. It was really extraordinary. The sweet rose filling was inlaid with pine nuts and lard. Take a bite and the fragrance lingers in your mouth for a long time. Buy it and take it away!



Almost every counter in Caizhizhai was crowded with people. There was also a window selling pine nut rice dumpling candy and sesame rolls. I loved them and took them away! After returning to Shanghai, I was upset because I bought too little. How could these freshly made pine nut rice dumpling candy and sesame rolls compare to those in Shanghai Chenghuang Temple?



Suzhou dried tofu, a memory of childhood, buy it and take it away!



In a blink of an eye, LG had taken Mr. Lu and his friends to the time-honored brand "Huang Tianyuan".



When we got to the intersection, we saw a long line at the time-honored restaurant "Lu Gaojian". I had to bring some back to Shanghai to satisfy my craving, so I bought a lot: braised pork ribs, braised pig tails, braised eggs... My husband protested: That's too much!

Hehehe, then you take a rest, I’ll go back into the peach blossom forest.

In order to further understand the history and culture of Suzhou, we chose to stay in Guanqian Street, which is close to the scenic spot and relatively prosperous. We can visit the scenic spot during the day, enjoy the street view of Suzhou at night, and taste the delicious food of Suzhou.

A very ordinary commercial pedestrian street, I believe you must have one in your hometown.

Compared with the commercial street of Pingjiang Road, this place is more modern. It is a 10-minute walk from Pingjiang Road. Let's go shopping together.

A place where you can go anywhere. Because it is the junction of many places.