A super detailed guide to Qili Shantang Street in Suzhou is a must-visit

💕 Qili Shantang Street is known as "the most famous street in Gusu" and has a history of over 1200 years. "Visit Pingjiang Road during the day, stroll Shantang Street at night" - the street at night has a Dream of the Red Chamber atmosphere.

👋 Transportation
🚄 Subway: Shantang Street Station (about a five-minute walk from Line 2)

🚗 Taxi/Driving navigation: "Qili Shantang Scenic Area" (navigating to "Shantang Street" will lead you to an undeveloped residential area, and you'll need to walk for a while to get to the main street). The attraction does not require reservations or tickets.

👋 Must-visit spots
📍 Suzhou Chamber of Commerce Museum: A standard Jiangnan-style residence, with a unique charm developed over the years

📍 Shantang Street Ancient Stage: Antique and quaint, there may be cultural performances on weekends and holidays

📍 Wu Tuo Zhai Bookmarks: Crafted by the older generation of artisans, the grandfather hand-draws them and can customize according to your requests (limited to 5 pieces per person at 15 yuan each)

👋 About Shantang Street: Very characteristic of Suzhou, with typical small bridges and flowing water, you can take a boat ride to experience the beautiful scenery of the water town in a dream, watching the crowd and the brilliant lights on both sides, which has a unique flavor.

On both sides of the main street of the boat ride, there are various delicious snacks, silk cheongsams, souvenirs, and you can see many Hanfu-clad young men and women, which adds to the immersive experience.

If you like listening to Kunqu opera and Pingtan, you can also sit in a small teahouse and enjoy the soft Wu dialect, which is very comfortable and beautiful.

👋 Boat ticket sales time: 8:00-21:00 Sightseeing boat 50 yuan per person
Dock: Ancient Stage Dock

👋 Kunqu Opera and Pingtan: Dreaming of Shantang (Immersive garden Kunqu opera performance experience
The whole journey is 45 minutes) The actors will move in front of you, and if you don't understand the lyrics, there are subtitles on both sides of the stage. The experience is awesome.

👋 Food Collection
🔸 Xin Zhen Yuan: A collection of Suzhou snacks, with many signature dishes. The pan-fried buns have a crispy crust and a fresh and sweet soup. The taste of pig's trotters and soy sauce pig's trotters is also very good.

🔸 Jiang Lao Zao: Osmanthus jelly has a refreshing taste, and the shop is also a good place for photos, but it can get crowded, so go early to queue up.

🔸 Rong Yang Lou: You can try the fried glutinous rice balls, with a sticky rice skin and a sweet and salty meat filling, which is quite good.

🔸 Ma Dong Pei Shao Mai: A popular shaomai shop, holding a large shaomai in your hand really feels blissful. The glutinous rice is soft and sticky, with mushrooms, pork, and salted egg yolk inside. Shaomai is limited in quantity and sold until out of stock.

🔸 Jiangnan Crab Shell Yellow: Right next to the shaomai shop, they are freshly made and flaky.

🔸 Fox's Yogurt Cheese: The yogurt is thick and rich, worth a try for yogurt lovers.

There are many more hidden gem foods waiting for you to discover and share. Little tips: You can get a 5 yuan discount for the sightseeing boat if you book online (you can book in advance). Also, the boats on Shantang Street are electric, but if you prefer something more rustic, you can choose the hand-rowed boats on Pingjiang Road.