When visiting Wuxi, what you must not miss is not the Nianhua Bay, but the Huishan Ancient Town!

1. Huishan Ancient Town scenic area is located in the western part of Liangxi District, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China, covering an area of 3.5 square kilometers, with a core area of 1.09 square kilometers. Its history can be traced back to the Huishan Temple built during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. During the Tang Dynasty and the Ming and Qing Dynasties, gardens and ancestral halls were built next to the temple, forming the Huishan Ancient Town. In 2017, Xihui Park merged with the original Huishan Ancient Town to form the Huishan Ancient Town scenic area. Huishan Ancient Town has now become a comprehensive scenic area that combines the charm of everyday life with Jiangnan gardens and ancient ancestral halls. 2. The entrance fee for Huishan Ancient Town is 70 RMB, with a half-price ticket of 35 RMB per person during the New Year period (including Jichang Garden, the Second Best Spring in the World, and Erquan Academy). If you only visit the ancient town, it is free, including the ancestral temples and temples on Xiu Zhan Street. The following three are excluded: China Clay Figure Museum (30 RMB), China Qiao Jin Lacquer Museum (40 RMB), Wuxi Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall (30 RMB) In addition, people over 60 years old from outside the province can enjoy a half-price ticket of 35 RMB, and veterans with a veteran's preferential treatment certificate can enter for free. 3. The Huishan Ancient Town scenic area is divided into four areas: Historical and Cultural Street, Cultural Relics and Historic Sites Area, Xihui Scenic Area, and Mountain Forest Protection Area. I only planned a half-day itinerary and was more interested in historical and cultural heritage. So I quickly passed through the bustling Historical and Cultural Street and went straight to the Cultural Relics and Historic Sites Area for a detailed visit. The above route took me about 3-4 hours in total. Xihui Scenic Area has Huishan and Xishan mountains to climb, and there is also a cable car. After entering from Xihui Park, turn left, where there are children's playgrounds, boating, and other amusement projects, and the cable car to Xishan is also here. During the New Year, there are really a lot of people, and it takes more than an hour to queue. The restaurants in the Historical and Cultural Street offer a wide variety of food. If you set out in the morning, you can find a place to eat and rest here at noon when you are tired from playing, and then continue with the afternoon itinerary. 4. If you are planning a full-day itinerary, I suggest: Morning: Cultural Relics and Historic Sites Area (visit famous attractions such as Jichang Garden) Noon: Historical and Cultural Street (dining + strolling along the street to digest food) Afternoon & Evening: Xihui Scenic Area/Mountain Forest Protection Area (use the remaining energy to climb and enjoy the view) If you bring children, it is recommended that they can walk independently and have good physical strength in daily life. Because the streets of the Historical and Cultural Street are uneven stone slabs, the walkways inside the buildings in the Cultural Relics and Historic Sites Area are narrow with many thresholds, and the gardens are mostly gravel paths, which are not suitable for using baby strollers and mobility scooters. Note: Be sure to pay attention to the many famous ancestral halls and old residences on both sides of the ancient road. Inside, you can not only temporarily escape the bustling crowd but also feel the cultural atmosphere passed down through generations of various families. 5. The most not-to-be-missed attraction here is Jichang Garden. Because this is the Jichang Garden where Emperor Qianlong visited seven times during his tours to the south of the Yangtze River! Today, the Xiequ Garden in Beijing's Summer Palace was built imitating its style. After seeing the gardens in Suzhou, I still like Jichang Garden the most! The garden cleverly incorporates the scenery of the two mountains of Xihui, with a small space revealing grandeur, ancient trees standing tall, and exquisite rockeries. When passing through the rockeries, I think of 'A Dream in the Garden', 'Beautiful scenery on a sunny day, thousands of purples and reds blooming everywhere.' The pavilions, terraces, and towers in Jichang Garden are scattered among lush greenery, which is truly elegant! I really want to stop and fully enjoy the scenery and tranquility of the garden. Next, you can also visit the famous Second Best Spring in the World. In addition to the inscriptions for photo memories, there is also a spring eye surrounded by pavilions and fences, filled with coins for good luck. It is worth mentioning that the koi in the nearby pond are really big. There is also the Erquan Academy founded during the Ming Dynasty nearby. 6. After strolling around and leaving the scenic area at about 3 pm, I headed to Xiu Zhan Street, where a big dragon is located on Xiu Zhan Street, and the lights are turned on after 5 pm. The entire Xiu Zhan Street is filled with famous ancestral halls and temples, including: Fan Zhongyan Ancestral Hall, Gu Dongyang Ancestral Hall, Lu Xungong Ancestral Hall, Xu Ruzi Ancestral Hall, Dongyue Xing Temple, Zhang Zhongcheng Temple, etc. Each ancestral hall has its own unique architecture and layout. Looking back at the entire Huishan Ancient Town, it is clear that the town was built around the temple and flourished because of the ancestral halls. The culture of ancestral halls, famous people, spring tea, clay figures, gardens, and folk customs blend and coexist here, truly living up to its reputation as 'Wuxi's Open-Air History Museum'. Five-star recommendation!