#jiangsu

[inatcanids]

Mainland Raccoon Dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides)

Observed by andriy, CC BY-NC

[inatungulates]

Père David's deer Elaphurus davidianus

Observed by amarzee, CC BY-NC

[toyastales]

Traditional translucent horn combs featuring painted designs of a fish and various birds, crafted in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, once prepared as “Palace” combs for the Imperial Court and delivered in brocade boxes.

https://whatyoulookingatnow.blogspot.com/2025/02/traditional-translucent-horn-combs.html

[maureen2musings]

Meadow in Nantong

Hua Ling

[iko66]

Wuxi, Jiangsu, China

[sinoheritage]

Water Towns, also called Canal Towns 水乡 are ancient and historic towns in China known for their bridges, rivers, and canals. Such towns exist in many regions in China, although those in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces are often the most renowned. Suzhou city in Jiangsu province alone has approximately 200 water towns.

An example of a water/canal town https://www.tumblr.com/sinoheritage/778981334293102592/wuzhen-%E4%B9%8C%E9%95%87-is-a-historic-watercanal-town

[linghxr]

My trip to 江南

In late February/early March, I went to China! This was my second trip there, my first post-COVID. I travelled to 3 cities in the Jiangnan region: Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou.

Nanjing

南京博物院 - The Nanjing Museum was packed since it was the weekend, but I really enjoyed the recreated Republican era street. Lots of trinkets and ice cream for sale.

总统府 - I wish I had had allocated more time for the former Presidential Palace because it was massive. It was used by Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek’s governments.

夫子庙 - I didn’t go in the actual Confucius Temple, but I had fun walking along the Qinhuai river nearby. It’s very lively there.

江南贡院 - Apparently examinees taking the imperial exam had to stay in these tiny booths! This was at the Imperial Examination Museum near the Confucius Temple.

南京城墙 - I love me a city wall, and the Nanjing City Wall was one of the highlights of my trip. I only walked a small portion of it—you could probably spend most of the day if you wanted.

大报恩寺遗址 - The original Great Bao’en Temple was destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion, but there is a museum and recreated tower built over the remains. At night they do an awesome light show.

明孝陵 - It was unfortunately raining the day I went to Purple Mountain, so I only went to Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum. But on the bright side, there were no crowds.

Suzhou

Left: 拙政园 - Suzhou is famous for gardens, and I went to this well-known one, the Humble Administrator’s Garden.

Right: 苏州博物馆 - The Suzhou Museum was designed by famous architect I.M. Pei. The actual exhibit space was surprisingly small. Tons of people taking photos in the courtyard.

平江路 -Near the garden and museum is a popular canal-side shopping street Pingjiang Lu. I saw a cat cafe and tons of hanfu rental shops.

狮山公园 - This was hands down one of the coolest places I went in China! Further from the city center, Shishan Park has a decommissioned roller coaster nestled between a hill and a lake. You can walk around the lake, including right under the coaster, and climb the hill for a great view.

盘门 & 瑞光塔 - This was another of the coolest things I saw. Panmen is part of the city wall, and there’s a garden alongside it, which they illuminate at night! It was so gorgeous, especially Ruiguang Pagoda.

北寺塔 - As I was on my way to the train station, I took a detour to walk by Beisi Pagoda. You can get a great view without even entering the temple grounds!

Hangzhou

西湖 - It wouldn’t be a trip to Hangzhou without the iconic West Lake. But boy, is it packed on the weekends. I wouldn’t recommend going on the weekend, but for my trip the weather M-F was crummy.

The photos don’t capture the beauty of the sunset!

The area east of the lake is home to a ton of shopping centers, so there are still crowds at night.

雷锋塔 - One of the famous sites in Hangzhou is Leifeng Pagoda. I opted not to climb it, but I got a nice view walking around the lake.

鸳鸯 - One of the highlights of West Lake was the colorful Mandarin ducks. Along the lake you can see clusters of tourists stopped to photograph them!

Hopefully it won't be another 5 years until my next trip to China. I want to go to Chengdu & Chongqing next!

[safije]

Jiangsu Province, China