Shantang street Suzhou-Ultimate walking tour with all details
Shantang street Suzhou-Ultimate walking tour with all details
No after effect or talking, keep things original and real, I've been there and I share with you exactly the same as what I view with my eyes...
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Shantang Street extends 3,829.6 meters, stretching from Duseng Bridge at Changxu Road to Tiger Hill in the city of Suzhou, Jiangsu province. According to a local government record (dating back to around 1753), the distance between Changmen city gate and Tiger Hill was seven lis (one li equals 500 meters), and the local people called it Shantang of seven lis.
However, in the folklore, Shantang Street was also called Shantang of seven cats, as another Chinese word, one whose meanings is Li Hua cat (a native Chinese domestic cat), is also pronounced as li.
Xu Wengao, a Shantang local, said that there was one bluestone cat lying near each of the seven bridges of Shantang Street. According to folklore, these cats were guardians appointed by history-changing politician and litterateur Liu Bowen (1311-1375). Xu said he remembers the old cat sculptures: not tall, very glossy on top from people petting them over hundreds of years, and as a place for people to rest when they were tired.
In the late 1950s, the bluestone cats were removed and used to make lime. The cat by the Puji Bridge was the last one to disappear, having been removed in 1966 and subsequently lost.
In December 2012, one collector and local entrepreneur claimed that he had found an original Shantang cat which saved by an unnamed private collector, and said if it was confirmed to be an original, he would buy it and donate it to Shantang Street. Sadly, a cultural relic expert and Xu Wengao examined the cat and found it was not an original. The suspicious stone cat was much bigger than the original cats, and the materials were different. The original cats were carved from bluestone and this one was made of granite.
Many people missed the seven stone cats, so in August 2006, seven replica stone cats were placed by the seven bridges along Shantang Street. Each cat weighs 0.8 ton and is about 1.4 meters tall. Shantang Street authority wrote on their Weibo that each of these seven guardian cats masters a fortune: The Meiren cat (美仁狸) by Shantang Bridge represents elegance; the Tonggui cat (通贵狸) by Tonggui Bridge represents wealth; the Wenxing cat (文星狸) by Xing Bridge represents knowledge; the Caiyun cat (彩云狸) by Caiyun Bridge represents happiness; the Baigong cat (白公狸) by Puji Bridge represents health; the Haiyong cat (海涌狸) by Wangshan Bridge represents fate, and the Fenshui cat (分水狸) by Xixhan Temple Bridge represents opportunity.
Suzhou's Shantang Historical Street Area
Shantang Street / 山塘街, also known as Seven-mile Shantang (七里山塘), is a street in northwestern Gusu District, Suzhou. The street connects Changmen (阊门) in the east with Huqiu in the west, with a total length of about 3,829.6 meters, or a little more than seven li.
Construction of the Shantang Canal (山塘河) started in 825 AD, during the Tang Dynasty by Bai Juyi, a poet and the Cishi (modern-day equivalent of the prefectural governor) of Suzhou, to provide a link between Huqiu and the city. The sludge dug out from the construction formed a dam along the north bank of the canal known as Baigong Dam (白公堤) in honor of Bai Juyi. A street was built on dam, which later became the modern-day Shantang Street.
Along with Pingjiang Road, the street was declared a Historical and cultural block of China (Chinese:中国历史文化街区) in 2015.
Suzhou, China: Tiger Hill and Shantang Street
In this episode we explore the city of Suzhou, China. We visit the Tiger Hill Scenic Area and see the Pagoda and mysterious Sword Pool. We also walk the length of the famous Shantang Street.
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Shantang Street, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China (1)
Shantang Street of Suzhou in Eastern China's Jiangsu Province
Taken with Sony A77ii, during the Chinese New Year period
Shantang street Suzhou
China beautiful night scenery
Sweet & Sour CHINESE Street Food on Shantang Street + Silk Factory Tour | Suzhou, China
The trip I took to China in April of 2019 was mind-blowing in so many ways. I had the incredible opportunity to explore three unique cities—Shanghai, Suzhou, and Hangzhou—and take deep dives into their history, culture, and food. Along the way, I met lots of kind, friendly people and had experiences I will remember for the rest of my life. Join me as I explore the Middle Kingdom!
My fourth full day in China (and second day in the city of Suzhou) continued that afternoon. My friend and guide Judy took me to a local silk factory and then we went to eat some incredible street food along Shantang Street! Join us as I explore more of Suzhou!
In addition to its nickname “the Venice of the East,” Suzhou is also known as the silk capital of China. At the silk factory, there are displays explaining the origin of weaving in Suzhou, silk garment exhibition halls, the life cycle of silkworms, and much more!
There are over 60 silk factories in Suzhou. This city is the best in the world when it comes to silk! Because it was Saturday afternoon, this silk factory didn’t have any workers working, so we headed over to another factory nearby.
At the second factory, we saw the silkworm cocoons. I learned that there are double cocoons that contain a male and a female silkworm and they spin the silk together. I watched the workers work. They put the cocoons in water, attach the silk string to the gears on the machine, and pull it out until you’re left with only the pupa in the cocoon. Each cocoon provides one mile of silk!
Once the silk is pulled out, they weave the silk into a type of garment. I saw the huge weaving machines, which have templates for whatever type of garment they want to make.
I watched the workers make a silk duvet my hand. In the next area, there were lots of beds with silk covers. The prices vary by price, but I saw one that costs about $1,000 U.S.
Then I reached the gift shop and looked for a scarf for my wife. There was some beautiful embroidery. There were lots of clothes there; it felt like a mall! I saw some really nice silk shirts. I found the silk scarves, which were really beautiful.
I found a purple-and-gold one and a red one for me, which came to about $100 U.S., a lotus flower one for my wife, and another for my father. They were 30% off of the original price and came to about $135 total. What a great deal for these high-quality silk products!
There were lots of other products there, including pillowcases, wallets, and more!
Then, we headed to Shangtang Street, where there are lots of street food restaurants. Everything looked so good! This area was bustling and felt more commercial than other areas I’d visited. I saw a tablet that had been written by the emperor and the Baby Grand Canal. It was tiny and I could see the different layers of the old city.
I bought a sticky rice cake with red bean paste. It was really good and filling, but super hot! It cost about 20 cents! Next was sesame candy, which was really good and very crunchy. It almost tasted like chocolate!
We walked through a tunnel and reached the more residential area. I liked this area more; it felt more authentic. Judy showed me an herbal medicine candy that’s good for coughs, so I tried some because I’d had a cough the last few days. It was like a sugary bar of medicine!
I tried some delicious pineapple and watched a man play a beautiful, traditional instrument. Atop one of the bridges, I got a wonderful view down the canal. From there, we turned around to go to a popular restaurant.
There, we got a sweet-and-sour Mandarin fish, which cost 198 Yuan/roughly $29 U.S. The fish had a beautiful presentation and contained no bones. It was like sweet-and-sour chicken, but fish. It was a crunchy, fried fish with a sweet sauce and a lot of meat! The dish was really big, so you should share it with someone.
Then I tried the sticky rice ball soup with pork and vegetables, which reminded me of wonton soup. The rice balls were like mochis. The star of the show was the fish, though! It was unreal!
My bill came to 246 Yuan/$36 U.S. Then we headed up to the bridge to see the view, but there were way too many people!
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Sweet & Sour CHINESE Street Food on Shantang Street + Silk Factory Tour | Suzhou, China
Shantang Street, Suzhou, China， 苏州 山塘街
Shantang Street has a long history of more than 1000 years.
ShanTang Street ,Suzhou,China
A Lovely Street in Suzhou,China. Missing her so much.
Suzhou Shantang Street 苏州山塘街
Suzhou Shantang Street, 3.5km long, from Shantang Bridge to the Tiger Hill
filmed in Dec 2018
Shantang Street - Suzhou Part 1
DescriptionShantang Street, also known as Seven-mile Shantang, is a street in northwestern Gusu District, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. The street connects Changmen in the east with Huqiu in the west, with a total length of about 3,829.6 meters, or a little more than seven li or traditional Chinese miles.
Shantang Street, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China (3)
Shantang Street of Suzhou in Eastern China's Jiangsu Province
Taken with Sony A77ii, during the Chinese New Year period 2016
Suzhou Shantang Street
With a history of more than 1100 years, the Shantang Street was built during the Tang Dynasty. The project was led by Bai Juyi, the governor of Suzhou as well as a well-known poet of the Tang Dynasty. A man-made river called Shantang River was dug at first. Then Shantang Street was built along the river.
Famed as the First Renowned Street in Suzhou, the Shantang Street extends from the Changmen in the east to the Tiger Hill in the east with a length of 2.1 miles. Here one can listen to Kun Opera or Suzhou Pingtan (a local opera) and enjoy some Suzhou snacks such as pan-fried plain bun, wonton, duck blood and vermicelli soup and cakes of roses and laurel blossom. It is also worthwhile to cruise on the Shantang River by boat.
Shantang Street, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China (5)
Shantang Street of Suzhou in Eastern China's Jiangsu Province
Taken with Sony A77ii, during the Chinese New Year period 2016
Shantang Street, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China (7)
Shantang Street of Suzhou in Eastern China's Jiangsu Province
Taken with Sony A77ii, during the Chinese New Year period 2016
Shantang Street in Suzhou | 蘇州 山塘街
Shantang Street is an ancient riverside street in Suzhou.
Google Maps
Shantang Jie, Suzhou, China
Suzhou Shantang Street
This was shot with Samsung Galaxy S i9000
Shantang Street, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China (4)
Shantang Street of Suzhou in Eastern China's Jiangsu Province
Taken with Sony A77ii, during the Chinese New Year period 2016
Guanqian Pedestrian Shopping Street - Suzhou - Jiangsu - China (1 last)
Date Taken: 06.14.2014 - 93 -
Shantang Street - Suzhou Part 3
DescriptionShantang Street, also known as Seven-mile Shantang, is a street in northwestern Gusu District, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. The street connects Changmen in the east with Huqiu in the west, with a total length of about 3,829.6 meters, or a little more than seven li or traditional Chinese miles.