by Wu Runmei and Shirley Zhang
Although Spring Festival is already a fading memory, Beijing will hardly feel any warmth before the end of this month. This is the time to head south for an early breath of spring.
The First Stop -- Nanjing
Nanjing has been the capital of six Chinese dynasties. Its rich history has left the city with many historical and cultural treasures.
The Qinhui river area is where to start to get a full sense of the local culture. Many buildings are built in traditional southern style. Stalls, small stores and restaurants are scattered along the northern bank of the river. The stores sell antiques, handicrafts and many knick-knacks. Many things bear unique local features such as the clay teapots and colorful lanterns. This area is also famous for the large lantern festivals held here. This year, the traditional Lantern Festival falls on March 2.
Evening is the best time to visit the area. Stalls line the streets selling all kinds of southern snacks. Bigger restaurants offer the full range of local snacks. The set menu of snacks may consist of eight dishes, 24 dishes or even 60 dishes. Each is some delicately made tidbit, just enough for one or two bites. So even if you order the 60-course menu, your stomach won't burst. The Qinhui Renjia Restaurant and Kuixinglou Restaurant are two nice places to taste snacks. The restaurants are built in ancient style by the riverside. You can sit in the corridor or on the outdoor balcony enjoying the lantern-decorated night scene of the Qinhui river. Small ferries are available to take tourists on river cruises.
For the next two days, you can visit other major scenic spots of the city such as Zijinshan (Purple Gold Mountain), Qixia Temple and the former presidential office of Chiang Kaishek. At the same time, you should start to prepare for the next stop ?Suzhou. Long-distance tour buses travel between the two cities every day. They are comfortable, convenient and not expensive. Starting in the early morning, the bus arrives in Suzhou around noon.
The Second Stop -- Suzhou
Tour buses stop at Suzhou railway station. As in other tourism areas, some local people will come up and offer to show you "nice and cheap" hotels. DonÕt trust them. Otherwise you will end up checking all their hotels for the whole afternoon. Take a taxi and go to Guanqian Jie, the busiest area of the city where you can find several decent hotels.
Since Suzhou is quite a small town, it will take you only a short time to get there. As for lunch, Xiao Xiao De Yue Lou is the right place to go. It is the best-known restaurant in Suzhou and the prices are reasonable. The area is filled with many restaurants where you can acquire a thorough knowledge of Suzhou cuisine and local snacks.
Suzhou's gardens are the most celebrated
feature of the city. Zhouzheng Yuan, Wangshi Yuan, Shizilin and Canglangting are the four
masterpieces you should check out. Royal gardens in Beijing offer grand and majestic
scenes, whereas Suzhou's gardens reveal the elegance and wisdom of Chinese architecture.
Their guiding concept of "One step forward, one different view" demonstrates the
brilliance and aesthetic judgement of their builders. It may take you hours just to
appreciate one small garden.
Suzhou also bears the nickname of the "Oriental Venice" although its canals are rather polluted. But the bridges are still worth seeing, and some of them are hundreds of years old. Fengqiao (Marble Bridge) near the Hanshan Temple is one of the most famous.
The Last But Best - Hangzhou
Trains run between Suzhou and Hangzhou every day. It takes about five hours to go to Hangzhou. You could also opt for the overnight karaoke cruise down the Grand Canal.