Qingming Bridge Ancient Canal Scenic Area

[Photo/wuxinews.com.cn]

The scenic area is located in the south endern part of the central urban area of Wuxi. It is at the intersection of two Y-shaped ancient rivers and two ancient streets along the rivers, with abundant historical relics and cultural landscapes.

The Qingming Bridge Section of the Grand Canal of China, which is about six kilometers long, shows the most distinctive features of the riverside towns in the regions south of the Yangtze River. The most famous attraction should be the water-side lanes. At both sides of the canal, along the ancient canel, there are ancient kilns, houses, streets, bridges, temples, towers, lanes and wharfs built in the Ming and Qing dynasties, which have witnessed the history of Wuxi for about 3,000 years.

Tips

● Location: Wuqiao Sub-district-Xishuidun-South Gate-Qingming Bridge Section of the Grand Canal of China. It is the best scenic area at the Wuxi Section of the Grand Canal.

● Ticket: free

● Open timehours: With access all day

● Transportation: No. 55, 23, 19 and 25 from Wuxi Railway Station

Travel guides

● Boarding Piers:

Canal Park Pier

South Pier (nearby the railway station and China Travel Hotel)

● Departure Time:

Canal Park Pier：09:00 am, 11:00 am, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 7:00 pm, 8:00 pm.

South Pier：09:15 am, 11:15 am, 2:15 pm, 3:15 pm, 7:15 pm, 8:15 pm

● Boat Ticket: 60 yuan ($9.68)

Recommendations

Upstream of the ancient canal

The ancient river runs through the city. The ancient bridge collects the memories of the regions south of the Yangtze River. You may boat on the river and have a tour of the lane to the sound of the paddle sliding in water and under the light of lamps, which, together with the ancient bridge and the folk houses, form up a natural gallery of folk customs.

The Qingming Bridge

The Qingming Bridge is the most ancient, largest and best-preserved single-opening stone arch bridge at the Wuxi Section of the Grand Canal. It was built during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty, with a history of more than 400 years. In history, both Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong visited the bridge for many times. The famous song Travel in Wuxi was created here.

The Canal Park

The Canal Park is the biggest theme park in the urban area of Wuxi. It was a popular rice market in history. There are four characteristic exhibition halls in the park, most of which were renovated based on old factory buildings. With beautiful outdoor landscape, it is a good place for walking. You may take some time to enjoy the sceneries in the park.

Former residence of Zhu Dachun

Zhu Dachun was a representative of the businessmen in China's modern history. He was Wuxi's first businessman holding a position in the government and was honored the "king of electrical industry". In his life, he had been devoting himself to working for a prosperous industrial development of China. The former residence is of a large size, with delicate architectures. It is the best-preserved former residence of well- known people of the Qing Dynasty in the Qingming Bridge Historic Street.