Wuxi (无锡; Vu-sik in Wu, Wúxī in Mandarin) is an industrial city roughly halfway between Shanghai and Nanjing. With rich natural and cultural heritage, Wuxi is a major destination for Chinese domestic tourists, but is still largely undiscovered by Westerners. Wuxi occupies the most scenic part of Lake Tai and enjoys the beautiful scenery.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Wuxi has a history of over 3,000 years; its establishment can be traced back to the end of the Shang Dynasty. There are hills, rivers and lakes in this area, but most of it is flat and crisscrossed with canals and small rivers. It is a fertile area, the “land teeming with fish and rice”. Wuxi is well-developed economically and has good transport connections. The city had a population of 7.5 million in 2020. Wuxi is bordered by water, with Lake Tai to the south and the Yangtse River to the north. The cities of Jiangyin and Yixing are administered as part of Wuxi. The climate is moist and temperate, sub-tropical with distinct seasons.
Xihui Park and Old Town (锡惠公园) — An old town pedestrian street with many souvenir and snack shops. Free but the individual residences cost extra (maybe ¥10 each). The main ticket is for several gardens and temples clustered together including the Garden of Ecstasy (Ji Chang Yuan) one of the leading gardens in SE China and Emperor Qianlong, who made seven visits, had a copy made of the garden at the Summer Palace in Beijing. The entrance ticket is also for the nearby park which is rather large if you spend the time to travel around the hill. You can pay extra for the cable car (might also be available as part of combined ticket) to get to the pagoda on the top of the hill.
Three Kingdoms City Water Margin Scenic Spot (三国城水浒城景区) It is a large-scale film and television shooting and tourism base, attracting a large number of tourists with its unique natural scenery, large-scale human landscape and complete film and television service functions. The ticket price is ¥90 for the Three Kingdoms City, ¥85 for the Water Margin City, and ¥150 for the Three Kingdoms City Water Margin combined ticket. 1 Nanchang Street (南长街), No. 472, Qing Ming Bridge, Liangxi District (self-drive or taxi), ☏ +86 510 82827975. 24 hr. The scenic area is free of charge all year round, but there is a fee for some of the amusement programs.
Traditional Wuxi food is very sweet and savoury. Local specialties include Wuxi-style xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) (小笼包 xiǎolóngbāo) which is sweeter than Shanghainese style, as well as Wuxi-style pork wonton (馄饨 húntūn). Wuxi-style braised spare rib (酱排骨 jiàng pái gǔ) is known throughout China; the pork ribs are braised in red sauce with star anise until they fall off the bones. In some alleys there are different kinds of foods on a stick, it is very popular with the locals. There is also a wide selection of western food. Saizeriya, a Japanese chain of Italian restaurants where a decently-sized plate of pasta can be had for less than ¥20 and all-you-can-drink soft drinks available for …
There are numerous watering holes around Wuxi. While there are more expats to be found in some of them, you can expect a mix of locals in any pub or nightclub in Wuxi. Havana Cafe Bar Lounge, XianQian Jie (behind 85 coffee shop). Latin-inspired cafe with and extensive cocktail and beer selection. Blue Bar Cafe, 53 - 1 Chongning lu, ☏ +86 82759866. 17:00-02:00. Western-owned and -managed bar/restaurant in the center of town. The Imperial family no.1 (蝗家一号), 无锡市东梁溪路9号一楼 (on bar street with lot of other bars), ☏ +86 510-81889898. This is a big noisy club. 1 Now Og One Club, No.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Oct, Wuxi typically sees ~24°C daytime highs and 8 rainy days.
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