The Grand Canal of China      The Grand Canal wriggles through the city and it is really amazing to come across the pretty water when you saunter in the busy urban center time and time again. At the harbor you could rent a boat along with a boatman to have a trueborn trip of land of water. Boating through the Water Lane(水弄堂), Harbor Bodu（伯渎港）and Qingming Bridge (清名桥), the white walls, rufous wooden panes and black tiles of the old buildings on the bank and the white-headed elders sitting in the winding bridge along the river represent a distinctly oriental unassuming elegance and earthy comfort and pleasure. If you have enough time, anchored at the harbor, one piece of Pingtan (评弹) will take you away from the modern industrial China ten meters away. In a rainy day, to be more luxurious, getting on a pleasure-boat and excursing along the canal to the Lake Taihu to have the wonderful vista of a range of hills, which are mantled by thousands of green tea plants would be almost an exquisite dream.

Thousands of Jiangnan mandarin scholars had set out their journey for rank and power up to Nanjing (South Capital), even to Beijing (North Capital) since Tang Dynasty. They did not only excel to be famous poets, artist, writers and politicians, but also brought fascinating culture of their hometown all around China. The exquisite tea set, balmy delicate tea, faint and hazy pleasure-boats and winding bridges in their ink-and-wash paintings, dreamy and  heavenly view of Land of Water in their poem and their polished manners and refined lifestyle attracted and enchanted us as well as the other people in their era.  Hence, the Grand Canal serves as the main artery of transport for the six successive dynasties of ancient China, it took the task as the herald of culture and civilization diffusion.

 Actually，the Jiangnan (or ‘South of the Yangtze’) Canal is very heavily used by barge traffic bringing coal and construction materials to the booming delta at present. One of the most fabulous views in Wuxi is the road with running cars on parallel the canal with flowing barges in.  When Emperor Yangguang (隋炀帝) launched out the construction of Grand Canal for the convenience of his journey to Yangzhou more about fourteen hundred years ago, he would not suppose the fruit of his selfish and individual idea turns out to be a national life line of water carriage and a comfortable and convenient traveling way for ordinary people for more than a millennium.

Xihui Park    In this park there are two mountains, one is the resource of the city’’s name (Xi Shan, in Chinese means Tin Mountain, Wuxi in Chinese means tin-less) and the other houses a great deal of historical relics.

Grave of Abing     Up the stone steps along the slope of the two gleaming green hills, passing by the grave of the blood musician Abing, who is famous for his pipa and erhu music, and hearing the reserved bleak and sorrow elegy singing by the elders from the distant winding bridge, the interveining space-time forces you run after the singing, and amazedly to see crowds of elders sitting in the umbrage chatting and laughing. Yes, soreness and desolation has never been seemly and suitable for this ease and comfortable city, and late performer sleeping on the foot of Xi Shan except nothing but the earthy glee here.     

Hui Spring (No 2 Spring of the world)   The writer of the book “Art of Tea” (茶经)—Luyu (陆羽) had recommended the springs in the Hui Shan as the second best water for tea. The most famous spring in Hui Shan is Erquan (二泉)，above which the Memorial Temple of LuZi is built. The caff beside it still serves the tea stewed by the water from the Erquan.

Huishan clay figurines   There is a handcraft clay figurines studio at the foot of Hui Shan. You can see how the skilled artists nip the clay to form the raw figure, whittle and score out the details, and then glaze and variegate the clay. The clay figurines of diverse style are all very, very vivid and elaborate. Through the four hundred years, this special and valueless skill benefits the local people not only the rich lives but also descends the unique ancient Chinese folk art.

Jichang Garden  It is the private garden of the famous poet in Song Dynasty –Qinguan (秦观)’s descendant and it ranks the oldest traditional Chinese Garden. In the virtue of the distant handsome view of Xi Shan and Hui Shan and the clear water from Hui Spring, the garden possesses not only the oriental simple and elegant beauty inside, it takes up the heavenly picturesque scenery outside. The stone inscription on the wall of the gallery and the cool spring rushing down the rockery outside the study suggest the owner’s idle, delight and free spirit of pursuit for studies. Moreover, the gallery and terrace above the pool and the bamboo at the corner, the hit-and-miss swimming goldfish among the water nymph in the pond and the arbor nearby the pool show us the worldly zest for living. What a wonderful world for an ancient Chinese elite!

Meiyuan, Liyuan lay out the beauty of classic traditional ancient Chinese garden, Donglin College and dozens of Homes of personage in the field of literature, economy and society showing up just in a common corner unexpectedly in Wuxi, reveal the profound culture creation and preeminent force of the city. The food like (蟹黄狮子头) and (芋头圆子) are my favorite, unlike the famous special local food -- Wuxi fried tofu dumplings and Wuxi pork ribs, they are subtle, refreshing and refined, just like Wuxi.