Jiangsu (江苏) · 35 places · 11 cities
35 places in Jiangsu, grouped by city. Under each one are two figures from the survey: how much daily life still goes on there, out of 100, and how far it has been turned over to visitors, out of 6.
Most common here: Old town (18), Historic street (13), Old quarter of a city (4). See all provinces, or the background on old towns.
14 places
Suzhou (苏州)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Lili Ancient Town (黎里古镇)A 2,500-year-old water town with 10,000 locals, 115 hidden alleys, and almost zero tourist shops. This is what Jiangnan looked like before tourism.Lived-in 90/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
| Suzhou Pingjiang Road (苏州平江路历史街区)The main street is touristy, but any side alley still holds 8,000 families still living the old Suzhou dream, washing at the river, drinking tea, playing chess.Lived-in 84/100 · Commercialised 4/6 · known abroad · very easy to reach | Historic street | Lived-in, busy |
| Luzhi Ancient Town (甪直古镇)A 2,500-year-old water town with a 1,500-year-old Buddhist temple containing Tang dynasty clay sculptures, locals still wash clothes at river steps and drink tea in century-old teahouses, far quieter than Zhouzhuang.Lived-in 80/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · little known abroad · easy to reach | Old town | Lived-in, busy |
| Jinxi Ancient Town (昆山锦溪古镇)A 2,000-year-old water town with a Song dynasty imperial concubine’s water tomb in the middle of the lake, locals still drink tea in 100-year-old teahouses, eat ‘Jinxi shortbread’, and wash clothes at the river; far less crowded than Zhouzhuang, with more real residents.Lived-in 80/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · little known abroad · very easy to reach | Old town | Lived-in, busy |
| Tongli Ancient Town (同里古镇)UNESCOHome to the UNESCO-listed Tuisi Garden (‘Garden of Retreat and Reflection’), a tiny masterpiece of Jiangnan garden design, the old town still has locals fishing from the stone bridges and drinking tea in side alleys.Lived-in 78/100 · Commercialised 4/6 · known abroad · easy to reach | Old town | Lived-in, busy |
| Qiandeng Ancient Town (昆山千灯古镇)A 2,500-year-old water town, birthplace of Gu Yanwu (the great Ming-Qing thinker who said “Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the nation”), with a jade reclining Buddha billed as the largest in the world; locals still live and drink tea, less crowded than Zhouzhuang.Lived-in 76/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · little known abroad · easy to reach | Old town | Lived-in, busy |
| Taicang Shaxi (太仓沙溪古镇)A 1,300-year-old water town near Shanghai, with a covered corridor (langpeng) described as the longest in Jiangnan, old stone bridges, and locals still living and drinking tea; almost no tourist shops, and the least visited of the water towns near Shanghai.Lived-in 76/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · easy to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
| Suzhou Luxiang Ancient Village (苏州陆巷古村)A 1,000-year-old village on Dongshan Mountain by Taihu Lake, the village that produced more jinshi, holders of the imperial degree, than any other village in Jiangnan (Wang Ao, the Ming grand secretary, was from here), with 3 Ming dynasty memorial archways, old mansions, and locals still farming and fishing by Taihu Lake; very authentic.Lived-in 76/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
| Mudu Ancient Town (木渎古镇)A 2,500-year-old town near Suzhou with more private gardens than any other Jiangnan water town, locals still wash clothes at river steps and drink tea in old teahouses, far less crowded than Zhouzhuang or Tongli.Lived-in 74/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · little known abroad · easy to reach | Old town | Visitor-facing |
| Suzhou Zhenze (苏州震泽古镇)A 2,000-year-old silk town on the border of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, home of Zhenze silk (tribute silk for the imperial court), with the Ciyun Temple Pagoda (Song dynasty) and the former residence of astronomer Wang Xichan; locals still live, reel silk, and drink tea, almost no foreign tourists.Lived-in 74/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · easy to reach | Old town | Lived-in, busy |
| Suzhou Shantang Street (苏州山塘街)A 1,200-year-old canal street built by Bai Juyi, the eastern section is touristy, but west of Xinmin Bridge locals still live, wash clothes, and drink tea in old teahouses; best at night with red lanterns.Lived-in 72/100 · Commercialised 4/6 · known abroad · very easy to reach | Historic street | Visitor-facing |
| Suzhou Changmen Xizhongshi (苏州阊门·西中市)The historic west gate of Suzhou, once the busiest commercial district in Ming-Qing Suzhou (the ‘Jinling of the East’), with the Changmen Gate, Grand Canal docks, old silk shops, and locals still living and eating breakfast; far less touristy than Pingjiang Road, very authentic.Lived-in 72/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · easy to reach | Historic street | Thin on both |
| Suzhou Taohuawu (苏州桃花坞)The historic neighborhood of Tang Bohu (the Ming painter), with the Taohuawu Woodcut New Year Paintings (national intangible heritage), old lanes, and locals still living; recently restored but still authentic.Lived-in 70/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · little known abroad · easy to reach | Old quarter of a city | Thin on both |
| Kunshan Zhouzhuang (昆山周庄)The ‘No.1 Water Town in China’, made famous by Chen Yifei’s painting, with iconic Twin Bridges (Shuangqiao); highly commercialized and crowded, but before eight in the morning locals still wash at the river steps; best experienced at dawn or by staying overnight.Lived-in 64/100 · Commercialised 5/6 · well known abroad · easy to reach | Old town | Visitor-facing |
5 places
Nanjing (南京)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Nanjing Sanqiba Alley (南京三七八巷)A 200-meter alley named after its house number (No.378), a food alley, with 1950s stone-paved lanes, old residents, and legendary stalls like egg dumplings, honey lotus root, and smoked fish; no tourist shops at all.Lived-in 84/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · rarely visited from abroad · very easy to reach | Historic street | Lived-in, quiet |
| Nanjing Laomenxi (南京老门西)Across the wall from touristy Laomendong, 13 Ming-Qing alleys with 2,000 local families, old teahouses, bamboo weavers, and shoe repair shops; the last ungentrified old neighborhood in Nanjing, completely unknown to foreign tourists.Lived-in 82/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · rarely visited from abroad · easy to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, quiet |
| Nanjing Laomendong Historic District (南京老门东历史文化街区)Beside the 600-year-old Zhonghua Gate (described as the world’s largest castle-style city gate), this restored Ming-Qing quarter still has locals drying laundry and playing Chinese chess in alleys, far more authentic than nearby Fuzimiao.Lived-in 75/100 · Commercialised 4/6 · known abroad · very easy to reach | Historic street | Lived-in, busy |
| Nanjing Gaochun Old Street (南京高淳老街)A 900-meter Ming-Qing street in Nanjing’s southern countryside, the best-preserved old street in Jiangsu province, with local residents still selling crabs (Gaochun crabs are famous), making tofu, and drinking tea; far from the city, very authentic.Lived-in 74/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Historic street | Lived-in, busy |
| Nanjing Yihe Road (南京颐和路民国街区)A 1930s Republican-era villa district with 200+ former residences of diplomats, generals, and writers, tree-lined streets of yellow walls and green shutters, now a mix of boutique cafes, galleries, and local residents.Lived-in 68/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · little known abroad · very easy to reach | Historic street | Thin on both |
4 places
Yangzhou (扬州)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Wanzi Street Historic Neighborhood (扬州湾子街)A maze of old lanes in Yangzhou, a residential neighbourhood in the old city, with 100+ year-old bathhouses (zaotang), barbershops, and snack stalls; locals still bathe in public bathhouses, eat morning tea, and play chess; completely unknown to tourists, the real Yangzhou.Lived-in 82/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · rarely visited from abroad · easy to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, quiet |
| Yangzhou Dongguan Street (扬州东关街·东圈门历史街区)The main street is touristy, but the maze of side alleys (Dongquanmen, Pishi Street, Wanzi Street) reveals old Yangzhou, locals eating morning tea at 6 AM, getting haircuts in 50-year-old barbershops, and bathing in historic public bathhouses.Lived-in 80/100 · Commercialised 4/6 · little known abroad · easy to reach | Historic street | Lived-in, busy |
| Yangzhou Shaobo (扬州邵伯古镇)A 1,600-year-old canal town on the Grand Canal, named after Duke Shao of the Zhou dynasty (the ‘sweet pear duke’), with the ancient Shaobo Canal (Xie An, Eastern Jin dynasty, 385 AD), old stone docks, and locals still living, fishing, and drinking tea; completely unknown to foreign tourists.Lived-in 78/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
| Yangzhou Pishi Street (扬州皮市街)Six hundred metres of Ming and Qing street where a lot of the original residents stayed. Independent bookshops and cafes now sit between the old houses. Yangzhou morning tea is the meal to plan around.Lived-in 76/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · easy to reach | Historic street | Lived-in, busy |
3 places
Wuxi (无锡)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Wuxi Qingming Bridge & Nanchang Street (无锡清名桥·南长街)An urban stretch of the Grand Canal, old silk mills become cafes, but south of Qingming Bridge locals still fish, wash vegetables, and drink tea in alleys unchanged for 100 years.Lived-in 76/100 · Commercialised 4/6 · little known abroad · very easy to reach | Historic street | Lived-in, busy |
| Wuxi Huishan Ancient Town (无锡惠山古镇)A 1,500-year-old town at the foot of Huishan Mountain, with 108 ancestral halls (more than any other village in China), the famous Huishan clay figurines, and the Second Spring Under Heaven, locals still drink tea and play chess here, less crowded than other 5A towns.Lived-in 70/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · little known abroad · easy to reach | Old town | Visitor-facing |
| Dangkou Ancient Town (无锡荡口古镇)A 1,000-year-old water town in Wuxi, hometown of the famous Ming painter Tang Yin (Tang Bohu)’s teacher, with old stone bridges, the former residence of mathematician Hua Luogeng, and locals still living; recently restored but less crowded than other water towns.Lived-in 70/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, busy |
2 places
Huai’an (淮安)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Huaian Hexia (淮安河下古镇)A 2,500-year-old canal town on the Grand Canal, birthplace of Huaiyang cuisine (one of China’s four great cuisines), where locals still eat ‘soft pocket long fish’ (ruan dou chang yu) for breakfast and drink tea in century-old teahouses, with almost no foreign tourists.Lived-in 78/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · rarely visited from abroad · easy to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
| Huaian Qingjiangpu (淮安清江浦)The historic heart of Huai’an on the Grand Canal, once the ‘water transport capital’ (caoyun) of the Ming-Qing dynasties, with the Qingjiangpu Gate, old granaries, and the Canal Culture Museum; locals still live in old lanes, eat Huaiyang cuisine, and drink tea; the Grand Canal’s most underrated urban section.Lived-in 72/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · easy to reach | Old quarter of a city | Thin on both |
2 places
Taizhou (泰州)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Taizhou Qintong (泰州溱潼古镇)A 1,000-year-old canal town in the Lixiahe river region, home to the world’s only wild elk (Père David’s deer) wetland, where locals still eat ‘Qintong fish balls’ and drink tea in 100-year-old teahouses, completely off the foreign tourist map.Lived-in 78/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
| Huangqiao Ancient Town (泰兴黄桥古镇)A 1,000-year-old town famous for the Huangqiao Battle (1940, New Fourth Army) and Huangqiao Sesame Cakes (huangqiao shaobing, eaten by soldiers during the battle), with 24 Ming-Qing lanes, old rice shops, and locals still living and making sesame cakes; very authentic.Lived-in 78/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Changzhou (常州)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Changzhou Qingguo Lane (常州青果巷)A 400-meter Ming-Qing lane in Changzhou, birthplace of the Changzhou School of thought (Qing dynasty), with former residences of Zhao Yuanren (linguist), Qu Qiubai (revolutionary), and Tang Jingchuan (Ming general); locals still live in side alleys, recently restored but authentic.Lived-in 70/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · little known abroad · easy to reach | Historic street | Thin on both |
1 place
Nantong (南通)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Rugao Dongdajie (如皋东大街)A 1,500-meter Ming-Qing street in Rugao, one of the world’s six long-lived towns (hometown of longevity), with the Shuihui Garden (Ming dynasty, beloved by Mao Pijiang and Dong Xiaowan), and locals still living, making longevity foods, and drinking tea; very authentic.Lived-in 76/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Historic street | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Xuzhou (徐州)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Xinyi Yaowan (新沂窑湾古镇)A 1,400-year-old canal town on the Grand Canal, once called ‘Little Shanghai of Northern Jiangsu’, with Qing dynasty merchant guild halls, a Catholic church, and mosque side by side; locals still make ‘Yaowan sweet oil’ (traditional soy sauce) and drink tea, with almost no foreign tourists.Lived-in 78/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Yancheng (盐城)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Yancheng Anfeng (盐城安丰古镇)A 1,000-year-old salt town on the Yellow Sea coast, a major salt production centre under the Ming and Qing (the ‘Anfeng Salt Field’), with the old street (Gubei Street), salt merchant mansions, and locals still living, making tofu, and drinking tea.Lived-in 76/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Zhenjiang (镇江)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Zhenjiang Xijin Ferry & Boxian Road (镇江西津渡·伯先路)A ferry street recorded as China’s oldest surviving one, a 1,000-year-old stone staircase to the Yangtze, with Yuan dynasty Tibetan-style stone pagodas, British consulates, and locals still living in Republican-era houses on nearby Boxian Road.Lived-in 74/100 · Commercialised 4/6 · little known abroad · easy to reach | Historic street | Lived-in, busy |
Which of These Is Still a Town
The two scores narrow the list, and the last step is local: which lanes are worth the walk, which day of the week the place is itself, and where to stay inside the walls. Tell our local team the provinces you will be in and they will say which of these hold up.