Shanghai to Suzhou: Sights Along the Route

The Day

1. A

   Start: central ShanghaiThe route runs toward Suzhou

2. 1

   Shanghai Natural History Museum (上海自然博物馆). A nautilus-shaped building with a spiralling green roof, holding tens of thousands of specimens and running from the origin of the universe to the evolution of life.1.2 km from Shanghai along the line, 0.7 km off the line

3. 2

   Shanghai Zhenru Gaoling Market (上海真如高陵集市). A rebuilt food market that also holds a snack street, a community centre and a small folk display, open six to seven.8.8 km from Shanghai along the line, 2.3 km off the line

4. 3

   Qinglong Pagoda (青龙塔). A relic of Qinglong Town from the Tang and Song dynasties.29 km from Shanghai along the line, 1.5 km off the line

5. 4

   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.47 km from Shanghai along the line, 1.3 km off the line

6. 5

   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.56 km from Shanghai along the line, 0.7 km off the line

7. 6

   Canglang Pavilion (沧浪亭). The oldest surviving garden in Suzhou, first built by Su Shunqin in the Northern Song dynasty.81 km from Shanghai along the line, 0.0 km off the line

8. B

   End: central Suzhou85 km from Shanghai in a straight line