Guanqian Street is located in the heart of Suzhou, not far from Suzhou Railway Station, and is a commercial street established during the Qing Dynasty. It has been transformed into a pedestrian street, approximately 800 meters long, and together with its radiating roads such as Taijian Alley and Bifeng Alley, it is a famous snack and commercial street in Suzhou, comparable to Nanjing’s Confucius Temple and Shanghai’s City God Temple.
The first reason to visit Guanqian Street is for its delicious food, where many century-old shops gather. Songhe Lou Restaurant (No. 72 Taijian Alley) has a history of over 200 years and has even appeared in the novel ‘Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils’ as the place where Qiao Feng and Duan Yu pledged brotherhood. The authentic Squirrel Mandarin Fish in Suzhou cuisine must be tasted at Songhe Lou, which is the restaurant’s signature dish. Other dishes such as Stir-fried Shrimp, Braised Eel in Hot Oil, and Dongpo Pork are also very delicious. Deyue Lou (No. 43 Taijian Alley), featured in the old movie ‘Little Deyue Lou,’ also serves traditional Suzhou cuisine. However, the high prices of dishes at these two restaurants, often over a hundred per dish, deter many tourists. The sauced pork at Lugaojian (No. 8 Guanqian Street) and the wontons at Luyang馄饨 (No. 84 Bifeng Alley) are much more affordable. At night, Guanqian Street is brightly lit, and after a satisfying meal, one can go shopping. Huang Tianyuan Cake Shop (No. 86 Guanqian Street) is known for its Date and Chinese Yam Cake, which is mentioned in ‘Dream of the Red Chamber,’ and对面Caizhi斋 (No. 91 Guanqian Street) is famous for its Zongzi candy, both of which are great to buy and share with relatives and friends. You can also find local specialties such as silk scarves and Suzhou fans, and there are many gold, silver, eyewear, and shoe stores. Large shopping malls like Dayang Department Store (No. 1331 Renmin Road), Renmin Shopping Center (No. 22 Beiju Road), and Changfa Shopping Mall (No. 108 Lingtong Road) offer affordable clothing; in Guanqian Street, you can also visit the Xuanmiao Temple located right in the middle of the street, from which Guanqian Street gets its name. The Taoist temple was first built in the second year of Xian Ning during the Western Jin Dynasty (AD 276) and was reconstructed in the sixth year of Chunxi during the Southern Song Dynasty (AD 1179). On the west side of the main hall, Sanqing Hall, you can see the ‘Treasure of the Temple,’ the Laozi Stele, which features a portrait of Laozi by Wu Daozi from the Tang Dynasty, with inscriptions by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, written by the great calligrapher Yan Zhenqing, and engraved by Zhang Yundi, a master carver of the Song Dynasty. It is open all year round, 24 hours a day.
