Mudu Ancient Town shares a history as ancient as Suzhou. This water town itself is ordinary, but the classical gardens arranged along the main street, Shantang Street, from west to east, including Yan’s Garden, Hongyin Shanfang, Gusong Garden, and Bangyan Mansion, bring the characteristic of a ‘Garden Ancient Town’. The Tourist Center (Ticket Office) is located at the west end of Shantang Street.
Yan’s Garden, built in the Qing Dynasty (also known as Xian Garden), has a more than 400-year-old camphor wood hall named Shangxiantang, which is a testament to its grandeur. Inside Hongyin Shanfang, there is a large stage where Emperor Qianlong would watch operas during his six southern tours, and the residence also displays twenty imperial edicts. The Xiaoyin Garden in Hongyin Shanfang is the former residence of the ‘Empress of Embroidery’, Shen Shou.
In the Qing Dynasty’s Gusong Garden, the carved decorations in the building are exquisite, and there is a 500-year-old Arhat pine in the backyard. The Yao Jianping Embroidery Art Museum on the west side of the backyard is also worth a visit. Bangyan Mansion is famous for its fine brick, wood, and stone carvings. After visiting these four main attractions, if time permits, you can also explore the Mingyue Temple to the east of Yan’s Garden, the Gusu Twelve Ladies Garden (free) which displays the traditional skills of water town women, and the Ming and Qing Ancient Porcelain Museum.
Accompanying the Xiangxi Stream of Mudu Shantang Street and the artificial canal, Xujiang, dug by Wu Zixu in the east under the ancient bridge of Xieqiao, it is quite pleasant to take a boat ride on the historical river and listen to the boatwoman sing in the Wu dialect. The boat dock is not far from the Tourist Center at the west end of Shantang Street, with a boat fare of 10 yuan, and it sets sail with a minimum of three people.
The local cuisine in Mudu includes Shijia Restaurant, known for its signature dish, Baifei Soup, made from fish liver stewed in chicken broth, which is tender and extremely delicious. Another notable place is Qianshengyuan, whose signature date paste sesame cake is even better than that of another famous Suzhou shop, Cai Zhi Zhai, with more filling and substance. You can also buy some other local sweets such as牛皮糖、粽子糖、龙须糖、云片糕 to share with friends and family.
Parking lot: [Parking lot of Mudu Ancient Town Tourist Center]. Reference price: 6 yuan for the first hour, and 2 yuan per half hour for exceeding. Address: 188 Shantang Street. Parking spaces: 100. WIFI: Account: T—travel. Password: No password required. Coverage: Covers the entire scenic area. Mobile phone charging: The tourist center is equipped with charging power sockets. Luggage storage: Reference price: Free. Scenic area interpretation: The tourist center provides manual interpretation services. You can also scan the code at the tourist center or at the entrances of various scenic spots to purchase online voice tour guides. Toilets: There are multiple toilets in Mudu Ancient Town, which are respectively located in the parking lot of the tourist center, tourist center, at the end of Yong’an Bridge on Xiangxi Bank, Yan Family Garden, Hongyin Mountain Villa, next to Lu Fei Bridge, Gusuong Garden, and No. 2 Scholar’s Residence, and are marked with eye-catching signs. Convenience store: There is a convenience store in the scenic area, located next to the tourist center. Alipay or WeChat can be used.
