Yangcheng Lake spans Suzhou City and Kunshan City. It is famous for the Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs that are listed in autumn. Suzhou people mainly go to Lianhua Island on the north bank of the lake and Weiting Town on the south bank to eat crabs. Shanghai people mostly go to Bacheng in Kunshan City on the east bank of the lake. In seasons when hairy crabs are not on the market, you can enjoy the lake view and rural scenery at Yangcheng Lake and taste other lake delicacies.
Starting from the sixth month of the lunar calendar, there are hairy crabs to eat, commonly known as ‘June Yellow’, and the meat is very tender. In the ninth month of the lunar calendar, eat female crabs with full roe. In the tenth month of the lunar calendar, eat male crabs with sticky crab paste. ‘June Yellow’ should be eaten early. When it is almost September and October of the lunar calendar, shopkeepers see that the ‘June Yellow’ that costs dozens of yuan can be sold for more than one hundred yuan soon, so they are reluctant to sell it to you. Crabs in September and October of the lunar calendar are generally 120-150 yuan for a pair of male and female crabs plus a table of farm dishes. The price depends on the weight of the crabs. There are many crab farms on the Meirentui Peninsula on the north bank of Yangcheng Lake. However, tourists prefer Lianhua Island on its east side. You can take a speedboat from Lianhua Island Pier (South Pier) in Yangcheng Lake Town to get there, or you can walk or take a sightseeing car to the island from Lianhua Pier (North Pier) in Lianhua Village. Private cars cannot drive onto Lianhua Island. If you contact the crab farm on the island in advance, no matter at the South Pier or the North Pier, the shopkeeper will send a boat to pick you up for free. The local dishes provided by the crab farms, such as native chicken soup, pumpkin porridge, braised pork, sugar carp, are as delicious as hairy crabs. The crab farms on Lianhua Island generally only open for business when hairy crabs are on the market. When you go to the island at ordinary times, you can just enjoy the scenery. There are small scenic spots such as Yiyuan Museum and windmill array for visiting. You can enjoy rape flowers in March and April, and lotus and sunflowers in summer. There are melons and fruits planted on both sides of the field paths on the island. Free-range chickens, ducks, and geese swagger on the road. It is also good to buy some local green products such as sweet sorghum (similar to sugarcane) and pumpkins and take them back. The prices are not expensive. The tourist route in Weiting Town on the south bank of Yangcheng Lake is circular. There are stores selling hairy crabs on the Shallow Water Bay Commercial Street on the east side. The street leads to Chongyuan Temple. In the Lianchi Lake Park opposite Chongyuan Temple, there are wooden plank roads and good greenery. Walking southwest along Yangcheng Lake Ring Road and Shuize Road can reach Puitian Ecological Agricultural Park. Different fruits can be picked in the agricultural park in spring, summer and autumn. There are many crab farms concentrated on Bajie Road and Dayu Road in front of Bacheng Yangcheng Lake Water Park. In Bacheng, there are three treasures of Yangcheng Lake. In addition to hairy crabs, you might as well taste the other two treasures – shrimp and mandarin fish. After having a full meal and drinking enough, you can enter the free Yangcheng Lake Water Park for a walk, or take a walk on Bacheng Old Street with water town buildings with white walls and black tiles. No matter in Lianhua Island, Weiting Town or Bacheng, you can find local boat owners to charter a boat to tour Yangcheng Lake. The sunset scenery on the lake is especially beautiful.Cycling around Yangcheng Lake is also worth a try. Bicycles can be rented at the bicycle station next to Yiyuan on Lianhua Island, at hotels in Weiting Town, and at the main entrance of Yangcheng Lake Water Park in Bacheng. Staying by Yangcheng Lake and fishing every day is very pleasant. Accommodations on Lianhua Island are mainly farmhouse inns. Both Weiting Town and Bacheng have hotels and economical inns.
Opening hours: Open all year round and all day. Must-see tips: 1. Crab must not be eaten with strong tea and persimmons. If eaten together, it will cause stomachache at light and kidney stones at severe cases. 2. Authentic Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs have a green back, white belly, yellow hair and golden claws. Some crab farms will use ‘bathed crabs’ to make up the numbers. That is, crabs that are only soaked in Yangcheng Lake water rather than native crabs. Generally, it is difficult for tourists to distinguish the difference between the two. 3. Shajiabang in Changshu is about 7 kilometers away from Yangcheng Lake. Since the water systems are connected, it is also considered a place to eat Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs. However, it is not so well-known. Eating crabs in Shajiabang is a different approach.
