Just after five o'clock in the afternoon, the free door of Nanxun Ancient Town opened. This place, known as the "Jiangnan Architecture Museum", saves you 75 yuan on the ticket in exchange for an immersive night experience in the water town.
Baijianlou is the soul of Nanxun
If you only have one night, then go straight to Baijianlou. This area retains the original appearance of the Ming Dynasty architectural complex, with continuous eaves corridors lined on both sides of the bluestone road. Few tour groups set foot here. In the evening, you can see locals washing clothes by the river with wooden hammers.
It's so quiet here that you can hear the sound of the oars cutting through the water. The residential buildings built near the water stretch up to 400 meters in length. Each house is hung with red lanterns. These lanterns are reflected in the canal and sway slowly and leisurely along the tiny ripples. Living in a B&B here, if you open the window, what you see in front of you is a scene that can only be seen in a picture scroll.
Free benefits after five o'clock
The scenic spot stops selling tickets at 5 p.m., but this is actually good news for tourists. The gate is open and you can enter at will. Although paid attractions such as Zhang Shiming's Former Residence and Xiaolianzhuang are closed, the streets, bridges, and scenery along the river in the ancient town are all open to the public for free.
Saving money is one aspect, but the more important thing is to avoid the peak hours when the crowds are the most concentrated. During this time period from 5 to 7 o'clock in the evening, the setting sun dyes the white walls and blue-black tiles into gold. This is exactly the most suitable time to take photos. The aboriginal people in the ancient town begin to light the stoves to cook, and the rising smoke is a realistic Jiangnan-like scenery.
The experience of living in an ancient town
There are two different types of accommodation in Nanxun. It is strongly recommended to choose a B&B in the ancient town. As for the area called Baijianlou, there are many inns formed by renovating old houses. Although their facilities cannot be compared with star hotels, the feeling of living on the water is unique and unique. In the evening, sit near the river to drink tea and listen to the sound of water lapping on the shore.
Hotels located outside the ancient town have better conditions and are correspondingly cheaper. However, once you choose one, you will miss out on the most essential night view. Now that you are here, don't save hundreds of dollars in accommodation fees. When you wake up at six in the morning, open the window, and see hundreds of buildings in the morning mist, you will truly feel that everything is worth it.
Transportation strategies and practical information
After taking the high-speed train and arriving at Huzhou Station, you went straight out of the station and took bus No. 101. The terminal of this bus is Nanxun Ancient Town. The journey takes about an hour and a half. The fare is only a few yuan, which is much more cost-effective than taking a taxi. If you choose to drive by yourself, go directly to the parking lot of Nanxun Ancient Town through navigation.
It costs 75 yuan to buy tickets online in advance, but if you arrive after 5 p.m., you can completely save the money. If you enter before eight o'clock the next morning, you can also enjoy the clean early morning ancient town alone before many tour groups arrive.
The taste of Nanxun on the tip of the tongue
Shuangjiao Noodles is a must-try. The noodles are very chewy and the toppings include crispy pork and fried fish. Zhuangyuanlou and Longfeng Noodle House are restaurants that locals often go to. The queues start at 7 a.m. Xun Ti also has to try it. The big red hoof bones are stewed very soft and delicious.
There is such a kind of green vegetable called Xiuhuajin. It can only be eaten in Nanxun. It cannot be found outside this area. It tastes crisp and tender with just the right sweetness. If you are looking for a good restaurant, Xiaoxiao Restaurant is a highly recommended place. However, the owner of this restaurant is very willful and often does not open for business. There is an Auntie Gao’s private kitchen by the river that is also worth trying, where you can taste authentic local home-cooked food.
Why is Nanxun different?
After walking through more than a dozen ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River, I found the elegance of the old days in Nanxun alone. There are no sausage and milk tea shops all over the street, and there are no bars that are deafeningly noisy. The women walking by holding umbrellas in the alleys and the old women washing vegetables by the river all have a simple atmosphere of fireworks.
If the level of business is low, it means that the service may not be so attentive. However, it also means that what you are witnessing is a real life situation, not a scenery specially created for tourists. There is a bridge, a water, and every household. This is what the ancients praised the Jiangnan water town in the past, and it is not the kind of commercial ancient street with no difference.
Have you suddenly had the urge to stay and never leave at a certain corner in Nanxun? If this article has saved you ticket costs, remember to give it a like so that more friends who want to go to Nanxun can see this guide.
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