Wuxi

About Wuxi

Wuxi sits on the northern shore of Lake Tai, one of China's largest freshwater lakes, and on the old Grand Canal, a combination that has made it a prosperous city of water, gardens and trade for many centuries. In the early twentieth century it became a cradle of Chinese industry, home to textile and flour magnates such as the Rong family, and today it is one of the wealthiest cities in Jiangsu.

Travellers come for the lake. The Turtle Head Isle peninsula, the colossal Lingshan Grand Buddha and the ornate Brahma Palace all look out over Lake Tai, while Li Garden and Meiyuan Garden show off lakeside and plum-blossom scenery.

The city itself rewards slow exploring: the ancestral halls of Huishan Ancient Town, the Ming garden of Jichang with its borrowed view of the Longguang Pagoda, and the canal-side lanes around Qingming Bridge. Wuxi's cooking is famously sweet, so try its braised pork ribs and soup dumplings.