This Chinese canal town doesn’t have the tourist appeal of its neighbors, Wuxi and Yangzhou. Instead it is a large city with more than four million residents that can serve as a launch pad for trips to Lake Tai.
Wuxi was once a more important city than it is today. It boasts 3,000 years of history and more recently emerged as an important hub of industry. This has bolstered the quality of life for locals, though there has not been much investment in tourism.
There have been a few recent attempts at drawing tourists. A trio of theme parks has sprung up to entice domestic tourists, and these regularly stage live performances which sometimes include traditional dance. But most tourists continue on to Lake Tai as quickly as possible.
Getting There & Away
Wuxi’s long-distance bus station is adjacent to the train station, offering regular service to Yixing (1 hour, 30 minutes), Suzhou (45 minutes) and Shanghai (2 hours). The latter is the most convenient gateway for international tourists, with frequent connections available worldwide.
Things to Do
Wuxi Attractions
- Theme parks
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Water margin city, tang city and three kingdoms city are all new theme parks catering mainly to visiting chinese.
- Garden of Ecstasy
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This classical garden was considered perfect by emperor qianlong that he ordered the construction of a duplicate in beijing’s summer palace.
Side trips from Wuxi
- Lake Tai
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This popular tourist destination boasts 90 islands, rolling hills and peculiarly eroded rocks.
- Turtle Head Isle
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In the northern reaches of lake tai, turtle head isle especially close to wuxi.