Luzhi Ancient Town

Pick up service can be arranged at your hotel lobby in Suzhou downtown or Suzhou train station, you will find a welcome signage. And you will be transferred to Luzhi water town directly, it takes around 1 hour for one way. Luzhi Water Town is a famous historic old town located in the Wuzhong District, 18 km east of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, China. It was also known as Puli, an ancient name for this town. Luzhi is famous for its beautiful waterways and ancient bridges, some of the bridges dated back to the Song Dynasty. A walk in the ancient town Luzhi is said to be a walk into history frozen in time, tranquil and serene. Luzhi was also awarded a Township Preservation Award by UNESCO since 2004. The special feature of the town is its numerous bridges. The one square kilometer (0.38 square miles) town proper once had 72 stone arched bridges built in Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty. Forty one of these still exist, each with its own unique style. You will find large multi-arched stone bridges, small single span stone bridges, spacious arched bridges, narrow level-decked bridges, etc. Visiting Luzhi is actually very much like visiting a museum of ancient bridges. There are even more bridges for the area here than in Venice! Zhengyang Bridge: Built in the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Zhengyang Bridge is the biggest stone arch bridge in Luzhi town. It is known for being the first to receive sunshine in the early morning. Moreover, this old bridge is a vantage point for viewing the whole fascinating landscape of the water town.  Baosheng Temple: the Baosheng Temple is an ancient temple with a history of over 1500 years. It is home to nine well preserved Buddhist clay sculptures made in Tang Dynasty, some 1000 years ago.Wansheng Rice Shop: Built in 1910, Wansheng Rice Store is an old-established rice shop that was once operated by two wealthy businessmen and now serves as the rice distribution centre for Luzhi and nearby towns. Many quaint antique agricultural tools are displayed for travelers to view. Xiao House: It is the most integrated, well-preserved architecture dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Situated on Shangtang Street, Xiao House was built in 1889 and represents a typical southeast China house of a rich family of 19th century. Covering an area of over 1,000 square meters, the house is composed of dozens of rooms with a private lane named Xiao Lane. Visiting the house, you can relive the previous tenants' elegant style of life. Free on your own for a while, then you will be transferred back to Suzhou train statin or your hotel in Suzhou downtown and your tour ends.