Two-Day Shanghai and Suzhou Tour - Fulfilling Three Wishes

Duration: 2 days, Time: November, Cost per person: 1800 yuan, Companions: Solo travel, Style: Cultural exploration, free and easy, budget travel. The author visited these places: Suzhou Humble Administrator’s Garden, Suzhou Museum, Beisi Pagoda, Zhuozheng Garden, The Bund, People’s Square, and the Peace Hotel. Published on December 9, 2019, at 10:06 PM. Please forgive my poor writing skills, I intend to copy this to my QQ space to reminisce when I am older. Why three wishes? First, the opportunity for this trip was my sister’s concert in Suzhou! It was a birthday gift to myself. Second, being a fan of the Chinese fantasy series ‘The Legend of Sword and Fairy’, Suzhou is the hometown of Lin Yueru, a place I had to visit in my life. Lastly, after the college entrance examination, I designed a travel route for four cities in East China, but it was shelved due to my mother’s concern about me traveling alone. Now, she finally trusts me to go alone! Hooray~ First, let me share the plan I made before departure. Of course, plans can never keep up with changes, but most of my overall itinerary followed the above. Before departure: despite going for two days plus a return flight time. Weather must be noted~ When I went, Guangzhou was still wearing short sleeves. I checked the weather, fortunately, it wouldn’t rain, but there was a cold front coming on the 17th evening, so I packed the thick clothes I needed to prepare into the suitcase early. Here is the list of things to prepare: (This is what I wrote while preparing for other activities with friends, the items are similar, so I made do) Since I was playing with a suitcase, I had to check in advance whether luggage storage was available in the park, like it wasn’t available in the Humble Administrator’s Garden, so I rearranged my plan to visit the garden after checking into the hostel. Moreover, it is essential to do research, I only found out from other organic reviews on Ctrip that the Suzhou Museum requires an appointment. (After arriving at Suzhou Beisi Pagoda subway station, I also learned that Zhuozheng Garden and Humble Administrator’s Garden require appointments, but you can book tickets in advance on Ctrip) Then, using a little bit of time playing games in the internet cafe, I checked the opening times of the scenic spots I wanted to visit, whether luggage storage was available, appointments, and routes, and then started to arrange the route, which resulted in the plan above. Departing from Guangzhou, to save money, I got up at five in my rental house to pack the unfinished items, such as a freshly charged power bank, charging plugs, charging cables, wireless Bluetooth earphones, etc. (The most important thing is to put on a good makeup, in case there are handsome guys, right, haha) At 6:12, the first subway to Airport North for boarding (friends in Guangzhou, pay attention to whether it’s Airport South or Airport North, otherwise, it can be quite troublesome) Oh, when I arrived at the airport, it was amazing, I booked with China Southern Airlines, which would send you boarding information the day before. You just need to reply with a ‘1’, and you’ve checked in, just need to check in your luggage.
My limited experience led me to embark on my first solo journey after more than a year since my last flight, which was only my third time on a plane. The check-in process had been updated to self-service kiosks, which was quite novel. After receiving some guidance from the staff, I was able to assist a lovely lady behind me, quite an achievement, I’d say, haha. The flight to Shanghai took a little over two hours, but by the time I collected my luggage and reached the subway station, it was already 11:50 AM… Despite allowing extra time, the schedule was quite tight. I checked Gaode (a navigation app, essential for travel!), and it recommended taking the maglev train, which I had never tried before but was much faster. So, I decided to give it a go. The ticket cost 50 yuan, which was a bit painful, but with a single-day ticket, there was a 20% discount, making it 40 yuan… With an experimental attitude, I took the ride. It was indeed fast, costing 40 yuan for 8 minutes… Suddenly, I had an extra 22 minutes, which wasn’t a loss at all. Following my plan, I had half an hour to spare for a meal at KFC, which was a nice bonus (it was the only food I had that day besides the bun and banana from the plane meal). I boarded the high-speed train to Suzhou on time and arrived punctually. Upon reaching Suzhou, I couldn’t help but marvel at the fact that I had started at 5 AM and only arrived at my destination after 2 PM… After a quick subway ride, I had to vent my frustration. Suzhou is a city that requires coins everywhere. The subway ticket machines do not support WeChat or Alipay (though it seems there’s a local app that could be used, which I didn’t bother to download), only accepting coins or paper money in denominations of 5 or 10 yuan… It was always a headache entering the subway, as those with a handful of coins were the most admired and popular. As soon as I stepped out of the subway at Beita Station, I was struck by the visual impact of the Jiangnan ancient town~ I absolutely love this feeling. The scenery along the way was like this: Following the navigation, I walked to the Suzhou Museum, just in time at 14:59 for my 15:00 appointment. I was quite delighted. After checking my luggage in (free of charge), I entered the Suzhou Museum with my ID card. Before my visit, I had watched the latest episode of a debate show, where the topic was: ‘If a fire breaks out in the museum on the bizarre planet, and you can only save either a famous painting or a cat, which would you choose?’ Throughout my visit to the Suzhou Museum, I felt exactly like this… (Below is the chat record with my friend at that time) The Suzhou Museum not only has excellent hardware (the scenery is superb!), but also top-notch software facilities. You can follow their WeChat public account to receive讲解 from a top-tier guide (although some cultural relics have been updated, the information has not been updated accordingly), and you can also rent audio guide headsets.

This kind of tourism supporting equipment is actually lacking in many scenic spots. Give a thumbs up for this point. (Forgive me that the places I went to before didn’t have it. Now maybe they have it too. I’m ignorant. Hahaha.) The following are the scenic views inside the museum: Because I had to pick up my luggage before 17:00, I reluctantly left the Suzhou Museum at 16:52. But I am very grateful to the Suzhou Museum for teaching me how to appreciate cultural relics. Then, as planned, I took a bus to the youth hostel. After putting down my things, I was ready to go to my concert! Concert! Really, I love Chen Li so much. QAQ The penetrating power of the voice, so stable. QAQ The best birthday gift! Even the seat number is my birthday date. It’s destined that I come to see it. QAQ When returning, I felt it was a bit early, so I decided to do a voice live broadcast with my friend and stroll around Pingjiang Ancient Town. I returned around 10:30, but in fact many stores had already closed. Except for a few tourists and young people taking their dogs for a walk, the whole street was really quiet. But I also like this feeling of walking alone in a strange city. Suddenly, I remembered that I hadn’t eaten anything since more than two o’clock. = = Then I was ‘desperately struggling’ in the shops that were not closed yet and bought 30 yuan of fruits, 30 yuan of marinated food, and 15 yuan of Suzhou tofu. Well! Finally I’m full. (It’s not that it’s expensive, it’s just that I eat a lot… hereby declared.) Back at the youth hostel, I didn’t expect that the other girls in my room had already fallen asleep. == I could only prepare to wash up with fewer movements. QAQ I got up at 6 o’clock the next morning, so excited. I wasn’t tired at all (just my waist ached a bit). After dressing up and washing up, and checking out (after checking out, my luggage can still be kept at the youth hostel for me), I started my trip to the Humble Administrator’s Garden and the Lion Grove Garden. Walking on a street where there are mostly local grandparents, I saw a breakfast shop and bought a pancake. The pancake was bigger than my face and only cost 2 yuan. Awesome. (There are sweet and salty ones. I like salty ones.) According to the navigation, I took a bus near the Lion Grove Garden. Because it was quite early at around 7 o’clock, there were relatively fewer pedestrians on the road. But many tour guides were already soliciting business outside. A young lady came to ask me if I wanted a tour guide. Then, after the tour guide sister knew my plan, she suggested that it wouldn’t be too late for me to visit the Lion Grove Garden after visiting the Humble Administrator’s Garden because there would be student groups. Since the Suzhou Museum yesterday shocked me, I felt that if I visited the Humble Administrator’s Garden without a tour guide, I would miss many places. Therefore, I asked my sister to take me to visit the Humble Administrator’s Garden. It turns out that I was right. Even the floor tiles we walked on have their meanings. One step, one scene. The Humble Administrator’s Garden is truly not in vain. After reluctantly leaving the Humble Administrator’s Garden, I walked to the Lion Grove Garden.
By chance, when I visited, the Lion Grove Garden was hosting a chrysanthemum exhibition. A wide variety of chrysanthemums were on display, including some particularly interesting green ones. The most significant difference between the Lion Grove Garden and the Humble Administrator’s Garden is likely its rock formations. It was particularly fascinating, and there were student groups present as well. Students from a certain middle school in Beijing were climbing around, and I wondered if they felt the same joy I did when playing hide-and-seek as a child. Essentially, this rock formation is a path with many entrances and exits. In the center of this artificial mountain, there is an enclosed ‘Chamber of Reclining Clouds,’ where a tall person might reflect. If I were to meditate here, I would find it very interesting. Of course, apart from the rock formations, the Lion Grove Garden has many other distinctive features, such as the stone boat and the lake views. Many feelings can be understood but not expressed in words. On the second floor, one can also learn about the history of the Lion Grove Garden, and taking the time to appreciate it, I realized how much effort it took to preserve it for us to see. It’s not easy… After visiting the Lion Grove Garden, I returned to Pingjiang Ancient Street for some food. As someone who prefers salty flavors, the snacks in Pingjiang Ancient Street were too sweet for me. (For me, coming to Suzhou, it’s essential to eat candied hawthorns because Li Xiaoyao bought them for Zhao Ling’er.) However, I must say that Pingjiang Ancient Street fulfilled my fantasy of a Jiangnan ancient town. Too full to eat more, (mainly because I was too tired to walk, and I had visited it again in the evening…) I went back to sit (rest) for a while at the quiet bar next to my hostel. It was almost time to go to Shanghai, so I picked up my luggage and took the subway. (I almost missed the high-speed train… luckily, luckily) Upon arriving in Shanghai, I took a taxi to the area near Nanjing Road. I used the ‘Store Friends’ mini-program to store my luggage (there was a drawback, which was having to pick it up before a fixed time, so later I didn’t want to rush, and I just took it with me to the Bund.) After having a meal (at an old-established restaurant, I forgot the name, but it was delicious!), I went to the People’s Square to scout the area, in other words, I just wanted to sing a line there, ‘I’m eating fried chicken in People’s Square,’ but I unexpectedly discovered the beauty of the underground tunnel. (Doesn’t it feel like a movie set?) After scouting People’s Square, I continued to Nanjing Road to sing ‘Night Shanghai, Night Shanghai, you are a city that never sleeps…’ Here, not only did I fulfill my fantasy of night-time Shanghai, but also my fantasy of love. Walking along the way, I was on my way to the Bund. There were many tourists who had come to visit, somewhat like… a pilgrimage? Hahaha… Along the way, I passed the Peace Hotel. Continuing forward, as I waited to cross the zebra crossing, the Oriental Pearl Tower was right in front of me, and I instantly felt that all the rushing was worth it.
My Bund, finally reached. Next time in Shanghai, I definitely want to take that sightseeing bus, which is a regret I leave for myself. It’s almost time for me to prepare for the airport, otherwise I will miss the last subway and bus. Checked the bus schedule and found that there is a waiting point for the airport line 5 nearby, with the last bus at 21:30. At 21:45, I waited for it. Touched QAQ… Next is the overnight stay at the airport, that feeling is indescribable. It was my first time experiencing an overnight stay at the airport, but obviously, some other people are very experienced, with bed curtains, sunshades, cardboard, etc. spread on the ground, I really am too young and too naive. Intermittently slept until around 4:30, the airport began to get lively, and I also packed up to prepare for boarding. Fortunately, I checked the weather forecast, and it was only 13 degrees in Shanghai that day, and I felt cold through the glass when boarding… Salute to the airport staff! On the 18th at 6:55, I’m going home! When I got back to Guangzhou, it was 25 degrees. As soon as I got off the plane and got my luggage, I took off as much clothing as possible. When I got home, of course, I slept a good sleep, preparing for work the next day. My Suzhou and Shanghai… If fate allows, it will definitely continue. End

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