Suzhou Travel Notes | Blogger Chen Cheese takes you to Suzhou

#suzhou

 

The first chapter of the Chinese classic "Dream of Red Mansions" said this: "At that time, the earth sank to the southeast. There was a place in this southeast corner called Gusu... It was the first- and second-class rich and romantic place in the world of mortals." This is Suzhou.

 

When visiting Suzhou, in addition to the traditional Internet celebrity attractions Pingjiang Road, Qili Shan Pond, Lion Grove, Humble Administrator's Garden, and Songhe Tower, there are also young and fashionable Subo and Eslite. With a history of more than 2,500 years, this city has accumulated tranquility and tranquility. In this article, Ciqi CHINA invited Chen Cheese, a beauty and fashion KOL owned by Dayu Network, to serve as a substitute tour guide to take a tour of Suzhou, which is not an Internet celebrity!

 

 

 

 

aged cheese

 

Hello, everyone, my name is Chen Cheese. As a native of Suzhou, I now run my own beauty video account. Today I am very happy to take my friends from Ciqi to take a look at the city where I live. Born and raised here, this city has recorded all my growth and memories. But to be honest, as my work has become more and more busy, I haven’t visited this city seriously for a long time. In order to regain my childhood memories and to let more people visit Suzhou, I decided not to shoot today’s beauty video! Let’s take pictures of people in Suzhou eating, drinking and having fun!

 

 

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Royal Noodles → Shrimp and Crab Noodles

Suzhou is a very slow-paced city. Compared with first-tier cities where traffic is already busy at 6:30 in the morning, the alleys in Suzhou are just waking up. For Suzhou people, a new day begins with a bowl of noodle soup in the morning.

 

Su-style soup noodles are a typical "covered noodles" in the Jianghuai area, which means that the ingredients called "toppings" are separated from the noodles. We are very particular about eating this kind of noodles in Suzhou: the toppings must be freshly fried; the ingredients for the toppings must be fresh and cannot be pickled food... All these "rules" are to eat a bowl of noodles with flavor. When eating noodles, Suzhou people must not only be careful about the toppings, but also the soup below. Therefore, there is a saying in Suzhou about eating "head soup noodles", which are the noodles cooked in the first pot of water when the store opens in the morning. Suzhou writer Lu Wenfu described it very vividly in his novel "Gourmet": "Thousands of bowls of noodles and one pot of soup. If there are a thousand bowls of noodles, the noodle soup will be mushy, and the noodles will not be so refreshing, slippery, and It smells like noodle soup. "When I was young, I thought that eating "Tou Noodle Soup" would make me lucky all day long! But now it’s all flowing water, and “Tou Soup Noodles” is just a gimmick in a sense.

 

 

 

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Taste Shop → Sugar Porridge

As one of the top ten delicacies in Suzhou, you must eat a bowl of sugar porridge when visiting Suzhou. Sugar porridge, also known as red bean porridge, is cooked with brown sugar and millet. It has a smooth texture and thick soup. According to legend, eating a bowl of sugar porridge during the winter solstice can prevent the plague. Suzhou's sugar porridge is made in a particularly delicate way. The red beans and porridge are made separately, and the red beans are made into bean paste. The red bean paste can only be poured on the porridge after the porridge is put into the bowl. It has the beauty of red clouds covering the white snow. In the past, there was a utensil for selling sugar porridge in Suzhou called "Camel Dan", on which stoves, dishes, and food could all be placed. While carrying the load, the hawker bangs his clapper, making a "tuk-tuk-tuk" sound. When the children hear the sound, they will know that the "sugar porridge" seller is coming. For me, that was the most familiar sound when I was a child.

 

The Taste Shop located on Shantang Street is run by a couple, and their son will come to help when the customer flow is high. The family runs a shop, and year after year, the days of happiness as sweet as honey seem to blend into this bowl of sugar porridge. Although the taste is not much different from other restaurants, I always feel that the sugar porridge in Weishifang is sweeter.

 

 

 

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Soochow fish → mung bean soup

 

Every summer, foodies from the north and the south will argue about whether mung bean soup is green or red. The mung bean soup in Suzhou is transparent and colorful. This stems from differences in their approach. A cup of Suzhou mung bean soup may not seem like much, but it actually contains more than a dozen ingredients, including mung beans, glutinous rice, red and green shredded silk, candied dates, raisins, kidney beans, etc. The essence is that it is topped with a glass of mint water that will cool your heart. Take a sip and the summer heat will disappear instantly. This is the coolest part of summer in my childhood memories, and it’s also a memory that I can’t replicate in other cities.

 

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Pinfang Tea House → Squirrel Mandarin Fish, Fried Fresh Meat

 

"Go to Wuyuan to listen to operas, and taste Fang to drink tea." I believe many people have heard this sentence. Many old Suzhou people still talk about the Pinfang Teahouse in the 1940s and 1950s. Pinfang Teahouse was founded during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty and was a gathering place for Suzhou literati. According to local records, when Zhou Zuoren was in Suzhou, he often listened to books, drank tea, and ate fried steamed buns here. The taste of Suzhou 130 years ago has been preserved to this day. If the taste is not good, the tongue of the old Suzhou people will not agree.

"Squirrel Mandarin Fish" is a representative dish in Suzhou cuisine, and it can be said to be a must-eat dish when visiting Suzhou. The squirrel mandarin fish at Pinfang Tea House is even more outstanding. Orange color, sweet and sour taste, accompanied by pine red aroma. This dish is colorful, fragrant, tasteful and tangible, and what is even more interesting is its sound. When the fried "squirrel"-like mandarin fish is served and immediately poured with steaming marinade, the "squirrel" starts to squeak.

Apart from that, I also love the freshly fried meat here. "The skin is thin and does not break the bottom but does not burn, and the second fermentation is used for baking. The fresh stuffing and soup are full of flavor, and the top is tender and the bottom is crispy." This is the most appropriate description of Suzhou Shengjian. The crispy outer skin is wrapped with fresh meat and soup, and it is full of satisfaction when you bite into it.

 

● Cheese recommendations:

There are thousands of delicacies in Suzhou, not just the ones mentioned in the previous article.

Osmanthus sugar taro

Osmanthus sugar taro not only looks great, but also tastes great. Take a bite of taro, it's delicate and soft, and the sweetness of brown sugar will warm your heart. The fragrance of osmanthus is refreshing and lingers in your mouth for a long time.

Fried eel paste

Xiangyou eel paste is a traditional and famous dish in the Jiangnan area. It is named because the oil in the plate is still crackling after the eel paste is served. Using fresh eel as the raw material, cut the eel that was slaughtered on the same day into segments, then add the seasonings and stir-fry. The color is deep red, oily but not greasy, fresh and delicious.

Taihu Hairy Crab

Autumn The wind makes the crabs' feet itch, and September begins the harvest season for Suzhou Taihu hairy crabs. Tourists who visit Suzhou during the National Day holiday can eat the fattest crabs. When Suzhou people eat crabs, they pay attention to "remembering, looking forward to, thinking about and eating". Only by eating Taihu crabs at specific times can you realize how precious they are.

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Shantang Street

 

Everyone knows that "there is heaven above, and there are Suzhou and Hangzhou below", but most people don't know that there is actually another sentence below that is "Hangzhou has the West Lake, and Suzhou has the mountain ponds." According to ancient records, Shantang Street did not exist at the beginning. In the first year of Baoli (825), Bai Juyi, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty, was appointed as the governor of Suzhou from the governor of Hangzhou. When I first arrived in Suzhou, I went to Huqiu because of its famous scenery. While I was intoxicated by the beautiful scenery and historical sites, I felt deeply that the tortuous and inconvenient road to and from Changmen Huqiu was inconvenient, so I established a project: the government took the lead in recruiting workers to dig river embankments. A water and land thoroughfare was built from Changmen to Huqiu, which gave rise to the present Shantang Street and Shantang River.

 

Shantang Street is 3,600 meters long and is the most famous street in Suzhou. To this day, Suzhou's old architectural features are still preserved to a large extent. Later, with the economic development, Shantang Street gradually developed into one of Suzhou's attractions. The commercial atmosphere became much stronger, and more and more people came here to check in as a souvenir. Shantang Street gives people a different feeling during the day and at night. Walking on Shantang Street during the day brings out the charm of the Jiangnan water town; sitting in a clear bar and drinking at night, you can feel the prosperity and excitement of the modern city.

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Pingjiang Road

 

 

Pingjiang Road is also a historical street in Suzhou. It is named Pingjiang Road because it is close to the Pingjiang River. Pingjiang Road Historic District is the most completely preserved area of ​​the ancient city of Suzhou so far, and can be called the epitome of the ancient city. You can go boating, listen to Pingtan, or browse various small shops along the road.

 

Pingjiang Road is 1,606.8 meters long and 3.2 meters wide. It is paved with herringbone stone slabs and carries the memories of generations of Suzhou people. From the "Pingjiang Map" of the Song Dynasty, my country's oldest urban survey map drawn in 1229 (existing in the Suzhou Confucian Temple), it can be seen that the street Pingjiang Road existed at that time. More than 800 years later, Pingjiang Road still retains its parallel pattern, texture and length of the river at its original location, with small bridges, flowing water, white walls and black tiles. The volume of the houses, the width of the streets and the river are in appropriate proportions, showing a sparse and elegant style. . Compared with other Suzhou old streets, Pingjiang Road has less commercial atmosphere, retaining the old appearance of the streets and lanes, and retaining the folk customs to the maximum extent.

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Yiyuan

Suzhou has always been known as the "City of Gardens". In the late Qing Dynasty, there were more than 170 gardens inside and outside the city, and more than 50 are now there. However, famous gardens such as the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Lion Grove, and the Master of the Nets Garden are often overcrowded, and it is difficult for you to feel them. The original landscape of the garden changes with each step and is poetic and picturesque. The small gardens scattered in every corner of Suzhou can better reflect the beauty of garden landscaping, and Yiyuan is a good choice.

 

 

Suzhou Yiyuan was built in the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty. It was built the latest among the gardens in Suzhou. Therefore, it draws on the strengths of others and has its own style. Yiyuan is divided into east and west parts, separated by a corridor in the middle. The twelve square windows on the corridor have different patterns. Through the windows, the two sides can borrow views from each other, and the design is ingenious.

The east side of the corridor wall is dominated by courtyard buildings. The winding corridor surrounds the courtyard and is decorated with flowers, trees and stone peaks, like a set of pictures with rich meanings. To the west of the complex corridor is the main landscape of the whole garden, with the pool in the middle and surrounded by rockeries. Although this garden is not big, people who are not familiar with the terrain are likely to get lost here.

● Cheese recommendations:

Suzhou not only has ancient streets and gardens, but also...

Huqiu Mountain Scenic Area

Su Dongpo, a great writer in the Song Dynasty, once wrote a famous saying that "I once said that if you don't visit Huqiu or visit Luqiu in Gusu, you will be in trouble." He also said, "See the Tiger Hill Pagoda first, and see Suzhou City later." The Tiger Hill Tower's status in the hearts of Suzhou people is like the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the hearts of Italians.

Suzhou Silk Museum

China is the birthplace of silk production, and Suzhou, as the ancient capital of the Wu Kingdom in the Spring and Autumn Period, has always been the hometown of brocade production and the place where silk and silk products are accumulated, making it a famous silk capital.

Suzhou University

As one of the ten most beautiful campuses in China, Soochow University has a history of more than 100 years. There are many European-style school buildings on campus, as well as the elegance of Chinese gardens. The mix and match of two different styles has a unique charm.

 

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Pipa Pingtan Teahouse

When you come to Suzhou, you must experience our local opera. In addition to the melodious Shuimo tune, you must also try Pingtan.

Suzhou Pingtan is actually the general term for Suzhou Pinghua and Suzhou Tanci, which is a bit like the art form of storytelling in the north and Jingyun Dagu. Pinghua is usually delivered by one person on stage, talking about the historical romance of fighting and iron horses and the all-powerful chivalrous heroes. As for tanci, two people play and sing at the same time. The one on the left plays the three-stringed instrument and the one on the right plays the pipa. The Pipa Yu Pingtan Tea House located on Pingjiang Road is one of my favorite restaurants, where you can enjoy the Pingtan while dining.

 

When I was a child, when I went out with my grandma and passed by the alley, I could often hear melodious songs coming from inside. At that time, I couldn't understand what the song was about, I just knew that my grandma liked it very much. Like "Love in the Ludang", "The Legend of White Snake", "Pearl Tower"... After listening to it a lot, I can also hum a few lines. Only when I grew up did I realize that it was the sound of my hometown. Order a pot of tea, listen to a Pingtan song, and watch the sunset outside the window. The pleasant evening time slowly passes by.

 

● Cheese recommendations:

I can't guarantee that you will fall in love with it after listening to Pingtan, but maybe you can give yourself a chance to fall in love with it.

Guangyu Bookstore

In Suzhou, Pingtan is known as "storyteller". The actors who sing are called "storyteller", the place where the performance is performed is called "bookstore", and the audience watching the performance is called "listeners". The bookish name also brings a bookish and moving chant.

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"When you come to Gusu, you will see that all the people are sleeping on the river; there are few ancient palaces and many small waterports and small bridges." Du Xunhe, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, vividly described the dream of a water town in the south of the Yangtze River for everyone in his "Sending People to Wu". The small bridges and flowing water that can be seen everywhere, the ancient streets and gardens with a long history, and the simple and friendly customs are all condensed in this medium-sized city.

 

If the magnificence of the northern mountains and rivers is like a glass of strong wine, then I think the softness of the small bridges and flowing water in Suzhou is like a cup of jasmine tea, fresh, elegant and endlessly memorable.

 

I am a native of Suzhou, and I am Chen Cheese. This time of eating, drinking and having fun in Suzhou ends here. Are you still satisfied?