Falling in love with the beautiful island~
⛰️ Dongshan, also known as Dongting East Mountain, is located in Wuzhong District, Suzhou. It is a peninsula extending into Taihu Lake, surrounded by water on three sides, with vast lake views merging with the sky. It is known as the 'Little Kamakura of Suzhou', giving me the illusion of being far away from the city.
From Xishan to Qiyuan—Daixin Bay—Shijing (bus station)—Luxiang Ancient Village—Frog Village—along the Ring Mountain Road—along the Binhu Boulevard—leaving Dongshan
It's actually just circling Dongshan along the edge of Taihu Lake.
📷 Recommended photo spots:
✔️ Daixin Bay
The first lakeside bridge after entering Dongshan from Xishan, because it has a curve, facing Taihu Lake and backing against Moli Peak, the scenery is particularly beautiful. It is also a place where many self-driving tourists stop to check in. It's especially comfortable to feel the lake breeze here.
✔️ Shijing (bus station)
Also a pretty curve, right below Moli Peak, but I personally prefer Daixin Bay.
✔️ Frog Village
This village has many frog elements and an abandoned amusement park. Currently, apart from residents, there are some residential houses (visible), but nothing else. If you have time, you can take a walk; if you're in a hurry, skip it.
✔️ The scenery along the way is actually quite nice, and if you find something you like, you can stop to take pictures. Parking on the roadside is generally friendly.
⚠️ Pay attention to proper parking, do not obstruct the passage of other vehicles, and also be careful when taking photos, as it is still by the roadside.
📷 Other check-in spots:
✔️ Luxiang Ancient Village, known as the first ancient village of Taihu Lake, has an ancient street from the Ming Dynasty, with three Ming Dynasty archways of 'Tan Hua, Hui Yuan, and Jie Yuan'. This is also the hometown of Wang Ao, a prime minister during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty.
✔️ Diao Hua Lou, the entire building is exquisitely decorated with brick carvings, wood carvings, gilding, stone carvings, color paintings, clay sculptures... and is known as 'the first building in the south of the Yangtze River' for its intricate craftsmanship.
✔️ Sanshan Island, the ferry terminal is diagonally opposite Frog Village. Park your car here and take a boat to the island.
✔️ Other places like Qiyuan, Twenty-Four Bends, Ciyun An, Yuhua Shengjing... are worth visiting if you have time.
🏍️🚴 I also met many cyclists along the way. Here, you will feel that riding a motorcycle is a very cool thing to do, with beautiful scenery and good road conditions, making it perfect for cycling.
PS:
Dongshan also has many specialties, such as Biluochun tea from March to April, loquats from April to May, bayberries that just hit the market in June, and oranges in autumn (Zhou Xun's 'The Oranges Are Red' was filmed in Dongshan).