Hello friends, how have you been recently? On my side, I have been quite busy. First, I have a full-time job. Second, I have started writing books (all my books, both the paperback and Kindle editions, are available on Amazon). Third, I do sincerely learn Chinese, and it takes a lot of my time. Fourth, I also travel regularly out of Suzhou. Then, I also have a girlfriend now. Overall, it’s quite a tight schedule. I find it a bit more time constrained to write the travel blogs. Fret not; I will put all efforts to ensure that all my trips, at least one blog-post per city, are recorded for the future travelers.
Well, in the first week of May 2019, I had a memorable trip from Suzhou to Jiaxing (嘉兴, Jiāxīng), a prefecture level city in Zhejiang province of China. This was my first trip in May (I had visited Wuyuan, Nanchang, etc. earlier in March). Also, Jiaxing was my 37th city in China.
In this blog-post, let me quickly share with you my travelling experience of Jiaxing city. As always, I’m adding selected photos of Jiaxing travel attractions that I clicked during my trip.
Jiaxing city brief
The city, lying in the Yangtze River Delta, is largely an urban agglomeration. It’s an important metropolis close to Shanghai and Hangzhou. Jiaxing is also known as the “land of fish and rice” and the “house of silk”. In fact, Jiaxing has been a prosperous place since ancient times. As of now, it is certainly a historical and cultural city with typical Jiangnan (south of Yangtze River) features.
Best time to visit Jiaxing
Well, apart from the summer season (mid-June to early September); the best time to visit Jiaxing could be anytime in the year. I was travelling in May and the weather was quite okay.
How to get to Jiaxing?
Depending where you are coming from, the best way to get to Jiaxing from could be either by buses or by trains. I was coming from Suzhou and it was a train journey. In fact, there are so many trains connecting Jiaxing to Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, etc. As such, Hangzhou is just one train stop away from Jiaxing.
Jiaxing Hotel accommodations
There are so many hotels in Jiaxing. I was staying with Jinjiang Inn (锦江之星), the branch located very close to the Jiaxing Railway Station (嘉兴站). The bus station is also just next to the Inn. In case you didn’t know, many hotels in China can’t accommodate foreigners. However, this hotel usually (not always) allows foreign guests. I had a pleasant experience with Jinjiang Inn and would certainly recommend it.
Here is the address:
- In English: Jinjiang Inn – Jiaxing Train Station, No 83, Cheng Dong Road, Jiaxing, 314001, China
- In Chinese: 锦江之星 – 嘉兴火车站店, 嘉兴 南湖区 城东路83号 (嘉兴, 314001)
You can also search this hotel in Baidu Map: 锦江之星(南湖店).
Phone number: +86 573 8206 7979
Not to my surprise, the receptionist didn’t speak any English. Thankfully, I knew basic Chinese and there wasn’t any issue staying here. In case, if you want to explore Chinese language, here is my detailed blog-post:
Jiaxing CLIMATE
Located on the southern margin of the northern subtropical zone, Jiaxing falls in the East Asian monsoon region with alternating winter and summer monsoons, four distinct seasons, moderate temperatures, abundant rain, and sufficient sunshine. The hot and rainy weather in summer is much shorter than the dry and cold weather in winter. The annual average temperature is 15.9 degrees Celsius. The annual average precipitation is 1168.6 mm. The average annual sunshine is 2017.0 hours.
POPULATION
At the end of 2016, Jiaxing city’s registered population was 3.521 million, an increase of 26,400 over the end of the previous year. The birth rate of the registered population in the city is 9.80%, the mortality rate is 6.50%, and the natural growth rate is 3.30%.
Jiaxing transportation
Although there is no operational subway in Jiaxing (May 2019), there are so many buses connecting different parts of the city. The bus fares are about RMB 1-2. You can, of course, find taxis virtually everywhere in Jiaxing.
Birthplace of Chinese Communist Party
Jiaxing is also famous for being the birthplace of the Chinese Communist Party. The city has become an important landmark to commemorate the revolution in modern Chinese history. The scenic attraction to look for in Jiaxing is the Revolutionary Memorial Hall (南湖革命纪念馆, Nánhú gémìng jìniànguǎn). This is the place where the birth of the communist party was declared in the early 1920s. Free entry. ID required.
Jiaxing cuisine
Although Jiaxing is only a small corner of Zhejiang, the food and beverage over here are very distinct ones. The most commendable Jiaxing dish is arguably the fresh meat dumplings locally known as Zhong Zi (粽子, Zòngzi). It is made of rice, pork, peanuts, or red beans and taste very delicious. It could have both salty and sweet flavors. Zhong Zi is really-really very famous in China and you must try it when travelling to Jiaxing.
Top things to do in Jiaxing
Jiaxing’s natural scenery is a well-known for its lakes. It is an excellent tourist and a national garden city in China. There are so many famous tourist sites in Jiaxing. In particular, you should visit the 5A and 4A level tourist attractions. The famous Jiaxing travel attractions include three AAAAA-level scenic spots: Nanhu (South Lake), Wuzhen and Xitang.
Famous scenic spots such as Lakes, Liyuan, Yuehe Historic District, Meihuazhou, Jiulongshan, Donghu, Moshi Manor, Mao Dun’s Former Residence, Xu Zhimo’s Former Residence, etc., constitute the characteristics of typical Jiangnan Water Villages.
National 5A level tourist attractions
- South lake (南湖, Nán Hú, Baidu: 嘉兴市南湖旅游区壕股塔院 )
- Pavilion of Mist and Rain (煙雨樓, Yanyu Lou)
- Xiaoyingzhou Island (小瀛洲, Xiǎoyíng zhōu)
- Haogu Pagoda/Shrine to Wu Zixu (壕股塔院/伍相祠, Háo gǔ tǎ yuàn/wǔ xiāng cí)
- Wuzhen Scenic Area (乌镇风景区)
- Xitang Ancient Town Scenic Area (西塘古镇景区)
Wuzhen scenic area
If you are travelling to Jiaxing, Wuzhen certainly deserves to be included in your list of top things to do in Jiaxing. The Wuzhen scenic area is broadly divided into two parts:
- Eastern Quarter (东栅, Dōng zhà)
- Western Quarter (西栅, Xī zhà)
Wuzhen is located a bit far from the city center. However, you can get into the local buses (depending on your location in the city) from Jiaxing downtown and you’ll need to transfer in the middle along the way (ask the driver or fellow passengers). The entrance ticket to Wuzhen is slightly expensive: RMB 150.
National 4A level tourist attractions
- Yan Guan (Yan Guan Guan Chao Scenic Area)
- North and South Lake
- Xiangjiadang Lake Scenic Area
- Meihuazhou
- Haining China Leather City
- Biyun Garden
- Shili Water Township Scenic Area
- Yunxiao Bay Hot Spring Scenic Area
- Ge Feiyu Chocolate Town
The Museum of Zongzi Culture (粽子博物馆) is also worth visiting. However, it’s quite far from Jiaxing’s city center.
Meiwan Street
Plum Blossom Bay Street, locally known as the Meiwan Street (梅灣街,) is a shopping street in Jiaxing. There are quite a few food stalls here (slightly expensive though). Along the Meiwan Street, there are many scenic spots worth exploring. In particular, look for the following travel attractions:
- Former residence of Chu Fucheng (褚辅成史料陈列室), an early 20th century Chinese politician;
- Xu Yi Gu Hall (诒谷堂), a former rice merchant;
- Former residence of Wang Huzhen (汪胡桢故居): currently under renovation;
- Former residence of Zhu Shenghao (朱生豪故居), poet and translator of works of William Shakespeare into Chinese language;
- Qingfen Hall (清芬堂), a family memorial hall belonging to the prominent Qian family of Jiaxing;
- Former residence of Shen Junru (沈钧儒纪念馆), politician of the mid-20th century.
Yuehe Street
This is another shopping area in Jiaxing (Baidu: 月河街, Moon River Street). The Yuehe Historic District is one of the most complete and largest areas in the urban area of Jiaxing City. It reflects the residential and cultural characteristics of the Jiangnan water town.
Jiaxing Universities
I also stopped by some local universities and interacted with the students. If you have time, you may consider visiting the following universities in Jiaxing:
- Jiaxing College Nanhu College (嘉兴学院南湖学院)
- Jiaxing College (Lianglin Campus) (嘉兴学院(梁林校区))
- Jiaxing Vocational and Technical College (嘉兴职业技术学院)
Jiaxing nightlife
The nightlife scene in Jiaxing is quite okay. There are plenty of restaurants and bars. You should go to Meiwan Street and Yuehe Street, you wouldn’t be disappointed. Jiangnan Mall (江南摩尔) and Vincent Abbey (文生修道院) are also worth checking out.
In summary, travelling to Jiaxing was a nice experience. In fact, Jiaxing was on my wish list for a long time and I am more than glad to have made it! If you are travelling to eastern China, it’s worthwhile to spend at least a couple of days appreciating Jiaxing’s beauty. Having a basic knowledge of Mandarin would help a lot.
Have you been to Jiaxing? How was it?
That’s all in this post about traveling and top thing to do in Jiaxing. If you have any question about traveling, living or working in China, do let me know in the comments! Feel free to post in our forum so that others could also contribute and learn. For regular updates like us on Facebook, or follow on Twitter!
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Happy exploring Zhejiang province and elsewhere in China!
Cheers!
Last updated: Tuesday, October 29, 2019