We all know that China is a big country – a massive landmass with loads of cultural heritage. There are so many beautiful cities that it’d take years to cover all important places (or even just the UNESCO sites in China). I came to China 3 times just for travelling and fascinated by the Chinese culture, I finally decided to move to China and settled down in Suzhou. Now it’s already been a couple of years exploring the mainland. In April 2018, I visited Nantong and Taizhou City (both in Jiangsu). I have already written a Nantong travel review.
This post is dedicated to share my memories of Taizhou – another city in Jiangsu province of China. At the beginning of this article, I’ll share some of the key observations about the city. Subsequently, I’ll further elaborate about the top things to do in Taizhou.
Keep in mind that while travelling in China, if you can pay your bills using Alipay or WeChat, and use the Baidu Map, then you’ll have a much better experience of exploring the country. If you are worried about language problems in China, do check out my free lessons to learn Mandarin Chinese fast.
Related articles – you can also check out my travel reviews for Nanjing, Hefei, and Changzhou.
Geographic location of Taizhou
Taizhou City is located in the eastern part of China. The city is geographically very close to Nanjing, Shanghai, Wuxi, Suzhou, etc. As such, if you are planning a trip to eastern China, it makes sense to include Taizhou in your itinerary.
Taizhou Weather
The weather conditions in Taizhou in April was quite nice. Neither too hot, not too cold either. There were occasional rains that ensured proper cleanliness across the city. The wet flora and fauna further enriched my Taizhou travelling experience.
Nantong to Taizhou
Well, there is no direct train from Nantong to Taizhou – you’ll need to transfer in Nanjing and that wasn’t the best way for me to get to Taizhou from Nantong. I took a bus from Nantong to Taizhou. So, if you are planning a trip to Taizhou, make sure to check the bus schedule in advance on Baidu Map.
The bus journey was highly scenic. I took a lot of pics from the moving bus. Here is one photo of China’s countryside-
For the details regarding my Chinese bus trip, please refer to another blog-post- Chinese Intercity Bus Travel Guide.
Taxi driver fooled me
I hired a taxi to my hotel from the Taizhou bus station. The taxi driver didn’t follow the optimal path. He rather opted for a long route despite me clearly showing him directions on Baidu map. This was quite unusual as I didn’t have such experience before. Anyways, the total taxi bill was RMB 16 for what could have been RMB 10 otherwise. 🙂
I was asked to leave hotel
After getting down from the fake taxi, I checked into my hotel – everything looked normal initially. After putting my stuff in the room, I came out for lunch. By the time I finished lunch, it started drizzling. I returned back to my room to bring an umbrella along.
To my surprise, the receptionists looked waiting for me. They told me something in Chinese which I didn’t understand. Later, I realized that I was asked to leave the place as foreigners were not allowed to stay in the Hotel. I had similar experience in Shanghai. Although the money was refunded in full, it was again a frustrating experience. I booked a new accommodation while standing on the road side.
A beautiful city
The scenery in Taizhou is full of natural green cover. There are beautiful parks, lakes, fountains, lovely playgrounds, etc. The city is much cleaner and developed than some of the provincial capital cities in China, such Hefei. As such, if you like scenery, Taizhou would never fail to amaze you.
Taizhou City bus stations
Well, there are so many bus stops in Taizhou and they look really cool. The design of the bus stations has been simple yet unique. Here is a photo for your reference-
Taizhou city travel attractions and Top things to do
Alright, now I’m going to share with you some of the best places to visit in Taizhou! I’d list down the pinyin and Mandarin Chinese characters so that you can easily find the travel attractions using the Baidu Map.
Taizhou People’s Park
Well, I think Taizhou is city in the garden – there are so many parks. I visited the People’s Park (泰州人民公园, Tàizhōu rénmín gōngyuán) in the morning. As I walked to the park, I saw a group of hardworking Chinese women doing their regular job-
After I reached the park, I just sat down and took so many pics. The scenic views were absolutely outstanding. You can cover the park in one hour with a slow walk. Free entry.
Wanghai Tower
Indeed, this is a tall pagoda (望海 楼, Wànghǎi lóu) located in a beautiful scenic garden. The Wanghai Tower is situated midway in the garden. There are inscriptions of Chinese calligraphy in the pagoda. You can go inside the tower and check out the views of Fengcheng river that looks very serene. RMB 40 (discounts available).
Gugangxiao Temple
The ancient Buddhist temple (and monastery) is located directly in the downtown Taizhou (Baidu- 古光孝寺, Gǔguāngxiào sì). It’s just a few minutes walking distance from the Tai Mountain Park. A good place to spend around half an hour. During my visit, it was raining and the temple premises looked great. Not at all crowded. RMB 20 (no discounts).
Taizhou Museum
Well, if you like the Chinese history, you’d love it over here – the museum is very interesting (Baidu- 泰州市博物馆, Tàizhōu shì bówùguǎn). There is a good collection of the remains from the Ming Dynasty. The two floors of the museum are now open for public.
In the second floor’s exhibition, there are two tombs now available for public display. These tombs belong to the officials of the Ming dynasty. The tombs are nearly 500 years old, but they are well preserved and have been recently moved to the museum after excavation. Unfortunately, taking photo of the tombs was not allowed. In fact, a security woman always followed me on the 2nd floor and ensured that I wasn’t taking any pics. Free entry.
Fengchenghe scenic spot
This is a huge scenic area (Baidu – 泰州凤城河景区, Tàizhōu fèng chéng hé jǐngqū). Entry to some scenic areas are allowed for free, and in some areas, you may need tickets. Carry a good camera.
Tai Mountain park
This was the first park (泰山公园, Tàishān gōngyuán) that I visited in Taizhou. It was raining and I didn’t have an umbrella. Fortunately, I met a Chinese girl who kindly gifted me her umbrella, and I survived the park visit. I emphasize that a visit to this park is virtually a must if you are travelling to Taizhou. You can easily spend one or two hours wandering in the park. Free entry.
Liuyuan Garden
The Liuyuan garden (Baidu Map- 泰州柳园, Tàizhōu liǔ yuán) is part of the Fengchenghe scenic spot. There are so many nearby parks, such as Liu Jingting Park (柳敬亭公园, Liǔjìngtíng gōngyuán), worth stopping by. The Liuyuan Garden lies at the end of the scenic area.
Taizhou Old street
The Old Street (老街, Lǎo jiē) is a good place to eat authentic Chinese food – the prices are not that cheap, but the variety is great. In fact, this a historic food street in Taizhou. The area has a distinctive charm and walking here brings you the much-needed nostalgic feelings. The night view of the street is amazing and worth checking out. I also saw lots of Caucasian folks wandering in the street with their loved ones.
Taoyuan Scenic Area
A trip to the Old Street can be combined with a visit to the Taoyuan Scenic Area (桃园景区, Táoyuán jǐngqū). The Taoyuan garden, located right behind the Old Street, is very beautiful and has a rich collection of plants. RMB 30. I will show you a few pictures from the garden, here is the view at the garden’s entrance-
If you walk a bit in the Taoyuan garden, and here is what you’ll see a few hundred meters away from the entrance-
The park has a couple of simple walking tracks – sometime you have to walk up and sometimes down. There is a lake just inside the park. Let me show you a view from my uphill climb-
Mei Lanfang Park
The Mei Lanfang Park (Baidu Map -梅兰芳公园, Méi lán fāng gōngyuán) is very close to the Old Street and Taoyuan Scenic Area. If you are coming from the Old Street side, you’ll need to cross the main road to get to the Mei Lanfang Park. As I mentioned before, Taizhou has so many parks. But be informed that each park is unique and its recommended to visit as many of them as your travel schedule permits.
Taizhou Tiande Lake Park
The Tiande Lake Park (泰州市天德湖公园, Tàizhōu shì tiān dé hú gōngyuán) was built in 2009. It’s a huge, very scenic and a must visit Taizhou attraction. There is also a museum in the park where you can see artefacts collected from different parts of China. Entry to both the museum and park is free.
You can spend nearly half day in the park. It’s a great place to relax or do a picnic. The park is little away from Taizhou city center, but you can get a bus, then transfer midway (depending on where you are coming from) to get to the Tiande Lake Park.
Pozi Street Commercial Center
If you are into shopping, then welcome to the Pozi Street. It’s a great place to eat Taizhou local snacks and street food. There are lots of food stalls and the prices are usually inexpensive.
There is also a large scenic area just beside the Pozi Street. The night view is very beautiful. It’s great to be here in April as the weather conditions are more favorable.
Wanda Plaza
This is a typical shopping mall with so many restaurants and shopping outlets. The plaza is very famous among the locals. I had pear juice here for RMB 10.
Taizhou city night life
Well, Taizhou nightlife is more about eating and wandering around the scenic spots. A visit to the Pozi Street area is a must do at night. The night cruises are available to enjoy a scenic boat ride in Taizhou.
The massage and spas are also widely available in Taizhou. But they looked quite expensive to me. For example, in one of the message parlor, it was RMB 280 for one hour and RMB 150 for a 30-minute-long massage. I didn’t try as it looked too expensive to me compared to what I have seen in Suzhou. Moreover, Taizhou massage parlors are for relaxing, nothing like happy ending massage or anything of that type (I wasn’t looking for a happy ending and wasn’t offered). 🙂
Related post – MeiMei Dance Hall – Suzhou.
In summary, although there were some initial hiccups, my Taizhou trip was overall nice, and would love to get back again. If you like scenery, Chinese food, gardens, museums, etc., I believe Taizhou would be a great place to spend a couple of days.
That’s all in this post!
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Happy travelling in Taizhou, China.
Cheers!
Last updated: Monday, May 28, 2018