Guanqian Street
Suzhou's premier century-old shopping street (Xuanmiao Temple — the Southern Song Sanqing Hall, largest wooden structure in Jiangnan), time-honored brands Caizhizhai / Huangtianyuan / Lugaojian
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- Open all day
- Ticket
- Free
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
A century-old commercial street forming Suzhou's premier shopping district; the 'Guan' in the street's name is Xuanmiao Temple at its heart — the Sanqing Hall rebuilt during the Southern Song Chunxi era is the largest surviving Song-dynasty wooden structure in Jiangnan, and the sight of a shopping street and a thousand-year-old Taoist temple coexisting side by side is rare in China. Time-honored brands stand in a row — Caizhizhai's Suzhou-style candies, Huangtianyuan's rice pastries, Lugaojian's braised meats — with pine-nut candy, rose melon seeds and dingsheng cake preserving the festive flavors of Suzhou people's memory; when the neon lights come on at dusk the crowds pour in, and Pingjiang Road is only one street away. The right way to do Guanqian Street is 'see the hall by day, stroll the street by night, snack on sweets anytime'; admission to Xuanmiao Temple is charged separately but worth going inside for.
Getting there: Metro Line 4, Chayuanchang Station
Photos
More in Suzhou
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