It is indeed difficult to find a quiet ancient town in Suzhou to stay for a few days during the holidays.

There are so many people everywhere that I no longer feel like I am on vacation.

I recommend you a niche and quiet ancient town in the south of the Yangtze River: Lili.

Maybe you have never heard of this place name before.

The ancient towns are all similar, with white walls and black tiles, small bridges and flowing water.

But Lili is the most lively ancient town I have ever seen, and there are many local specialties.

As a foodie, I personally think it’s worth a trip to Lili just for these delicacies.

There are too many famous ancient towns in Jiangnan.

The location of Lili Ancient Town in Suzhou is to the east is Zhujiajiao, Shanghai, to the south is Xitang, Zhejiang, to the west is Nanxun and Wuzhen, Zhejiang, and to the north is Wujiang Tongli, Wuzhong Luzhi, Kunshan Zhouzhuang, Jinxi... And Lili is like Jiji.

I met a hermit who lived here as a hermit, hiding in a boudoir unknown to anyone.

Because I liked it, I stayed in Lili Ancient Town for five days and four nights, and searched all kinds of delicacies in the ancient town.

There are many special snacks in the ancient town: sausages, fried dumplings, spicy chicken feet, tiger beans, crabapple cakes... In this article, I will share the most worthy shops in the ancient town.

When it comes to Lili food, Lili spicy chicken feet definitely ranks first.

There are small shops selling spicy chicken feet everywhere in the ancient town. Many people take them away. At 30 yuan a pound, they are not expensive.

In fact, the taste of Lili spicy chicken feet in every store is different and each has its own merits.

The more famous spicy chicken feet restaurants include Wangji Spicy Chicken Feet and Sua Da Spicy Chicken Feet.

If you walk into any restaurant in Lili, you can order spicy chicken feet.

This is the spicy chicken feet from Lichuan Private Restaurant, which I personally like the best.

The spicy chicken feet are not spicy and have a lot of sweet and sour taste.

The one that is unanimously praised by friends is the spicy chicken feet at Tangqiao Hotel in the ancient town.

It's right next to a bridge, which feels very nice.

It’s difficult to rank which restaurant has the best spicy chicken feet in Lili, because everyone’s tastes and preferences are different.

You’ll only know if you eat it yourself.

People who love food love this stuffed sausage, but people who don't like it can't even take a bite.

The most famous sausage shop in Lili Ancient Town is this one: Laojie Sausage.

The set of intestines is sold by the pound, 135 yuan/jin.

However, most people in the ancient town only eat a bowl of sausage noodles, which costs 28 yuan a bowl.

Lili Old Street Sausage is a real large intestine wrapped in small intestine. It has been a famous dish in Lili as early as the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties and has a history of more than 300 years.

This is a husband and wife shop, and the proprietress is very simple and enthusiastic.

There are eight small intestines stuffed into one large intestine. Looking at the making process of the intestines, it really tastes strong.

Clean the large and small intestines, use onion, ginger, yellow wine, etc. to remove the fishy smell, and cook them for 2-3 hours until they become white and tender.

From the cut section of this set of intestines, you can clearly see the small intestines inside.

The sauce on the sausage is secretly made. After a few bites, it is very chewy and has an indescribable texture. Try it for yourself.

This shop sells both crabapple cakes and plum blossom cakes. The boss said that the materials are the same, but the utensils are different. One is in the shape of crabapple and the other is in the shape of plum blossoms.

The crabapple cakes, which cost three yuan each, are filled with red bean paste. The most important thing is to put a piece of lard inside to give it a unique aroma.

Sprinkle melon seeds and sesame seeds on the surface. There are seven in one pot. The preparation time is about 5 minutes. It is best to make it now and eat it now.

The final step is to bake the caramel, where the sugar is heated and charred on the surface, making it fragrant.

When you come to Lili Ancient Town, you must eat one of Youdun.

Youdun, which costs five yuan a piece, can be found all over the streets of Lili Ancient Town.

The more famous one is Fengji Youdun, but this Lujia Youdun is a local time-honored brand.

The plaque reads: Emperor Qianlong bestowed upon you Dun the name of this century-old store.

Now 50-year-old Lu Xiongwei, three generations of his family have made a living by selling oil dumplings. This is him and his father.

Two men are busy in the store every day, selling small oil dumplings one by one through hard work.

Boss Lu said that during holidays, he can sell 4,000-5,000 oil piers a day, and 500-600 oil piers a day on normal days.

I secretly calculated that if I sell 600 oil dumplings a day for 5 yuan each, my daily turnover will be 3,000 yuan, which is more than 1 million yuan a year!

A small shop that is really impressive.

The store also sells green dumplings, small wontons, malt pancakes and the like.

The oil used for frying the fried dumplings is rapeseed oil, which has a unique aroma.

The bean paste filling in the oil dumplings is made by themselves and contains sweet-scented osmanthus.

It's really delicious, but the dough is too big and the fillings inside are very filling.

Eat just one and you'll be full.

In addition, in Lili Ancient Town, there are many time-honored brands such as Luji Meat Wonton.

Lili Ancient Town is very suitable for shopping and eating.

When you are tired of shopping, find a tea room or coffee shop and sit there all afternoon.

To my surprise, even though it was the National Day holiday, there were not many tourists here during the day, only in twos and threes.