Shantang Street is located in the northwest corner of Suzhou Ancient City and is named after Shantang River. It starts from the Duseng Bridge northwest of the ancient Changmen in the east and ends at the Xishan Temple Bridge at the southwest foot of Huqiu in the west. The total length is 3,600 meters (note), which is about 7 miles, so it is called "Qili Shantang to Huqiu". Nowadays, most tourists I only know "Qili Mountain Pond", but I don't know that it can reach Tiger Hill. What is usually visited is the approximately 560-meter street between Duseng Bridge and Xinmin Bridge. The pictures and texts in this article mainly introduce this section.

When Bai Juyi was appointed governor of Suzhou, he dredged the river outside Suzhou City and excavated it into Shantang River. The street built next to the river is therefore called Shantang Street. Most of the ancient buildings along the street were built in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China.

The main attractions on Shantang Street include the ancient Tonggui Bridge, the ancient stage, Yuhan Hall, Suzhou Chamber of Commerce Museum, etc. Tickets are not required to visit Shantang Street. The latter two attractions need to be purchased. pass.

In addition to the ancient stage, many buildings on Shantang Street were relocated from other places or newly built, such as Tingzhou Guild Hall, the archway at the entrance of Shantang Street, the gate tower of Shandong Guild Hall, and Baigong Temple, which have been restored. "Seven Raccoons" stone sculptures, Pufu Zen Temple, Bei Family Ancestral Hall, etc.

There are few tourists on Shantang Street in the early morning, a typical picture of a Jiangnan water town. Around evening time, tourists come and go and the place is bustling with people, which makes it even more lively with the night lights. Night tour of Shantang has become one of the choices of many foreign tourists.

As far as names are concerned, there are two Shantang Streets in Suzhou. One is "Qili Shantang to Tiger Hill" described in this article, and the other is Shantang Street on the bank of Xiangxi River in Mudu Ancient Town.

Note: According to Baidu map, the walking length from Monk Bridge to Xishan Temple Bridge is about 3.2 kilometers