14 Days in Changzhou

The temple quarter dates to the Tang 630s and carries the 153.79-metre Tianning Pagoda finished in 2007; Hongmei Park next door keeps the 48-metre Wenbi Pagoda, first raised in the Southern Dynasties 480s.

1. changzhou tianning temple
2. changzhou hongmei park

Canal-side Qingguo Lane, where Zhou Youguang (born here in 1906) grew up, pairs with the restored Qianhou Bei'an houses north of the pond gardens; both are short walks from the metro.

1. changzhou qingguo lane
2. changzhou qianhou beian

Su Dongpo died here in 1101 and Dongpo Park marks his riverside mooring; downstream, the Canal No.5 quarter recycles a 1930s textile mill into galleries and cafes along the Grand Canal.

1. changzhou dongpo park
2. changzhou canal no5

The park opened in 2000 around a dinosaur museum; ride the headliners before 11am, read the fossil hall at midday, and keep the water rides for the warmest hours.

1. changzhou dinosaur park

Yancheng preserves a triple-walled, triple-moated city of about 2,700 years ago; the adjacent theme park stages the Spring-Autumn era with shows and craft corners, an easy half-day each.

1. changzhou yancheng ruins
2. changzhou yancheng spring autumn park

The museum holds Yancheng's dugout canoe and lacquer finds; after dark, the food streets around Nandajie serve silver-thread noodles, sesame cakes and the local crab soup dumplings.

1. changzhou museum
2. changzhou city markets

An 80-km run south (1.5 hours by car) to the lake backed by hills; a boat loop, the lakeshore walk and a casserole fish-head lunch fill the day — overnight in Liyang.

1. changzhou tianmu lake

Roughly 23 square kilometres of bamboo climb the Nanshan valley; the ground cable car saves the climb, and the panda house near the top is a small detour most visitors make.

1. changzhou nanshan bamboo sea

A morning loop by car or e-bike on the No.1 Country Road, a 365-km network of signed back lanes past tea farms and reservoirs, then an afternoon soak at the bamboo-side hot spring.

1. changzhou yushui hot spring

The Maoshan ridge in Jintan carries hilltop temples and long views over the Ningzhen plain; a half-day up top with a local lunch in the village below, then back toward the city.

1. changzhou maoshan

The Oriental Salt Lake resort (opened 2016) reworks the region's salt-boiling history into a village of pools, shows and craft corners; slow mornings suit it, and the evening light over the water is the calmest hour.

1. changzhou dongfang yanhu city

The anime-themed Joyland park opened in 2011 on the shore of Taihu Lake; indoor halls cover the hot midday, and the lakeside esplanade makes the evening walk.

1. changzhou joyland

An honestly labelled neighbouring-city day — trains take 25-30 minutes to Wuxi, where the Yuantouzhu headland juts into Taihu Lake; the cherry avenue peaks in late March and early April.

1. changzhou wuxi yuantouzhu

The second honest neighbour day — an hour by rail north, Nanjing offers the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum's long stairway on Purple Mountain and the Confucius Temple quarter along the Qinhuai river; evening trains return to Changzhou or connect onward.

1. changzhou nanjing zhongshanling
2. changzhou nanjing fuzimiao