Since the beginning, we’ve been givin’ you the skinny on hotspots around town. Unfortunately, most of these places charge an admission, so we’ve decided to bring you something free. The Pingjiang Lodge. This place is dead in the center of town: a five minute walk to Guanqian street and the surrounding shopping centers; within five minutes of the Humble Administrator’s Garden; and about ten minutes to the SIP by taxi. You don’t have a reason not to go.
During the Ming dynasty, the Lodge served as a family mansion to the Fang family. The building has gone through various incarnations since it left the possession of the Fang family, and it now serves as a four-star hotel. We know what you’re thinking, “Why do I want to go bum around a hotel?” Trust us, you do. Across the street you’ll find the ultra modern in Archi Café. Here you’ll find a taste of the ultra classical. The mansion is absolutely vast, and it maintains the Suzhou tradition of cloistered gardens, wooden pillars, tiled roofs and exquisite calligraphy and painting. Wander around the inside and you’ll find cultural relics that date back more than four hundred years. You’ll also find things that are slightly newer. During the Cultural Revolution, many of China’s historical spots were demolished to pave way for the future. The caretakers of the Pingjiang Lodge came up with a clever solution: they covered many of the walls in the quotations of Mao Zedong. This ensured the building’s safety.
The Pingjiang Lodge welcomes visitors to stroll around the hotel’s public halls and gardens, but you’ll definitely want to get a look at some of the rooms. They remain in almost the same condition as they were in four hundred years ago (well, with the exception of televisions, air conditioning and broadband internet). Wooden bath tubs, porcelain basins and fine art adorn almost every room. Just walk in and tell the front desk that you have family coming to visit and you want to see some of their better rooms. It’s as easy as that.
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