Moving slightly away from our philosophy of going off the beaten path, we offer you this introduction to Mudu’s Old Town. It’s a miniature version of what Suzhou may have looked like 200 years. It’s not the busiest of places but a tour group is never far away. It’s accessible by the same busses that serve the Lingyan Mountain site (Bus Nos. 511 and 2) so you can get a good look at both of these places in a single day. Entrance to the town is free but various gardens, temples, and homes do require a ticket. You can buy them individually or get an all-inclusive one for 60 RMB.
The Old Town also has some clean hotels with Internet access nearby so you can make a weekend of it. Within the town, you have lots of choices about what to see and do. Our favorite place was Gusong Garden. It’s the most isolated. We sat in the shade of a massive old pine tree and admired the labyrinthine rock garden and hundreds of blooming flowers. After a short nap we strolled down the canal and got some food. There are dozens of stalls selling all kinds of snacks and gifts. The snacks are cheap. The gifts are not but definitely check out the stone teapots, they are incredibly beautiful and look just like wood. Just don’t drop it.
Don’t be surprised if you end up bumping into a film crew, especially in Yanjia Garden. The garden and the town in general are frequently used to film those TV period pieces, operas and movies. You never know. You might even be asked to be in one. It’s been known to happen. The far end of the old town has an open-air market and you can buy almost anything there. There is also a nearby street that serve’s as the main market in Suzhou for selling fresh water pearls. You’ll definitely get a better price than you would downtown.
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