Mingyuewan Village
Located at Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, Mingyuewan Village got its name because King Fuchai, the last king of the ancient state of Wu, and Xishi, one of the Four Great Beauties of ancient China, had admired the moon here. People here are mostly surnamed Deng, Qin, Huang or Wu, as descendants of the nobility of the Southern Song Dynasty. The two main streets running east to west and the many lateral lanes that cross them resemble a chessboard (qipan), leading to the name "Qipan streets." The village has well-preserved houses that were built during the Qianlong emperor's reign of the Qing Dynasty and contain delicate brick carvings, stone carvings, wood carvings and Su-style color paintings.
Most worth visiting: Huameiquan, ancestral halls Admission: 50 yuan How to get there: 1. Take No. 91 bus to Xishan at west of Suzhou Railway Station, 4 yuan, 2 hours’ drive; 2. Take No. 58, 69 bus to Shigongshan stop at Wuzhong South Station, 5 yuan, and walk 1 kilometer west along the lakeside tour road. Tips: 1. During the drive to the village, you will pass by the Great Taihu Lake Bridge, the longest bridge on lake in China. Don’t miss the wonderful landscape in your journey; 2. Farmhouses available in the village, price varying from 70 to 80 yuan, with each having an excellent Taihu Lake view.