Changxing

The story: Guzhu Mountain is where Lu Yu — the 'Tea Sage' who wrote The Classic of Tea, the world's first tea treatise — discovered Zisun tea over 1,200 years ago and recommended it to the Tang emperor. The terraced slopes still produce this prized purple-shoot tea, and you can walk the same fields, pick leaves in season, watch the pan-firing, and taste tea brewed with water from the nearby Jinsha Spring.

Why it's a must-see: It's the most authentic tea-culture immersion in China: the actual birthplace of imperial tea, with the terraces cascading toward distant Taihu Lake. In spring you can pick your own leaves and have them roasted on the spot — a hands-on connection to a 1,200-year-old tradition.

💡 Kat's tip: Visit late March to mid-April for the pre-Qingming harvest. Book a tea-picking experience through a farmhouse in Guzhu village in advance (~50–80 RMB per person). Wear sensible shoes — the terraces are steep.

The story: Dubbed the 'Oriental Amazon' by Chinese National Geographic, this wetland park spans 2,500 hectares of water forests, reed marshes and lotus ponds. A raised boardwalk threads through a flooded forest of dawn redwoods, where the rare reed parrotbill — nicknamed the 'panda of birds' — has been recorded, alongside egrets, wild ducks and mandarin ducks.

Why it's a must-see: It's a rare chance to explore a flooded forest by boat in eastern China — drifting between tree trunks rising from still water, with lotus blooms in summer and mist in the morning. Quiet, beautiful, and almost completely unknown to foreign visitors.

💡 Kat's tip: Combine the boat tour with the boardwalk walk — they show completely different sides of the wetland. Best light for photos is 8–10am when mist still hangs over the water.

The story: Built in 770 AD by order of Emperor Daizong, this was China's first imperial tea factory — at its peak staffed by over 1,000 craftsmen who produced Zisun tea rushed by fast horse to the Tang capital (modern Xi'an) in time for the Qingming festival. The current complex is a meticulous reconstruction of the Tang-style compound, with tea-making exhibits, a Lu Yu pavilion and authentic Tang-era cliff inscriptions behind it.

Why it's a must-see: This is ground zero for Chinese tea history — no other site in China connects you so directly to the Tang dynasty and to Lu Yu, who wrote The Classic of Tea while living on this very mountain. For anyone who loves tea, it's a pilgrimage.

💡 Kat's tip: Entry 60 RMB; budget 2 hours. Don't miss the cliff inscriptions (moya shike) on the trail behind the complex — they're genuine Tang and Song carvings. The teahouse on site serves fresh Zisun tea with the view.

The story: This 12.5-km valley in Xiaopu town holds over 30,000 ginkgo trees, including a 1,300-year-old 'Ginkgo King' and an 1,800-year-old 'Ginkgo Queen', threading through ancient villages and a Buddhist temple. A glass-bottom skybridge offers a panoramic view of the golden canopy.

Why it's a must-see: When the ginkgoes turn in November, this becomes one of the most photographed landscapes in eastern China — a 12-kilometer tunnel of yellow that rivals Kyoto's autumn temples, with a tiny fraction of the tourists. It's the single best reason to time your trip to autumn.

💡 Kat's tip: Peak color is mid-to-late November. Take the sightseeing mini-train (included in the 80 RMB ticket) to cover the length, then walk back through your favorite section. Stay overnight in a village minsu to see the corridor empty at dawn.

The story: Opened in stages from 2018, this 23-billion-RMB resort on Taihu Lake's southern shore bills itself as the world's largest comprehensive tourism complex: an animal world with 200+ species, a water park, an indoor snow world, a circus, and a recreated Tang-style 'ancient town' with nightly light shows and fireworks.

Why it's a must-see: Even if theme parks aren't your thing, the free nightly water-and-light show on the lakefront is the best free evening entertainment in the region. And it's the closest you'll get to luxury accommodation with a Taihu Lake view.

💡 Kat's tip: The light show starts around 8:20pm and is free to watch from the lakefront. With kids, the animal world (100 RMB) is excellent value. Avoid summer weekends unless you like crowds.