Discovering One of China's Hidden Gems

While China’s two largest cities, Beijing and Shanghai, garner most of the attention for tourism and trade in the Mainland, a little known city geographically set between the two, remains virtually unknown to the outside world.  Wuxi is found in the Jiangsu Province on the southeast coast and is among the oldest cities in China with origins dating back to the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220).  Wuxi is not Shanghai or Beijing in terms of size, but in terms of ambition and growth, it holds its own.  Take one look at the skyline from a distance and it’s awe-inspiring… and yet you’re only minutes from the serenity of Lake Taihu, one of Wuxi’s natural wonders.

Wuxi is situated conveniently between Beijing to the North and Shanghai to the south, only ninety minutes by train to Shanghai, or a slightly longer flight to the capitol.  Flights from Beijing cost approximately $100, tax included, while the train ride into the sizable southern port might reach ten dollars.  Wuxi is a dynamic city that combines a natural landscape and age-old culture with plenty of urban attractions–the best of both worlds in a place that’s about a third smaller than Shanghai and roughly two-thirds less populated.

Upon arriving at Wuxi’s tiny airport, there are a number of waiting taxis and a community bus that for ten Yuan, a buck and a quarter, ferries passengers 15 minutes into City Center. Once there, taxis are available in abundance and can get you to most anyplace within city limits for ten to 20 Yuan.  But it helps to have either a working knowledge of Chinese or printed document for your destination since most drivers don’t speak English.

Once inside, you are met with endless angles of big city life on a miniature scale that’s far more digestible, dare I suggest, inhalable, than its overcrowded brethren to the North and South.  Fabulous indoor shopping malls and charming boutique shops line the street along the renowned Zhongshan Road, Wuxi’s equivalent to Main Street, where as far as the eye can see, there’s everything from quaint village centers, fine dining, upscale hotels, high-rises, and local merchants peddling everything from beverages to skewered beef. 

At night, the city glistens with sparkling lights while the streets almost magically clear the way to unexpected calm.  Things are, of course, slower to develop in terms of foreign investment and tourism here, and English speaking, outside of the hotels, is not a foregone conclusion.  There is, however, the occasional McDonalds and KFC to be spotted, along with an occasional “Western" style restaurant, not to mention the Pizza Huts with the 6pm dinner lines beyond the door. 

Full meals at splendidly decorated traditional Chinese restaurants with welcoming hostesses to feed a family of four may cost as little as $30 or $40, but don’t expect the atypically “Americanized" versions, nor is tipping the norm.  A  relaxing hour-plus full body massage and cool down facilities, full with cinematic-style entertainment, may reach as little as $50.  For its relative quaintness and value, Wuxi is a pleasant and affordable surprise for travelers that’s worth at least a weekend visit.