Shantang Street

Background

Shantang Street is also called 'Seven-Li Shantang'. It runs from Dusheng Bridge on the ancient canal outside Changmen Gate in the east to the foot of Tiger Hill in the west, about 3.8 km long, roughly seven li. In 825 during the Tang dynasty, the poet Bai Juyi was transferred from Hangzhou to become prefect of Suzhou; to ease water and land transport between the city and Tiger Hill, he oversaw the digging of the Shantang River, and the excavated earth was piled into an embankment on the north bank, later called the 'Bai Gong Embankment'—the road on it is Shantang Street. In the Ming and Qing dynasties it was packed with shops and called 'the foremost street of Gusu'; during his southern inspection tour in 1762, Emperor Qianlong inscribed 'Seeking Scenic Spots in Shantang', and the imperial stele pavilion still stands; he also had a 'Suzhou Street' built in imitation by the Back Lake of the Summer Palace in Beijing. In 1860 the commercial district around Changmen was burned in war and later gradually rebuilt. The Shantang River has many old bridges, described as 'scattered every which way'. In 2015 Shantang Street and Pingjiang Road were together listed as Chinese Historic and Cultural Districts.

Local customs

• The eastern section of Shantang Street near Changmen Gate is lined with shops, teahouses and pingtan halls
• at night red lanterns are hung, and many people take a scull boat from around Shantang Bridge for a night cruise. The western section near Tiger Hill is much quieter and preserves more residential houses. Suzhou people have a saying, 'To visit Suzhou without touring Tiger Hill is a pity', and Shantang Street was once the waterway by which visitors traveled to Tiger Hill by boat.

Religion & beliefs

• Along Shantang Street are temples, guild halls and former ancestral halls, and its western end connects to the Yunyan Pagoda on Tiger Hill (historically part of Yunyan Chan Temple). When entering shrines and temples still in active worship, follow the rules on incense and photography, and don't make noise or pose for photos in front of deity statues
• most former guild halls have been converted into exhibition spaces.

Rules that apply here

Travel tips

• Strolling just the lively eastern section takes about 1–1.5 hours
• the full walk from Changmen Gate to Tiger Hill is about 3.8 kilometers, so allow half a day including Tiger Hill. Shantang Street Station on Metro Line 2 brings you straight to the eastern section, and from the western end you can return by bus from the Tiger Hill area. The street is open all day with no admission fee
• boat rides, some exhibition halls and the Tiger Hill scenic area require tickets, with opening hours and schedules as officially announced
• the eastern section is extremely crowded on holiday evenings, so go on a weekday if you can. Nearby: Changmen Gate and Shilu at the eastern end, Tiger Hill at the western end, and the Lingering Garden to the southeast
• Pingjiang Road is in a different area, so give each its own half day for a more relaxed visit
• boat rides are most pleasant on summer evenings, and in winter it is windy on the water, so please dress warmly.