Three Years of Travel: I Found the Prose Town from Wang Zengqi's Writings

After traveling alone for three years, during this Qingming holiday
I finally found the hidden gem town described in Wang Zengqi's writings
Gaoyou
Here, I saw fields of rapeseed flowers hidden in the water town,
enjoyed steaming morning tea,
tasted the red-oiled salted duck eggs from Wang's writings,
wandered through the peaceful Zhenguo Temple,
visited an ancient post station preserved since the pre-Qin era,
and witnessed the stunning sunset over Lake Gaoyou, China's sixth-largest freshwater lake.
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I went the day before Qingming Festival when there were very few people, fewer flowers, but excellent food. This hidden gem town from Wang Zengqi's prose
is truly worth a special trip. If you're planning to visit Gaoyou but don't want to plan your itinerary,
you can check out my plan on Yuan Zhou Travel Tracks, which helped me plan my trip in just one minute. Its map function clearly shows transportation arrangements and timing between attractions.
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🗺Two-day itinerary:
Day 1: Wang Zengqi Memorial Hall — South Gate Street — Yucheng Post Station — Zhenguo Temple — Sunset at Grand Canal West Embankment
Day 2: Chunlai Teahouse — Gaoyou Prefecture Office — Ancient Wenyou Platform — Lake Flower Fields
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🍜Food recommendations:
1. Renmin Road Bridge Dumpling Noodle Shop
2. Erzi/Zhang's Pubarou (Stuffed Meat)
3. Chunlai Teahouse
4. Jiaojia Lane Noodle House
5. Xinhuayuan Ge's Stinky Tofu
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🚏Attractions:
❶Lake Flower Fields
When a Jiangnan water town meets vast fields of rapeseed flowers, it creates the most beautiful spring landscape
The rapeseed fields here rival those in Wuyuan. You can take a small train through the flower sea, boat across the blooming fields, or stroll among the flowers

❷Wang Zengqi Memorial Hall
A must-visit for Wang's fans! Learn more about Wang while enjoying the museum's spatial aesthetics. The architecture breaks conventional styles, making it perfect for photography

❸Yucheng Post Station
An ancient post station preserved since pre-Qin times, it's truly magnificent and the largest ancient post station in China. Located on South Gate Street, you can visit both together

❹Zhenguo Temple
One of my top three temples so far. The Tang dynasty architecture and the Zhenguo Pagoda at the center have a special charm
With few visitors, located on an island in the middle of the Grand Canal, staying here brings inner peace

❺Grand Canal West Embankment Sunset
Next to Zhenguo Temple Pagoda, you can watch the egg-yolk-like sunset over Lake Gaoyou. Sitting on the long lake embankment watching the sunset
feels just like being at the seaside