Travel Report: Pingjiang Road Part II – Suzhou, China.

Want to get the full perspective? Before reading this, why not dip into my article: Pingjiang Road Part I

December 2018. It was quickly turning into a delightful afternoon wandering around Suzhou’s ancient canal street, Pingjiang Road. I’d already walked perhaps a quarter of the way down, pausing here and there to wave at a few families bobbing by on wooden barges. After a brief stop at the pretty Hu Xiang Shi Bridge, I was now curious to see what further delights lay ahead.

Pingjiang Road, Suzhou.

If you want to try some local delicacies Pingjiang Road has got you covered! There are countless stores selling Suzhou style biscuits and cake. However, take note that these snacks are usually very dry, although there is some fruit filling in the centre. Moreover, you’ve also got Blan Bunny’s Tea, an Alice in Wonderland style grotto with cutesy packs of sweet, fusion teas.

Pingjiang Road, Suzhou.

Meat lovers should keep an eye open for Piggy Chasing Meat, a pork jerky store that offers free samples before you take the plunge on a Jiangsu Province sized bag. The jerky is pretty good, especially if you like it sweet.

Pingjiang Road, Suzhou.

The Penguin, alive and well in Suzhou, China.

Pingjiang Road was full of Christmas cheer that day. There were fir trees in most of the stores and beautifully crafted decorations abound. “Marry Christmas!” exclaimed one shop. “We Wash you in a Christmas!” proclaimed the next. However, nothing could beat Walking Christmas Tree Man, who was doing some kind of catwalk routine while a scruffy old man dressed as The Penguin took photos.

I was watching proceedings when, quite suddenly, Walking Christmas Tree Man changed course and marched purposefully toward me with an unexpected gift!

Daliuzhi Lane off Pingjian Road, Suzhou.

Some of Pingjiang Road’s best discoveries come in the adjacent streets and side alleys. Some of these roads contain noted residences. Furthermore, you’ll see little plaques on the wall telling you that some ancient old poet once lived there. This is Daliuzhi Lane, with its cavernous coffee shop sat behind a pair of sleeping pedicab drivers. It was also nice to see a cleaning boat chugging along picking up all the trash that people thoughtlessly chuck into the canals.

Residential canal street near Pingjiang Road, Suzhou.

The further you walk into the warren off alleys running off Pingjiang Road, the greater the rewards. This nameless little residential street was gorgeous and deserted save for a lone woman doing some washing.

You can read more about this cool city with my travel guide to Suzhou, or maybe delve further afield with my stacks of reports from across China.

I’ve been living, working and traveling all over the world since 2001. So why not check out my huge library of travel reports from over 30 countries.