Wuxi: Pearl of Taihu Lake

Wuxi, known as the pearl of Taihu Lake, perches close to the northeastern shore of the lake, within the Jiangsu province’s southern flatlands. It is the second largest city in the province. The serene Taihu Lake, famous for its Taihu rocks and salt water pearls, is approximately 7km from the city centre. The city of Wuxi is also made of 59 islands on the Taihu Lake, which has 72 islands in total. The history of this amazing city dates back almost 3,000 years, and due to its strategic location, is one of Jiangsu province’s main industrial centers.What I remember most about the beauty of Wuxi is definitely the Taihu Lake. Highways span tens of kilometers connecting the mainland to several islands, allowing easy access to these otherwise isolated islands. Traveling by bus across the highway allowed us to witness the vastness of the lake, calm and still in the distance. All through the journey, I was admiring the picturesque lake, while trying to catch some information or two from the tour guide, who was trying to impart upon us a brief history and several wonders of the Taihu Lake.Unlike the serenity found at the Taihu Lake, the city centre of Wuxi is extremely lively, with tall buildings and neon lights lighting up the city at night. The standard of living is apparently rather high here, and work force is costly. It is home to the largest table tennis stadium in China, playing host to the National Chinese Table Tennis Championships yearly.And while in Wuxi, don’t miss the opportunity to go for a traditional Wuxi leg and body massage; it was a muscle reliever after days of touring and endless walking!

Quick Tips:

The city of Wuxi is famous for its production of clay figurines, fresh water pearls and hand-woven silk. I believe that the best silk is found in Suzhou, so do get your hands on some pretty clay figurines, which can be purchased from roadside sellers or antique stores; and of course, for the ladies, pamper yourself with some lovely, gleaming pearls.

Best Way To Get Around:

Taxis are available in this rather active city, though not in abundance. In my opinion, taxis are an option if you intend to just tour around the city centre for some shopping. A trip to the Taihu Lake, on the other hand, can be best enjoyed with a tour; which I’m sure, include trips to major tourist spots like the Ling Mountain Buddha on the Ma Shan Island and boat trips from the jetty.

The Purple Sand Teapot Museum is not actually a museum. Yes, it does display teapots that come in different designs, sizes and colors, but all these teapots are for sale; even the extremely unique and beautiful ones, if you are willing enough to part with your entire travel budget. Purple sand clay, of which these teapots are made, is originally a dark purplish red color, due to the high amounts of iron oxide. Nevertheless, the purple sand teapot comes in several colors; black, brown, red, purple, yellow, and green. What makes purple sand teapots unique are of course, its material, and its characteristics for brewing tea. First of all, these teapots are able to preserve the rich taste of Chinese tea due to its porous sandy clay, being able to retain the tea’s full flavor and color overnight. Furthermore, this special teapot does not crack when heated on a fire or when hot boiling water is poured into it. The purple sand teapot is considered long lasting and is advisable to use over a long period of time, for the more fragrant the tea will be in an older pot. This teapot is also suitable for brewing English tea.

Upon entering the museum, an extremely huge teapot dominates the hallway, and is claimed to be the largest teapot in the world, designed by a scholar. The museum guide informed us that touching the middle of the teapot will bring good fortune, touching the handle brings gambling luck and touching the stout is for fertility. The guide also gave us a brief introduction of all the purple sand teapots, showing us the intricate designs and the specialty of each and every teapot, all having specific explanations for its unique designs and styles. It was interesting to know that even different stouts affect the flow of the water that comes out through it! A few teapots were carved by an extremely old master teapot maker, and they were simply exquisite. Others were made by students at the teapot museum that were still learning to master the art. These of course, were not perfect. Prices ranged from RMB100 for the normal ones to RMB500 for the more intricately designed ones. Masterpieces start from approximately RMB1,000 a set!

The teapots were definitely beautiful, no doubt, but for non-Chinese tea drinkers like I, the visit was more for the little information on teapots rather than for the interest on purchasing. In my opinion, only if you are an avid Chinese teapot collector, the Purple Sand Teapot Museum is a must-visit destination.

It was early, and the air on that October morning was cool and crisp. Our tour guide gave us a choice of where to visit that day, a shopping centre or a walk in the park. It was a unanimous decision to visit one of the quieter and isolated parks in Wuxi, the Li Lake Park.The Li Lake is actually a small lake, approximately 2-6m deeps, and is a lake within the bigger Tai Lake. We only had a short time to explore the vicinity of the lake, and I guess what I enjoyed most about the morning walk along the Li Lake was the cool and refreshing morning air against my face. There were only a few people found around the park; a food stall vendor, an elderly couple taking their morning walk and a few workers picking up dirt from the lake with a bucket attached to an extremely long stick.The serenity of the park, with the morning mist, as well as the trees and rippling waters in the distance made it a perfect spot for picture taking. Our tour guide led us across stone pathways, grass lanes and lone bridges; introducing us to several plants found in this part of China that were foreign to us.Other than picture taking and morning walks, there is not much to see and do in the Li Lake Park. Our main purpose that morning was to buy time before heading to our next destination, and well, it was really just a walk in the park.

With Wuxi being the pearl of the Taihu Lake, the Ling Shan Fo (Ling Mountain Buddha) is perceived as the brilliance of the pearl. The Ling Shan Fo, being the pride of Wuxi and Chinese Buddhism as a whole is the tallest standing Buddha in the world at 88m high. This giant bronze plated Buddha is situated on Ma Shan Island, the second-largest island in the Taihu Lake. It is believed to stand watching over the Taihu Lake in its front view, surrounded by mountains on its right and left, and the small Ling Mountain (of which the Buddha is named after) at its back.

It is a long walk up to the foot of the Giant Buddha statue. On the large square after entering the front entrance, we came across the gigantic lotus fountain, where water fountain performance are held at exactly 4:30pm every day. Right at the top of the fountain lies a huge lotus flower, which slowly opens up throughout the performance, displaying a large statue of a baby Buddha in the middle of the flower. The significance of the lotus flower and Buddha is that it is said that when Buddha was born, he was already able to walk, leaving behind a lotus flower in every step that he took. Beautiful water displays that dances to the captivating music further enhances the magnificence of the giant Baby Buddha as it slowly turns around the fountain. It is a definite must to watch the performance, without which the fountain would just be an ordinary structure with a huge closed lotus flower.

The fountain area is surrounded by large rolling tins all around, and it is considered good luck to spin all of these tins while walking in a clockwise circle. Further up, we came across a large joss stick in the middle of a stone paved square to commemorate an Indian king who visited China and converted to Buddhism. He is believed to have brought to religion back to his country.

After that, we passed a large open space; with a huge bronze structure of Buddha’s palm on the left and a statue of the laughing Buddha with a hundred children on the right. Everyone was crowded around the Buddha’s palm, touching it with their left hand while walking around the structure in an anti-clockwise circle. Due to the believe that doing so will bring good luck and prosperity, that particular bronze coated part around the palm has faded in color due to constant touch of visiting locals and tourists throughout the years. Even the laughing Buddha with a hundred children was a hit among my older tour members; touch the head of any of the hundred naughty children around the Buddha, and either a child or a grandchild will be bestowed upon you. For me, a picture was good enough! Further down the walkway, people were praying in a temple, with a small replica of the huge giant Ling Shan Buddha in the courtyard.

The brilliance of the Wuxi pearl, the gigantic Ling Shan Mountain Buddha stands at the end of the long pathway, with an additional 218 flights of steps up to the base of the statue! Even from the foot of the seemingly long and high steps up the mountain, the Buddha statue looked simply gigantic, magnificent and breathtaking. The Buddha had a serene and pleasing look on his face, with both palms held wide open, displaying the word "wish" – for a happy and peaceful life to all living things.

Deciding not to conquer the 218 flights of stairs up to the Buddha due to limited time, we headed back the long walkway back to the entrance. Visiting the Ling Shan Mountain Buddha was truly an amazing experience; I thoroughly enjoyed the water fountain display – so be sure to arrange your visit in time for that performance!

Taihu Lake, the highlight of the city of Wuxi, encompasses an area of 2,250km² with an average depth of only 2 to 2.5m. Though rather shallow, the lake is full of nutrients, home to not only rare sea animals like the Yun Yu fish, White fish and White prawns, but also to the beautiful Taihu Rocks that adorns traditional Chinese gardens all over China. Furthermore, the waters of Taihu Lake are most suitable for breeding fresh water pearls, making Wuxi the only place in the world to find such pearls.

Wuxi’s fresh water pearls can be found in most parts of Jiangsu province, but why buy from anywhere else but Wuxi itself? The Fresh Water Pearls Factory specializes in raring and selling these precious pearls. Upon entering the factory, we were wowed by the rows and rows of glass cases selling pearl necklaces, pearl earrings, pearl bracelets and pearl rings. There was even facial wash and facial cream made from the crushed powder of the fresh water pearls. Apparently, using powdered cream from the pearls will keep your skin soft and smooth like the surface of a pearl. The pearls in the factory ranges from the cheaper ones that are bred for only a year, to the more expensive ones that have been bred for about 30 years or so. If you intend to buy the more pricey jewellery, the original prices and the bargained prices would not be much of a difference. But if you intend to buy the cheaper pearls, here is a little tip: WAIT! My friend and I decided on a less expensive pearl bracelet that was originally RMB300. We tried bargaining until it dropped to RMB200 for 2 bracelets. We thought we had a good bargain and decided to sit out the rest of the time at the factory. It was not until we were about to leave when the sales people came begging us to buy more things, offering the exact bracelet for RMB50 a piece!!! So do wait… the prices of the cheaper pearls will definitely continue to get much, much cheaper!

Another treasure of Wuxi is its delicious food and delicacies. In my one day tour of Wuxi, I managed to visit two restaurants, the Zhi Yun Fresh Water Seafood Restaurant for lunch and the Gold Coast Hotel Restaurant for dinner. One of the local dishes not to be missed in Wuxi is the delicious Wuxi spare ribs. Connected to an ancient folk tale, this soy-braised pork ribs is cooked with lustrous thick dark red sauce and emits an alluring fragrance from its well-done meat. Other than the delightful dish of spare ribs, do get a taste of the seafood from Taihu Lake. The fried eel makes an extremely scrumptious appetizer, together with the pickled dishes before the main course. The white prawns and the white Yun Yu fishes are as their name implies, white and transparent. I could hardly taste them! The Yun Yu fishes are extremely small, just about the size of anchovies, and can only be eaten in Wuxi and Suzhou, due to the fact that they are unable to stay fresh long enough for transportation out of these cities.

Wuxi is an extremely diversified city; with its active atmosphere in the city centre to the tranquil ambiance by the Taihu Lake. Its plentiful surprises, be it beautiful gleaming pearls or gastronomic treasures, never fails to pleasure and amaze its unsuspecting visitors.