Our local guide will pick you up at the lobby of your Shanghai hotel in the morning(usu. 8am). After greetings, transfer to Nanxun. It is about 1.5-hour driving. Whole day touring around the Nanxun Ancient Town. Lunch is served in a local elegant restaurant. In late afternoon transfer back to your Shanghai hotel.
Highlights in Nanxun:
- Little Lotus Garden: Also named Liu Garden, it is one of the most famous gardens in China. It is the private garden and family temple of Liu Yong. Liu Yong is one of the Four Giants(Four Millionaire) in late Qing Dynasty. The garden is located along the Zhegu Pond in the south of the town. The construction began in 1885 and was completed in 1924, lasting for 40 years. It was named after the Lotus Villa by Zhaomeng Zhaoye, a outstanding calligrapher and artist in late Yuan Dynasty.
- Book Collection House of Jiangye Tang: The Book Collection House of Jiangye Tang is the most famous private book house in modern China. The entire house was designed in garden style, with a solemn collection house positioned in the elegantly embellished garden. The owner is rich man named Liu Chenggan. His hobby is reading, purchasing, writing and collecting books. He formally began his book collection in 1910. In 1951 Liu Chenggan donated his book house to the State, with a total of more than 10 million books and 30,000 engraved tablets.
- Guanghui Palace: Guanghui Palace is a famous Taoist temple in Nanxun. Established in Northern Song Dynasty, the palace has a history of more than 900 years which is longer than the history of the town. Although the construction and layout of the Palace has been “altered” several times, it keeps its main body—Xanadu of Cishan Emperor which is usually called Zhangwang Temple. Guanghui Palace is now regarded as Daoist architecture heritage reflecting a long history and regional culture of Nanxun Town.
- Baijian Buildings: Baijian Buildings is situated in the northeast of Nanxun Town, constructed along the east and west banks of the old canal. It is said that these buildings were built for his servants by Dongbin— the minister of Cultural and Education Bureau in Ming Dynasty. When the construction of the buildings was finished at the time, there were about 100 rooms.