Why is Jiangsu Called ‘Jiangsu’? Many Tourists Can’t Answer, and Realize the Reason Afterwards
Many tourists know that Jiangsu is a province rich in tourism resources, but when it comes to why the province's name came about, the answers are surprisingly few.
Jiangsu Province was once part of the ancient Jiangnan region. Later, Jiangnan was split into two parts: the Jiangnan left took the first characters of Anqing and the Huzhou prefectures, which became Anhui Province, and the Jiangnan right took the first characters of Jiangning and Suzhou prefectures, thus earning the name Jiangsu.
Whenever this explanation is given, many of my acquaintances suddenly realize it.
The fact that the name of the province comes from Jiangning and Suzhou prefectures shows that these two cities were already very powerful in the past.
Compared to Nanjing, Suzhou's tourist attractions are much more concentrated and relatively sophisticated. Its beauty is comparable to that of Hangzhou and is hailed as 'Heaven on Earth',
Suzhou's tourism resources are mainly classical gardens, and the World Heritage site 'Classical Gardens of Suzhou' is a tourism signboard for Suzhou, and even for Jiangsu Province,
In addition to classical gardens, Suzhou's several tourist streets are also very distinctive,
Píngjiānglù (Flat River Road) is located in the eastern part of Suzhou City, it's a historic street paved with stone along the river, with willows and bamboo lining the banks, and white walls and dark roofs, full of Jiangnan charm,
Píngjiānglù has preserved the layout since the Tang and Song Dynasties. Besides the bustling main street, there are also distinctive alleys like Shīzitíng (Lion Grove Temple Lane), Chuánfāngxiàng (Chen Fang Lane), Donghuātiáng (Dong Hua Temple Lane), etc. The Kunqu Museum and the Yueju Museum are also located in this area. The Kunqu Museum, built in the Qing Dynasty during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, is particularly notable; its predecessor was the Chūjìn Huìguǎn (Shanxi Merchant Association), which was funded and built by Shanxi merchants. The carvings inside are very exquisite,
What attracts the most attention when visiting Píngjiānglù are the seemingly simple windows that are full of Jiangnan charm. These windows are made of wood, with some of the wood partially carved out, and some are decorated with intricate carvings,
The sunlight reflects the shadows of green trees and plants on the wooden windows, adding a sense of tranquility and elegance,
Lion Grove Temple's fame is not as high as that of the (Cửu Kiện Yuán – Humble Administrator's Garden) and Liúyuán (Liu Yuan – Liu's Garden), but it is also quite popular with tourists. It is located in the northeastern part of the Gǔsū District,
Lion Grove Temple and other classical gardens are winding and charming, with evergreen pine trees, combined with bamboo and seasonal flowers, showing the charm of the garden in a small space. The best view is the rockery in the garden,
Lion Grove Temple's rockery covers an area of about 0.15 hectares, which is the largest and most complex rockery group in Suzhou. Visitors can climb the rockery and enjoy the beautiful and creative landscape and the garden's poetic layout along a maze-like path,
