Suqian
Suqian
Ancestral home of Xiang Yu, the capital of liquor
Suqian is located in the northern part of Jiangsu Province and it is a comprehensive transportation hub in the north of the Yangtze River Delta. Many rivers are set in between, even Qianlong Emperor praised Suqian as “The best place for rivers and mountains in the springtime”. Besides, Suqian has a civilization history of more than 5,000 years. It is the hometown of Xiang Yu, who is widely considered one of the greatest military leaders in ancient China. The city is also known as the “City of Baijiu” due to its two famous liquors, Yanghe and Shuanggou.
Trending Attractions
Historical Attractions
Mount Santai National Forest Park
Located next to the beautiful Luoma Lake, it covers an area of approximately 12.7 square kilometres with more than 100 types of trees grown which cover 98% of forest. Main attractions include Na-Tian, Lake of Mirror, natural forest hill, Xiangsi Lake, Qing-Cui Lake, Plum-flower Garden, and others. Visit these places to view seas of flowers bloom during different seasons.
The Wetland of Hongze
The wetland, with the size of 350,000 acres, is the largest freshwater wetland reserve in Jiangsu. It is home to some 194 types of rare bird species such as the Great Bustard, Oriental white stork, black stork, red-crowned crane, Reed Parrotbill, and many more. More than 60 types of facilities have been built here include a multimedia exhibition centre, museum, aquarium, fishing centre, water tennis court, beach volleyball court, golf-driving range and a water sports centre.
Glass Art Museum of Suqian
The museum opened in 2018. It themed around Suqian’s rich silica sand deposits and flourishing glass industry and aims at creating comprehensive entertainment and sightseeing cultural experiences. Combining science discovery and interactive learning, this art gallery exposes the journey of sand, bringing visitors to go through the origin of glass, to see how glasses are produced, including the manufacturing processes, and design creativity.
Historical Attractions
Xiang Yu's Hometown
To commemorate the Hegemon-King of Western Chu Xiang Yu, the locals built a monument at the birthplace of Xiang Yu which is Wutong Lane. The scenic area consists of the former residences of Xiang Yu, Xiang’s Administrative Hall and the General’s Department. Those who are looking for more excitement can try the Xiang family feast developed by Suqian Tourism Bureau. The names of the dishes all originated from the story of Xiang Yu.
Qianlong Palace
Qianlong Emperor stopped over 5 times out of his 6 trips to Jiangnan and ordered the construction of pavilions and monuments, hence earning its name as the “Qianlong Palace”. The palace with its grand scale and the strict layout consists of the primary buildings of the ancient theatre, the archway, the imperial pavilion, the bell tower, the dragon king temple, the sleeping chamber and the east-west courtyards.
Yanghe Distillery Cultural Tourism Area
Yanghe is the origin town of Chinese rice wine. One can visit the century-old wine cellar and taste the Yanghe raw liquor. The blue series under the trademark of Yanghe has been a popular classic long-lasting in the rice wine market, featuring Ocean Blue, Sky Blue, and Dreamy Blue. Yanghe Winery is an integrated cultural tourism zone that exhibits cultural display, science education, and leisure shopping.
Food & Beverage
Home Banquet of Xiang Residence
Suqian Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism has worked together with Nanjing Institute of Tourism and Hospitality to develop the Xiang Residence Home Banquet to let visitors from all over the world taste the real home banquet of Xiang Yu in recent years. The banquet has integrated history, cooking, accommodation and health care around the characteristics of Xiang’s noble clan and local tradition of diet.
Wine Battle (during Home Banquet)
The dishes are related to the famous historical event “Feast at Swan Goose Gate”. The pig’s trotters were selected from local black pigs, which are roasted with spices and cooked with thick pancake, shredded cucumber and green onion. Roll it up and have a bite, it will give you an unforgettable great taste.
Yellow Dog Pork Heads
While there is no direct connection of any sort with dogs, the name came from the shop owner, Huang De, who was given the nickname “little yellow dog” during the Qianlong Emperor era. The pork is braised to redness in colour, rich in aroma and pure in taste. Qianlong Emperor tasted it once and was full of praises about it.
Cultural Experience
Historical Attractions
Zaohe Dragon King Temple Fair
A festival that takes place every year on the 9th day of the 1st month in the lunar calendar. The earliest record of the Dragon King Temple in Zaohe town in Suqian was in 1549. At that time, there was a temple in Zaohe where people prayed to the Buddha Avalokitesvara for protection, especially during the Spring Festival. And this ritual has gradually evolved into a temple fair.