泰州市

Why this place

Taizhou (Jiangsu) is a smaller canal city, less visited than its neighbours, with a well-preserved old town and one of the more distinctive local cuisines — its crab-roe soup dumplings are a genuine regional treasure.

What to see

• The old town's canal lanes and the Meilanfang Memorial (the Peking-opera artist's home town)
• Fengcheng River and the Wanghai Tower
• The Qinhu wetland area north of the city

What to eat

• Crab-roe soup dumplings (xiehuang tangbao) — Taizhou's specialty
• Gan-si and the local freshwater fish dishes

Best time

March–May and September–November