无锡市

Why this place

Wuxi sits on Lake Tai and is a wealthy manufacturing city that has kept its lake scenery — the Yuantouzhu peninsula out into the water is one of the classic Chinese lake views. Food here is famously sweet, even by Jiangnan standards.

What to see

• Yuantouzhu (Turtle Head Isle) on Lake Tai, with cherry blossom in late March
• Lingshan, the giant 88-metre bronze Buddha and the vast new Buddhist complex beside it
• The Grand Canal through the city, and the old canal town of Nanchang Street
• Xihui Park and the Jichang Garden, a classical garden built into a hillside

What to eat

• Wuxi spare ribs — braised sweet, the definitive local dish
• Taihu lake fish and white shrimp
• Xiaolongbao, sweeter here than the Shanghai version

Best time

Late March for cherry blossom; October–November for the lake