Strolling through Zhenze, encountering the ancient town by chance

Strolling through Zhenze, encountering the ancient town by chance. Among the many ancient towns in Suzhou, Zhenze is not the most famous, but it is the only ancient town in the south of the Yangtze River that shares its name with another name for Tai Lake, and it is the birthplace of silk culture. The ancient town is not large, but it is quite interesting. There are two old streets built along the river, the one on the north bank is called Baota Street, and just a few steps away is the Shijian Hall. This is a large house that was built in the third year of the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1864), where the local gentry Xu family once lived and did business. I have visited many gardens and houses in the south of the Yangtze River, but there was not much that attracted me when I first entered, instead, it was turning into a small courtyard that caught my eye. The courtyard is narrow and long, and after careful design, it surprisingly gives a feeling of a hidden paradise. Leaving the large house and moving forward, there are various food, coffee, and cultural and creative shops on the street, many families are growing roses, and the blooming flowers are quite beautiful. At the end is the Ciyun Zen Temple.