'...there is usually a market on Saturdays, somewhere in the old town. Why don't you ask in the chat?' That's how our trip started on this Saturday. There should always be a market or something on Guanqian Road. A look at our friend Google Maps revealed that there is also a temple, so let's go. After playing football in the morning and taking a nap in the afternoon, we set off.
Instead of taking a taxi, Philipp preferred to take the bus and subway. Cool, it's always an experience. So we got off in front of the compound and boarded bus number 138, all the way to Suzhou Center and then took Line 1 to Lindun Road.
Outside on the street, you really experience 'China 😉'. A mix of old and new, everything is loud, a little chaotic, and one street food stall after another. We stroll along an unnamed canal towards the north and realize that we have arrived when it gets really loud and flashy, namely on Guanqian Road 😅. As my wife described in her post, there are 'barkers' in front of every shop here. A potpourri of offers and really cool things that you can only find in these shops 😂😂😂 Halfway there, the Xuanmiao Temple appears on the right. Also very interesting. The 'temple' consists of two temple buildings and a courtyard. It seems as if besides Buddhism and Taoism, the new religion of China, consumerism, is also being worshiped here! The courtyard buildings, which once served as accommodation, stables, and a kitchen, have all been converted into small shops selling high-quality silk and plastic toys. But the (old) gods seem to take it easy, as if they wanted to say 'we have survived empires, civil wars, and the cultural revolution, you can all go to hell!' and they underline this with a rather clear finger gesture.
