The Grand Canal is the longest artificial waterway in the world, stretching from Beijing to Hangzhou, and some of its sections have been in use for more than two thousand years. In the Jiangnan region, south of the Yangtze, it flows through a landscape of rice paddies, lakes and old towns, and in Wuxi it runs right through the city. The canal was listed by UNESCO in 2014, and the Wuxi section includes historic streets, bridges and warehouses along its banks.
The most charming stretch is around the Qingming Bridge, an old stone arch over the canal, with narrow streets of whitewashed houses with black-tiled roofs, small shops and teahouses. Barges still chug along the water, heavily loaded with sand, gravel and coal, a reminder that the canal remains a working route. At night, red lanterns reflect in the water.
Wuxi lies on the northern shore of Lake Tai, one of China's largest freshwater lakes, and the lakeside is its main attraction. Yuantouzhu, a peninsula shaped like a turtle's head, has gardens, pavilions and cherry blossoms in spring. Further west, the Lingshan scenic area has one of the tallest bronze Buddhas in the world, overlooking the lake. Wuxi is also known for clay figurines from Huishan, colourful little dolls with chubby faces, and for its cuisine, which is famously sweet: try the spare ribs braised in soy and sugar, or soup dumplings that are sweeter than those of Shanghai.
If you are thinking of riding, be realistic. Getting a licence to ride as a foreigner in China involves bureaucracy, motorbikes are not allowed on expressways, and urban areas may have restrictions on motorcycles. Electric scooters and bicycles fill the streets, and traffic rules are loosely observed. For most visitors, the canal and the lake are best explored on foot, by boat or by bicycle.
The roads around Lake Tai, however, can be lovely, with water views, tea plantations and fruit orchards, and the islands in the lake, linked by bridges, offer quieter riding if you can arrange it. Wuxi is a large city with fuel, food and every service. Take a boat trip along the canal in the evening, and sit in a teahouse with a pot of green tea and a plate of sweet pastries while the barges pass.