China Guide
Jiangsu and Zhejiang
Fuzi Miao
Address: South of Jiankang Lu; near the terminus of bus #1
The Fuzi Miao (Temple of Confucius) area harbours a noisy welter of street vendors, boutiques, arcades and restaurants. On a hot day, nothing beats slurping on a lüdou shatou, a drink made of green beans with shaved ice, sold at streetside stalls.
The central Temple of Confucius (daily 8am–9.30pm; ¥15) resembles a theme park inside, complete with mannequins in period costume. The temple is hardly worth bothering about, but there is an attractive waterfront area along the canal here, along which you can pick up leisure boats that trundle south to Zhonghua Men. Cross the canal in front of the temple, and a short walk southeast will bring you to a small park, Bailuzhou (Egret Isle). This ancient corner of the city remained the Chinese quarter after the arrival of the Manchu Qing dynasty in the seventeenth century, and there are still a few traditional houses.
The nearby Taiping Heavenly Kingdom History Museum (daily 8am–4.30pm; ¥10) is well worth a visit. The sad but fascinating story of the 1864 Taiping Uprising is told here in pictures and relics, with English captions. The building itself was the residence of Xu Da, a Ming prince, and became the home of one of the rebel generals during the uprising.