Travel Attraction Recommendations from a Yixing Zisha Teapot Merchant

Recently, many teapot enthusiasts have asked how to enjoy their trip to Yixing. I roughly wrote about some of Yixing's food and where to buy Zisha teapots in my September 30th notes, and added more in the October 4th and 6th notes. Today, I will give you a general introduction to Yixing's tourist attractions. Yixing is a small city, and for most friends from big cities, transfer times during travel won’t be too long. Transportation options include self-driving or taking a taxi, both are quite convenient. Most of Yixing’s attractions are concentrated in Qianli or our Dingshu Town (the town where we produce Zisha teapots), as shown in Figure 2. The high-speed rail station is Yixing Station in the map. The area around Taoer Factory, Gunan Street, and the Ceramic Museum is Dingshu Town, where Zisha teapots are sold. Figure 3 shows a detailed breakdown of attractions in Dingshu Town. The bottom left corner of Figure 2 points to attractions in the mountain direction. 1️⃣ Yixing Ceramic Museum. A must-visit for Zisha teapot lovers. The ticket costs 5 yuan, and the visit time depends on the individual; about 2 hours should be enough for a thorough look. (Some teapot friends have asked about our location; we are near the museum.) 2️⃣ Taoer Factory. This is a newly emerged attraction in recent years. If there is a market during holidays, I recommend everyone to enjoy food and shopping there. On weekdays, it’s mainly a spot to check in at the very popular building online. There are also some small shops where you can experience making your own handmade cups and buy souvenirs. Free admission. 3️⃣ Shushan Gunan Street. You can walk there from Taoer Factory; it’s just across the main road. This street was a quaint riverside residential street when we were kids. Now it’s mostly commercialized with small shops along the road, but it still has a charming vibe. Everyone can take a stroll there. 4️⃣ Dongpo Academy. You can continue walking along the main road from Gunan Street to visit Su Dongpo’s academy. It’s not very large. 5️⃣ Huanglongshan Park. A newly built park in Dingshu Town with many exhibits about Zisha mining sites. It’s quite beautiful and a great place for girls to take photos. The park is fairly large; a slow visit can take about 3 to 4 hours. 6️⃣ The above are mostly in Dingshu Town. Towards the mountains, you can also go to Shangba, where there are popular coffee shops shown in Figures 4 and 5. Celebrities have visited here before (Navigation: Chashan Wild Food). Figures 6, 7, and 8 show Yulianba, a great summer spot for families with children (Navigation address: Shangba Yulianba). 7️⃣ Towards the mountains, in the Hufu and Zhangzhu area, the most popular spot is Yaohu Town. This is a newly opened attraction in recent years with much controversy, but personally, I think it’s quite good. I recommend visiting around 4 or 5 pm (especially in summer) because there are water shows, performances, and fireworks at night. You can check the schedule on the official WeChat account. About one kilometer from Yaohu, there is Happy Ranch, suitable for families with children, as shown in Figure 9. It’s quite open and you can bring kids to feed animals. 8️⃣ Longchi Mountain Scenic Area. Great for cycling and breathing fresh air. It was a filming location for "Please Advise for the Rest of My Life" and is perfect for relaxing when the weather is mild. 9️⃣ Bamboo Sea. Also quite large and a good place for fresh air. It’s so classic that I won’t elaborate much. 🔟 Shanjuan Cave. A place where Yixing children go for spring outings. If you come to Yixing, you must see one of its caves, and if you pick one, it should be Shanjuan Cave. (Due to text limits, to be continued in the next post)