Changzhou

Settlement here stretches back to at least the Spring and Autumn period (770-426 BC) when Yancheng, a city surrounded by three concentric moats was established.
Changzhou has been visited by many people over the years including Song dynasty poet DongPo, Emperor QianLong, and the Japanese Army on their way to destroy Nanjing.

By train

Changzhou has two railway stations though they are conveniently adjacent to one another. The new station faces north and serves the high speed G-trains and some of the slightly slower D-trains that run between Shanghai and Nanjing. The older south facing station handles the long distance T and K trains and the odd D train. The two stations are connected by an underground walkway. You can also take a metro train between the two stations.

• Changzhou North Station

  address: Changjiang North Road, Xinbei District (新北区长江北路)

• Changzhou Station

  address: 138 Guanhe East Road, Tianning District (天宁区关河东路138号)

The most frequent services are high-speed G and D-trains going to or from Shanghai or Nanjing. The journey from either end takes around 1.5 hours. Services include:

• From Nanjing – (¥80) Departing from the main station.
• From Shanghai – (G train: ¥80 second class; ¥128 business class. D train ¥51 second class; ¥61 business class.) Departing from the Shanghai central or the HongQiao station.

The slower and lower class T- and K- services from other provinces stop at Changzhou but tickets are only available for destinations outside of Jiangsu.

Tickets

The new station has touchscreen ticket machines with English menus to buy tickets G and D train. A ticket to Shanghai on the G train costs ¥80 for second class and ¥125 for business class. The D train is ¥51 for second class and ¥61 for business class
Buying tickets for the long distance T or K services have to be bought from the ticket windows in the building on the far right of the entrance. There aren't any ticket machines but most clerks can speak at least simple English or will find someone who does. For services other than the high-speed trains, it's wise to book outbound tickets a few days in advance as they fill up quickly, especially during public holidays.

By bus

The northern bus station on Xinmen Lu (almost opposite the train station) has frequent services to Wuxi, Zhangjiagang, Suzhou (¥34, 2hrs), yixing ¥21 and Kunshan.

By plane

There are flights in and out of Changzhou to over 10 cities.

The cities main attractions are within a walkable radius of the train station, with the outlying spots on the main bus routes.

By bus

The Changzhou bus network fleet comprises speedy modern buses and a bunch lumbering rattlers. The BRT bus network, operating in lieu of a subway, features frequent services of large shiny buses that rapidly traverse mainly inner city routes stopping at enclosed BRT stations located in the centre of the main thoroughfares and at the curbside on smaller roads. All BRT bus numbers are prefixed with a B, followed by the route number. Service frequency is almost excessive, to the point where it's not uncommon to see two or three same numbered buses following each other caterpillar style with only a few passengers on each.
The services start and terminate conveniently near the train station. Fares for all buses are ¥1, regardless of distance.

• B11 - Runs down Heping Lu and past the main shopping district.
• 2 - Starts at bus terminus attached to the new northern train and long distance bus station and rattles down almost the entire length of Heping Lu and around the university town in the south.
• B1 - Stops in front of the YanCheng complex.

A double-decker tourist bus numbered Y1 can be seen about town but locals are somewhat secretive about its routes and timetable.

By metro

As of 2019, Changzhou has one metro line, with more under construction.

By taxi

Metered taxis charge ¥9 for the first 4km and then ¥2.9 for every additional kilometre.

• Canal 5

  phone: +86 519 86855988
  address: 141 Sanbao Street, Wuxing Subdistrict, Zhonglou District (钟楼区五星街道三堡街141)
  Former factories, now turned into Art Studios, Restaurants, Think tanks, Nightclubs, Museums & more. It's a great place to get away from the fast-paced lifestyle of China. Canal 5 offers a break from the noise & traffic, a beautiful location, perfect for taking cool pictures. Canal 5 has preserved the history of the buildings & allows you to explore what was once a textile mill with a blend of architectural salvage and restoration. Across the street from Canal 5, you can hop on a traditional boat & cruise the CZ river.

• Changzhou Museum

  phone: +86 519 85165089
  address: 1288 Longcheng Avenue, Xinbei District (新北区龙城大道1288号)

• Dongpo Park

  phone: +86 519 88815005
  address: 9 Yanling Middle Road, Tianning District (天宁区延陵中路9号)
  A diminutive but pretty park named after Song dynasty, poet, artist and gardener, Su Dong Po - who died in Changzhou. One side of the park runs against the Grand Canal and the others sides by smaller canals, giving the impression of being on an island. A second islet connected by a arching bridge has a large DongPo academy hall, fronted by a statue of the man himself, makes a good place to watch boats run on the Grand Canal. In the main garden is the remains of an imperial palace built for a visiting Emperor QianLong, though what remains can be seen indeed are very few, except for the foundations and a few fragments of carved stone.

• Song Dynasty pillars

  address: YanLing Middle Rd
  Fragments of a pair of pillars from a long ago destroyed temple sit next to a minor canal parallel to the YanLing Rd. Dating from 979, they are estimated to have once been 5m tall but the ravages of time have reduced the tallest to about 2m and the other only a base. Somewhat weathered carvings depict layers of clouds, the ocean, mountains, rivers, protective deities and Buddhas.

• Hongmei Park

  phone: +86 519 88104993
  address: 28 Danqing Road, Tianning District (天宁区丹青路28号)
  A large park with an assortment of lakes, pavilions and gardens. At the rear of the park is Writing Pagoda (文笔塔 Wénbĭ Tá) and Red Plum Pavilion (红梅阁 Hóngméi Gé). Less sedately are goldfish in transparent tubes, a flamingo pond and a elevated walkway among trees.

• Writing PagodaLocated in Hongmei Park, at the southern end, was built in the Southern Dynasties Qi Gaozu Xiao Daocheng Jianyuan years (479- 482), an Jianyuan temple, commonly known as tower temple, later renamed temple taiping. Taiping temple for Wei crown County, resembling the style of writing, also called style tower, Changzhou literati as pen.

The Lotus BuildingBuilt on an artificial lake, this building is in the shape of a lotus flower. The building consists of three lotus flowers in different shapes while the main body and the petals are made of steel. In the evening, the building's lights change colors every minute.

SUPcz"Artists Co-op" in Changzhou.

Tianning Temple

phone: +86 519 88178011

address: 636 Yanling Middle Road, Tianning District (天宁区延陵中路636号)

A Buddhist temple with a 13 story wooden Pagoda said to be the tallest in the world. Claims aside, has an impressive presence nonetheless. The temple is fairly new but the grounds religious providence goes back to the Tang dynasty.

Yancheng Safari Park

phone: +86 519 68881111

address: 199 Wuyi Middle Road, Wujin District (武进区武宜中路199号)

• Dinosaur Park

  address: 1 Hanjiang Road, Xinbei District
  If your interest in paleontology doesn't extend further than The Flintstones this dinosaur theme park with rides, dancing dinos and few fossils might take your fancy.

Sesame Bing – A local speciality is a small round cake of flaky pastry studded with sesame seeds. Fillings between the crunchy layers of pasty have two flavours – salty and sweet. The salty has a thin layer of preserved vegetable while the sweet has a globular core of sugar syrup. Patience is key to eating the sugary one, especially if bought hot off the stove, as a too hasty bite will send a wave of tongue-scaldingly hot liquid squirting out onto both your mouth and fingers.

• Xiao Chi Jie

  address: Huaide Middle Rd
  Not really a street as much as a lane on the corner of the shopping complex. Nonetheless it is packed with small stalls selling a wide range of things to nibble on.

• Grandma's Nook

  phone: +86 152 9508 2029
  address: Xin Cheng Shang Jie A-183, 60 Hua Yuan Jie, Hutang
  A bakery with a small seating area.

Some people bemoan the lack of bar scene here, compared with Wuxi or Shanghai. Nonetheless there are a couple of decent joints to drown your sorrows in.

• Chocolate

  address: Huayuan St
  Trying really hard to be cool and almost succeeding.

• Queen Pub

  address: Heping North Rd
  One of the smaller pubs in town. The barman speaks good English and stocks quite a few imported beer and spirits. Pool table.

Most of the accommodation in Changzhou is geared toward business travellers, so upmarket international style hotels are abundant but decent budget options are limited.

Budget

• Changzhou Gongyuan Bingguan

  phone: +86 519 8618 2100
  address: No.85 West Yanling Road
  You can pay with a credit card. You can change money at the front desk, and there is an internet cafe.

Mid-range

Splurge

• Holiday Inn Wujin

  phone: +86 519 86313888
  address: 33 Yanzheng Middle Rd, Wujin
  A few steps above what you would expect from this chain, the behemoth building surrounded by landscaped gardens is one of the nicer hotels in town. Big modern rooms have all the doodads you would expect for the price. Though, don't be fooled by the website blurb that claims it's downtown; it's way out on the periphery, south of the Grand Canal.

• Suzhou
• Nanjing