Suzhou One Day Garden and Crab Tour
Suzhou, China
Trip Type: Full-day Tours
Duration: Flexible
Book this special Suzhou day tour to visit main attractions of this beautiful and poetic city as well as tasting seasonal crab dishes that you will not want to miss it!
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Book this special Suzhou day tour to visit main attractions of this beautiful and poetic city as well as tasting seasonal crab dishes that you will not want to miss it!At 8:30 am, you will be pick up from the lobby of your downtown Suzhou hotel or downtown Suzhou railway station and visit Humble Administration Garden which was originally built in 1509 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and initially a private garden of a former government servant named Wang Xianchen. He intended to build a garden after retirement, which was said to be the life of a humble man should live, hence is the name of the garden. The garden was created upon the old ruin of a resident and a temple. Water is featured throughout the garden along with natural landscapes of small forests, hills and rock formations. It also has man-made pavilions, halls and parlors. Unlike the Grand View Garden and other famous gardens in Beijing, it is representative of the Ming Dynasty style.
Next, you will be transferred to Tai Hu Lake to visit crab farm and learn how to feed and catch crab. Taihu crab grows in the waters of Taihu Lake. They have blue and black colored tiger-like print on their back and blue and white color on their belly. There is a navel on their belly, which is cuspate for male and round for female, with coarse hairs inside. The crab is a migratory creature. In winter and autumn when second instar crab has mature sex glands, they will swim downstream in groups eastwards to the shallow sea at the intersection of the river and the sea where they will multiply before ending their lives.
In early summer the following year, small crab which is incubated will swim against the flow back to live in the waters of the Taihu Lake. After some exuviation, they will grow up gradually and become matured crab the next year. Taihu Lake crab is big and heavy with fat and thick crab roe and delicate fine meat. It is extraordinary plump and beautiful. There are five features to identify Taihu Lake crabs, which are “blue-green shell, white belly, golden feet, yellow hairs and hard shell body.” “As autumn wind blows, crab feet will itch.” The period from Cold Dew to the Beginning of Winter is a season when Taihu Lake crabs are in the market. It has become a custom to eat female crab in September of lunar calendar and male crab in October of lunar calendar as well a culture to watch chrysanthemum, eat crabs, and drink yellow wine. Traditional cooking methods of Taihu Lake crab include steam, boil, battered and fried, marinated in wine and slated...etc. After crab meat is taken out, it can be cooked into famous dishes and pastries such as crab and pork meat patties, peacock shrimp crab, crab oil aspic balls, fired crab meat and small steamed buns stuffed with crab meat...etc.
You will have a crab lunch at a local restaurant and then being driven to visit Tiger Hill and a Silk Factory. At the end of the tour, you will be transferred back your hotel or downtown railway station where this day tour concludes.
Next, you will be transferred to Tai Hu Lake to visit crab farm and learn how to feed and catch crab. Taihu crab grows in the waters of Taihu Lake. They have blue and black colored tiger-like print on their back and blue and white color on their belly. There is a navel on their belly, which is cuspate for male and round for female, with coarse hairs inside. The crab is a migratory creature. In winter and autumn when second instar crab has mature sex glands, they will swim downstream in groups eastwards to the shallow sea at the intersection of the river and the sea where they will multiply before ending their lives.
In early summer the following year, small crab which is incubated will swim against the flow back to live in the waters of the Taihu Lake. After some exuviation, they will grow up gradually and become matured crab the next year. Taihu Lake crab is big and heavy with fat and thick crab roe and delicate fine meat. It is extraordinary plump and beautiful. There are five features to identify Taihu Lake crabs, which are “blue-green shell, white belly, golden feet, yellow hairs and hard shell body.” “As autumn wind blows, crab feet will itch.” The period from Cold Dew to the Beginning of Winter is a season when Taihu Lake crabs are in the market. It has become a custom to eat female crab in September of lunar calendar and male crab in October of lunar calendar as well a culture to watch chrysanthemum, eat crabs, and drink yellow wine. Traditional cooking methods of Taihu Lake crab include steam, boil, battered and fried, marinated in wine and slated...etc. After crab meat is taken out, it can be cooked into famous dishes and pastries such as crab and pork meat patties, peacock shrimp crab, crab oil aspic balls, fired crab meat and small steamed buns stuffed with crab meat...etc.
You will have a crab lunch at a local restaurant and then being driven to visit Tiger Hill and a Silk Factory. At the end of the tour, you will be transferred back your hotel or downtown railway station where this day tour concludes.
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