Qiandeng, Jiangsu Province

Qiandeng literally means "a thousand lamps," and was previously called Qiandun (a thousand mounds), because of the saying that there were once 1,000 mounds there. In the Jiangsu accent, "Deng" and "Dun" sound alike, so the name was changed to Qiandeng.

In ancient times, Qiandeng had the largest pawnshop of the regions south of the Yangtze River. As a rich town, it brought it flagstones from other towns and paved a 1.5-kilometer street, which attracted many photographers. The Qiandeng Museum has thousands of lamps on exhibition, providing a history of lights from the Neolithic period.

Tips:

1. Qiandeng is 15 kilometers from the southeastern Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, 30 kilometers from the Suzhou city center and 35 kilometers away from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. Take bus No. 107 or No. 2 from the Kunshan Train Station to the bus station, and then get the transfer bus to Qiandeng.

2. The through ticket of Qiandeng costs 60 yuan, including entrance to the Qiandeng Museum and the former residence of Gu Yanwu, a famous ideologist of China.