Shuangfeng Ancient Town

Shuangfeng is named after the temple and prospers due to religion. It has a history of nearly 1700 years and has the reputation of ‘thousand-year ancient town, Shuangfeng blessed land’. Here is the hometown of Chinese folk art dragon and lion. There are Liangzhu cultural sites discovered through archaeological excavation. The main scenic spots include Shuangfeng Temple, Jade Emperor Pavilion, Shanggang Bridge, Weixin Site, etc.

Shuangfeng Temple: It is a thousand-year-old ancient temple. According to literature records, the name of Shuangfeng Town comes from Shuangfeng Temple. Shuangfeng Temple was built in the Jin Dynasty more than 1600 years ago. According to legend, when Monk Zhidun of the Eastern Jin Dynasty built the temple and dug the ground, he found two stone turtles. Immediately, they turned into two phoenixes and flew away. Therefore, the temple is named Shuangfeng Temple. Shuangfeng Temple is located on the outskirts of Taicang. A ribbon-shaped river surrounds Shuangfeng Temple. The Yudai Bridge at the entrance is built across the river. Looking up, one can see the archway that stops for good Buddha. Inside the temple, the Heavenly King Hall and the Great Buddha Hall stand in succession, and the Ksitigarbha Hall and the Guanyin Hall are seated on the left and right respectively. In the backyard, there are monk rooms, meditation halls, and places specially for foreign lay people to rest.

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Weixin Site: The Weixin Site, known as the ‘root of Taicang’, fills the gap of Taicang’s primitive culture. The discovery of Liangzhu culture and Maqiao culture at the Weixin Site traces Taicang’s documented history back about 4500 years. The Weixin Site protection project covers an area of more than 15,000 square meters, of which the exhibition hall has a construction area of 630 square meters. The northern area of the site combines the original ecological environment and life scene landscapes and unearthed artifacts from the site to vividly reproduce the primitive human culture of Taicang 4500 years ago. The exhibition hall has a simple and natural style and integrates protection, display, popular education, and tourism development. Through ‘excavation areas’, ‘settlement areas’, ‘farming areas’, ‘fishing and hunting areas’, etc., one can experience the cordial, natural and lively local customs of Taicang.

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Shuangfeng Dragon and Lion Exhibition Hall: Located on Shuangfeng Yipin Food Street, it is the only dragon and lion exhibition hall in Taicang. Nearly a hundred dragon and lion products of different colors and specifications are placed in the hall, including lanterns, lions, dragon heads, etc. In addition, the exhibition hall also shows visitors the historical origin and evolutionary development process of Shuangfeng’s dragon and lion culture in the form of pictures and text descriptions. Open hours and specific business status are subject to the opening situation on the day.

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