Nianhua Bay
Nianhua Bay, a small town adjoining the Lingshan Scenic Area, has an antique style themed on Chan (Zen) Buddhism. Buildings such as the Chan Music Hall, Hundred Flowers Hall,…
Nianhua Bay, Wuxi
Key facts
- Admission
- ¥150; free entry for guests staying within Nianhua Bay
- Opening hours
- 9:00–21:00 (Sunday–Thursday); 9:00–21:30 (Friday–Saturday)
- Time needed
- 3–5 hours
- Getting there
- Near Lingshan Scenic Area bus stop (灵山胜境)
- Guidebook rating
- 3 / 5
From China Self Guided Travel 2025, page 1083. Open in Google Maps
About Nianhua Bay
Nianhua Bay, a small town adjoining the Lingshan Scenic Area, has an antique style themed on Chan (Zen) Buddhism. Buildings such as the Chan Music Hall, Hundred Flowers Hall, Miaoyin Terrace and Nianhua Hall each have their own character. The quiet, romantic night scenery of Nianhua Bay is beautiful, and watching the unusual 3D water-screen film on Nianhua Lake is a very novel experience. The town is dotted with small bridges, flowing streams and garden vignettes, making it especially suited to relaxing and cultivating one’s inner peace.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Nianhua Bay cost?
Admission to Nianhua Bay is ¥150; free entry for guests staying within Nianhua Bay, as listed in the 2025 guidebook. Prices can change; check the official channel before you go.
What are the opening hours of Nianhua Bay?
Nianhua Bay is open 9:00–21:00 (Sunday–Thursday); 9:00–21:30 (Friday–Saturday).
How do I get to Nianhua Bay?
Near Lingshan Scenic Area bus stop (灵山胜境)
How long should I spend at Nianhua Bay?
Plan on 3–5 hours for Nianhua Bay.
Where is Nianhua Bay?
Nianhua Bay is in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, in the East China of China.
More places in Wuxi
Lingshan Brahma Palace Scenic Area
Known as the “Oriental Cathedral.” Completed in 2008, Brahma Palace is opulent and magnificent, unlike traditional Buddhist sites. The whole complex is built into the mountain and brings together the architectural essence of the world’s three major Buddhist language traditions. It houses many cultural heritage items and artistic treasures, including Dongyang wood carving, Dunhuang murals, Yangzhou lacquerware, cloisonné, Shoushan stone carving and famille-rose porcelain vats from Jingdezhen. Together with the Lingshan Grand Buddha and the Nine Dragons Bathing the Buddha, it forms the three great wonders of the Lingshan Scenic Area.
Combined ticket ¥210 (joint ticket with Lingshan Grand Buddha Scenic Area) · 2-3 hours
Lingshan Grand Buddha
The world’s tallest outdoor bronze Buddha statue. This is a site Wuxi people take great pride in. The statue was sculpted according to the Buddhist scriptures’ description of the thirty-two marks of a Tathagata. Its gentle face smiles and gazes out over all beings. Its right hand forms the mudra of bestowing wishes, representing the gift of joy, and the marks on its chest represent boundless virtue and dignity. On the eve of the solar and lunar New Year each year, Lingshan holds a grand bell-ringing ceremony.
Adult tickets from ¥210 for Lingshan Scenic Area · 1–3 hours
Yuantouzhu Scenic Area
Yuantouzhu is a peninsula in Wuxi on the northwest shore of Lake Taihu. Its name comes from a large rock jutting into the lake that resembles a floating turtle (yuan) raising its head. It is one of the main attractions of the Taihu Scenic Area. Guo Moruo praised it in verse, “The finest spot on Lake Taihu is, after all, Yuantou,” which made its charm known far and wide. The beauty of Yuantouzhu has been admired since ancient times, and many literati have written verses about it. During the Southern Liang dynasty, the Guangfu Nunnery was built here, one of the “Four Hundred and Eighty Temples of the Southern Dynasties, Countless Towers and Terraces in the Mist and Rain.” In the early Ming dynasty, “Spring Swell on Lake Taihu” was listed among the “Eight Views of Wuxi.”
¥90; ferry fares vary · 3–6 hours
Wuxi Film and Television Base
The Film and Television Base features a large complex of classical architecture. Three Kingdoms City was built for filming Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Its architecture is majestic and powerful, and its main attractions include the Palace of King Wu, the Han Ding (Han Tripod), the Cao Camp Water Fort and Zhou Yu’s Generals’ Platform. Its rich and varied performances are a highlight: more than a dozen song-and-dance, horse-battle and film-stunt shows take place every day. Water Margin City was built for filming Water Margin. Its architecture is delicate and magnificent, and its main attractions include the Imperial Palace, Fanlou Tower, Qingming Riverside Street, Imperial Avenue, Zishi Street and Liangshan Marsh. The base also features architectural landscapes in styles such as “Old Beijing Siheyuan” (courtyard houses) and “Old Shanghai Street.”
¥90 for Three Kingdoms City, ¥85 for Water Margin City, ¥175 combined ticket for both cities · 1 day
Li Garden
Li Garden is a Jiangnan water-town garden renowned for its “artificial rockeries and skillfully borrowed real water.” According to legend, Fan Li, a Grand Master of the ancient State of Yue during the Spring and Autumn period, took the beauty Xi Shi boating here, which gave the garden its name. The 1995 Chinese stamp *Taihu · Lihu Lake in Green Mist* and the 1996 North Korean stamp *Taihu* both featured Li Garden as the main scene of Lake Taihu, making it famous far and wide.
Entry ¥30, or entry + antique-style sightseeing boat ¥60 (off-season); entry ¥45, or entry + boat ¥70 (peak season) · 2–3 hours
Donglin Academy
One of the few remaining old residences and ancient buildings in Wuxi. “The sound of wind and rain, the sound of reading, each sound enters the ear; affairs of the family, affairs of the nation, affairs of the world, each matter concerns the heart.” This famous couplet comes from Donglin Academy. Whether for its historic architecture or out of reverence for the “Eight Gentlemen of Donglin,” it is well worth a visit.
Free admission; the academy opens for night visits during summer (8:30–21:00) · 1–3 hours