After a two-year gap, I revisited Puyuan Fashion Ancient Town. Unlike my last visit when it was still half-finished (but tickets were half price), it is now fully completed. The parking lot is no longer a dirt road beside the scenic area; an underground parking garage has been built. This time, I chose to stay right next to the ancient town, which allowed unlimited entry and exit to the scenic area as well as shuttle bus rides, enabling a more comprehensive experience of the town’s current state.
Puyuan Fashion Ancient Town is, in my opinion, the aesthetic pinnacle among all the ancient towns I’ve visited. Of course, this is largely because it is a completely newly built and enclosed scenic area, free from the constraints of existing architecture and the daily needs of local residents. Like Wuzhen, all the villagers inside are essentially NPCs. However, overall, I feel the commercial environment within the town still leaves something to be desired. Hardly any major chain brands have been introduced; everything remains self-operated, and the quality is, frankly, just average.
The management has gone to great lengths to encourage visitors to explore the more remote corners of the scenic area, even organizing a stamp-collecting activity across various attractions. You can pick up a stamp card at the entrance, and each attraction features a unique stamp. The process is entirely self-service, and some spots can be quite hard to find. There’s also a hidden stamp. Once you collect them all, you can redeem a souvenir at the gift shop near the exit. That said, the souvenir is merely a postcard, which feels a bit underwhelming. If you manage to get the hidden stamp, you receive a fridge magnet as a bonus, but its quality is rather poor. I think their operations team urgently needs to improve the promotional giveaways for this activity.
Nevertheless, Puyuan is truly beautiful. The architecture is stunning, the waterways are picturesque, and it fulfills every fantasy one might have of a Jiangnan water town. It’s incredibly photogenic, especially when there are fewer crowds. Moreover, the entire scenic area is vast, so places farther from the entrances and exits tend to be much less crowded. Admittedly, some areas do lack proper maintenance, but given how well-executed the overall project is, that’s already quite an achievement.
There is a performance happening on the commercial street.
Whether temples or mansions, everything is newly built, yet the architecture remains beautifully crafted.
There are also plenty of Instagrammable spots, such as the giant white horse at the Guandi Temple and the big cat statue that blinks when you press a button.
Places like the Yarn Workshop look remarkably like scenes straight out of an animated film.
The night view is also spectacular. I recommend climbing the tower after the lights come on in the evening for a panoramic view of the entire ancient town.
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