Yuan Yin · Yeshan Island Yunlu Hotel is built on Yeshan Island, located between Suzhou and Xishan Island. It is said that people have lived on the island since the Southern Song Dynasty. There are two villages on the island: Xuwan and Xiwan. In 1994, with the completion and opening of the Taihu Bridge, Yeshan Island became a necessary stop for traffic between downtown Suzhou and Xishan Island, and this road also divided the island in two. In 1997, 43 households from the West Peninsula collectively developed apartment buildings in the eastern part of the island through land exchange. The villagers began to live an urban lifestyle, and the West Peninsula transitioned from a production and living space to an ecological space.
Although the villagers moved into apartments, their traditional way of life did not change. After the collective relocation, the old houses on the West Peninsula gradually turned into breeding farms for the villagers; they reclaimed land to grow vegetables, raised flocks of chickens and ducks, creating foul odors, and the shoreline was filled with garbage. In May 2023, Suzhou Gardens Group and the Wuzhong District Government cooperated to launch the Yeshan Island Ecological Restoration and Ancient Village Protection and Utilization Project.
“The Yeshan Island Ancient Village Renovation and Protection Project follows the principle of ‘restoring the old as it was,’ focusing on the authenticity of architectural styles and traditional craftsmanship. Using the intangible cultural heritage construction techniques of the ‘Xiangshan Gang,’ 43 old houses were renovated one by one.
As for this hotel, due to ecological protection requirements, there was zero new construction; it consists entirely of 43 old residences. On booking platforms, it is listed as two separate hotels: one called Xuwan, with room types starting with ‘Yunlu,’ and one called Xiwan, with room types starting with ‘Yunyin.’ In terms of positioning, the Xuwan property is more upscale, with most units featuring private courtyards and private hot springs. The overall development standard is quite high; although the exterior retains the appearance of old houses, the interior can be described as essentially brand new within a vintage-looking shell.
For this stay, we booked the Yuan Yin Two-Bedroom Villa. Although it is listed as 76 square meters, the actual area far exceeds this. It is a standalone two-story building with living rooms and guest rooms on both the first and second floors, offering a very spacious layout. There is also a terrace on the second floor, which is nice in good weather, though a bit cold in winter.
The first-floor living room features fairly simple decor.
The first floor has a twin-bed room. The room’s decor is decent, featuring very standard five-star hotel amenities. Although it comes equipped with a Dyson hair dryer, Bulgari toiletries, and cotton towels, unfortunately, there is only a single sink. The room’s thermal insulation is not particularly good, and the hot water takes a while to arrive. The air conditioning is also not very effective in winter; especially when outdoor temperatures drop below zero, the unit requires frequent defrosting.
The staircase leading to the second floor—the cleaning here feels somewhat average.
The second-floor living room feels noticeably more modern.
The second-floor bedroom features a king-size bed.
Being a renovation of an ancient village with zero new construction, it is indeed less appealing than a newly built resort. Everything here is very restrained, and the architectural style is fixed—resembling the common self-built house style found in rural Jiangnan. Compared to newly developed resorts, it lacks distinct character, guests are very scarce, and the overall facilities are somewhat average.
The main amenities include a café, a teahouse, a bar (which may be closed in winter), a noodle shop (open only on weekends), a lobby that doubles as a library, and a restaurant.
The café, called Hushuo Coffee, is located by the lake. Guests receive complimentary coffee vouchers upon check-in. They offer a wide variety of options, and the coffee is quite good.
You can watch the sunset from outside the restaurant.
Inside the restaurant, though you can still feel a cold draft near the windows. The food tastes quite good, and breakfast is also served here. There are very few guests.
At this time of year, the most popular activity nearby is surprisingly feeding seagulls. Red-billed gulls migrating south from Siberia or the Mongolian Plateau to overwinter gather here, drawing massive crowds every weekend.
There is also a popular time-honored preserved fruit factory. During the sweet osmanthus season every year, it is packed with people. Right now, only other types of preserved fruits are available, but it’s still worth stopping by to check in and pick some up.
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