Yixing Yaohu Town is located within the Yangxian Ecological Tourism Resort in Zhangzhu Town, Yixing City. Similar to Wuzhen, Puyuan, and Nianhua Bay, it is planned as an immersive small-town experience. After more than six years of construction, trial operations began a year ago. The entire area is vast, featuring two hotels, a convention center, an ancient town, and a small train. The overall hardware standards are high, reflecting significant investment, which is reportedly over 8 billion RMB.
The small train in the town runs on a track approximately 6.2 kilometers long. A clockwise tour around the town takes about 50 minutes, passing through various scenes including viaducts, tunnels, lakes, bamboo forests, and tea fields. During evening music fountain and fireworks shows, special train services stop for viewing.
Yaohu Grand Hotel is the best hotel in the town and the only one located inside the paid scenic area. Situated in a relatively central location with a total of 675 rooms, checking in during peak times can be extremely crowded.
This time, we stayed in a Tea Creek Balcony Room on the top floor of the hotel, offering beautiful views from outside. The room is 53 square meters and features a bathroom with double sinks.
There is another hotel in the scenic area called the Yaofactory Resort Hotel, with 599 rooms. Located on the periphery of the scenic area, it requires an electric cart ride to reach the town center. The rooms are larger and prices are lower, making it a cost-effective choice.
Inside the hotel, there is also a Zisha Holy Hall, a venue used for weddings. When no events are scheduled, it remains empty and open for photography; it looks quite beautiful.
Stepping out of the hotel leads directly into the town. The overall style is quite classical, though all buildings are newly constructed. Currently, many buildings remain vacant, and commercial development is generally insufficient. Shops mainly focus on pottery and intangible cultural heritage experiences, and very few have air conditioning turned on. Dining options are even worse; not only are there few restaurants, but the food is also unappetizing, completely failing to meet the needs of visitors here.
The Dragon Water Show venue features fountains and fireworks, with two performances every night. However, it is indeed quite far away, and walking there without an electric cart can be a bit of a trek. Fortunately, it can also be viewed from the hotel balcony.
The landscape design of the town is very beautiful and perfect for taking photos.
This place is said to be a winery, but it has just been built and has not yet started operations.
The Zizaigu area is a spot for everyone to enjoy water activities.
Overall, the location of the town is excellent, as it is rare to find a place with both mountains and water. Unlike places like Wuzhen that have water but no mountains, the natural scenery here is beautiful, and the hotel facilities are very good. However, supporting amenities are currently inadequate, especially dining, where both quantity and quality need improvement. Among the few restaurants in the town, it is hard to recommend even one. With large areas of vacant buildings, it is difficult to find a place to sit and cool off in the air conditioning when tired from exploring, and the electric cart routes are also insufficient.
Staying at the Yaofactory Resort Hotel allows you to drive into the scenic area, which is convenient. However, the overall location is somewhat remote, with little commerce nearby, and driving out won’t help you find food either… Opposite the Water World, there is a cafeteria-style Yaohu Market where the lamb noodles are quite tasty. This area does not require an entrance ticket and can be reached via the hotel’s electric cart. In fact, the commercial street section of the entire town is only about 1 km long; it is not very extensive, and entertainment value is limited. A one-night stay is sufficient, as staying longer might get boring.
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