The Taierzhuang Ancient Town Scenic Area is located in Taierzhuang District, Zaozhuang City, Shandong Province. It is a national 5A-level tourist attraction with a total area of 2 square kilometers, of which the core area is 1.6 square kilometers. The scenic area takes "battle culture" and "canal culture" as its two core characteristics, and is a composite tourist attraction integrating ancient town sightseeing, cultural experience, leisure vacation, and red education. The ancient town retains architectural relics from the Ming and Qing dynasties, such as ancient dwellings, ancient shops, and ancient wharves, with a total building area of about 380,000 square meters. At the same time, following the principle of "original space, original scale, and original appearance," a large number of ancient buildings have been reconstructed, forming a water town layout with crisscrossing "ponds," "streets," and "alleys." It has 15 kilometers of water streets and water alleys and 30 bridges with distinctive features, and is known as the "living ancient canal" and "China's most beautiful water town."
Historical Culture
The historical culture of Taierzhuang Ancient Town is inseparable from canal culture and battle culture. As an important node of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, Taierzhuang has been a hub for north-south water transportation since the Ming and Qing dynasties. Merchant ships gathered and business firms stood in great numbers, gradually forming a prosperous scene of "one river with fishing lights, songs for ten miles, and a market that never closes at night." This gave birth to a unique canal commercial culture. The existing ancient wharves, ancient guild halls (such as the Fujian Guild Hall and Shanxi Guild Hall), and other relics are all witnesses to the prosperity of canal culture in those years.
The 1938 Battle of Taierzhuang was an important battle in the history of China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. As the main battlefield of the battle, the ancient town witnessed the heroic resistance of the Chinese army and ultimately achieved the greatest victory since the beginning of the war of resistance. This battle made Taierzhuang an important red education base. The ancient town retains a large number of battle relics, such as bullet-hole walls and the former site of a field hospital, and also has the Taierzhuang Battle Memorial Hall, which displays in detail the historical background, process, and significance of the battle and carries forward the spirit of patriotism.
Main Attractions
Taierzhuang Battle Memorial Hall
The Taierzhuang Battle Memorial Hall covers an area of 34,000 square meters, with a building area of 6,000 square meters. It consists of exhibition halls, a film and television hall, a calligraphy and painting hall, a monument, and other parts. Through a large number of historical photos, cultural relics, video materials, and scene restorations, the exhibition halls vividly reproduce the tragic process of the Battle of Taierzhuang, including precious cultural relics such as weapons used in the battle, soldiers' remains, and command documents. The film and television hall continuously plays the documentary film "Bloody Battle of Taierzhuang," allowing tourists to more intuitively feel the tragic and heroic nature of the battle. The memorial hall is a national patriotism education demonstration base and attracts a large number of tourists every year to pay tribute to the martyrs.
Ancient Canal Wharf Group
The ancient canal wharf group in Taierzhuang Ancient Town is an important carrier of canal culture. There are 11 existing ancient wharves from the Ming and Qing dynasties, such as the Dayamen Street Wharf and Yuehe Wharf. These wharves are paved with bluestone slabs, with well-arranged steps, witnessing the prosperous history of Taierzhuang as an important canal town. Among them, the Dayamen Street Wharf was one of the busiest wharves at that time, about 50 meters long and 8 meters wide. It was once the main place for merchant ships from north and south to load and unload goods. Today, tourists can take black-awning boats here and tour the ancient town along the water streets and alleys, experiencing the artistic conception of "the boat travels in the water, and people sit in a painting."
Fuxing Tower
Fuxing Tower is one of the landmark buildings of Taierzhuang Ancient Town. It is 38 meters high and has 7 floors. It adopts the architectural style of the Ming and Qing dynasties, with upturned eaves and corners, and is magnificent. The tower displays the development process of Taierzhuang from ancient times to modern times. The top floor has an observation deck, where visitors can overlook the whole ancient town and the canal scenery. At night, Fuxing Tower is brightly lit and complements the surrounding water streets and alleys, becoming one of the highlights of the ancient town's night view.
Guandi Temple
Taierzhuang Guandi Temple was first built in the Qing dynasty. It covers an area of about 3,000 square meters, with a building area of 1,200 square meters. It consists of a mountain gate, main hall, side halls, and a theater building. It is one of the relatively well-preserved ancient buildings in the ancient town. The main hall enshrines a statue of Guan Yu, with statues of Guan Ping and Zhou Cang on both sides. The wood carvings and stone carvings in the hall are exquisitely crafted and have high artistic value. As a place where merchant groups once offered sacrifices and held discussions, Guandi Temple reflects the commercial spirit of honest operation in canal culture and is now also a good place for tourists to experience traditional folk culture.
West Gate Street
West Gate Street is one of the core commercial streets of Taierzhuang Ancient Town. It is about 500 meters long and 8 meters wide. Both sides are lined with a large number of shops in Ming and Qing style, selling local specialties, handicrafts, specialty snacks, and more. The street surface is paved with bluestone slabs, and the buildings on both sides are mostly two-story pavilions with carved beams and painted rafters, simple and elegant. This is not only a place for tourists to shop and consume, but also an important area for experiencing the market culture of the ancient town. Folk artist performances on the street (such as shadow puppetry and dough figurine making) add a strong atmosphere of daily life.
Food
Special Foods in the Scenic Area
The specialty foods in Taierzhuang Ancient Town are mainly in the Lunan flavor. Among them, "Taierzhuang Spicy Chicken" is the most famous. Local free-range native chickens are selected and stir-fried with dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and other seasonings. The chicken is tender, spicy, and fragrant. One portion costs about 88 yuan. In addition, "Canal Mixed Fish Pot" is also very popular. Fresh mixed fish from the canal are selected and stewed with tofu, vermicelli, and other ingredients. The soup is rich and the taste is delicious. One portion costs about 68 yuan and is a traditional method of local fishermen.
Surrounding Food
There are many specialty restaurants in Taierzhuang District around the ancient town. The "Canal Family Restaurant," about 2 kilometers from the scenic area, features canal fisherman's cuisine. The restaurant's "fermented fish" uses canal crucian carp and is made through pickling and fermentation. The meat is tender and has a rich wine aroma. One portion costs about 48 yuan. In addition, "vegetable pancake" is a local traditional snack made from flour, eggs, and various vegetables. The outer skin is crispy and the filling is rich. One costs about 8 yuan. It is convenient and quick and is deeply loved by tourists.
Tickets：
Tickets are 118 yuan per person.
You can search for the official WeChat public account "Taierzhuang Ancient Town" to obtain the latest updates or buy tickets online.
Opening Hours：
Open all day (24 hours), but the opening hours of some attractions and shops are different. Generally speaking, the opening hours of attractions are 8:00-22:00, the business hours of shops are 9:00-23:00, and night tour projects (such as light shows and boat tours) are mainly open from 19:00-22:00. The opening hours of the Taierzhuang Battle Memorial Hall are 9:00-17:00 (last admission at 16:30, closed on Mondays, except statutory holidays).
Tour Route：
A recommended two-day tour route: On the first day, enter the ancient town at 9:00 a.m., visit West Gate Street, experience market culture, and visit Guandi Temple; at noon, taste specialty foods such as spicy chicken in the scenic area; in the afternoon, go to the ancient canal wharf group and take a black-awning boat to tour the water streets and alleys (about 1 hour), then visit canal cultural relics such as the Fujian Guild Hall and Shanxi Guild Hall; at night, enjoy the ancient town's night view and light show, and stay in a characteristic inn in the ancient town. On the second day, visit the Taierzhuang Battle Memorial Hall in the morning (about 2 hours) to learn about the history of the battle; at noon, taste foods such as fermented fish in surrounding restaurants; in the afternoon, visit Fuxing Tower, go to the top to overlook the whole ancient town, then browse the handicraft shops in the scenic area, buy souvenirs, and leave the scenic area at around 16:00.
Transportation：
Public transportation: From Zaozhuang Station (high-speed rail station), you can take BRT rapid transit line B10 directly to the Taierzhuang Ancient Town Visitor Center. The journey takes about 1.5 hours and the fare is 5 yuan; from Taierzhuang Bus Station, walk about 10 minutes to reach the west gate entrance of the ancient town; you can also take the scenic area's free shuttle bus (from the visitor center to the ancient town entrance).
Self-driving: Starting from Jinan, drive south along the Beijing-Taiwan Expressway, turn onto the Lancao Expressway, exit at Taierzhuang, and follow navigation instructions to the Taierzhuang Ancient Town parking lot. The whole journey is about 350 kilometers and takes about 4 hours. There are multiple parking lots in and around the scenic area, with a parking fee of 5 yuan/hour.
Taxi/ride-hailing: Take a taxi from Taierzhuang Station (high-speed rail station) to the ancient town visitor center. The whole journey is about 50 kilometers, takes about 1 hour, and costs about 100 yuan.
Must-Visit Attractions：
Taierzhuang Battle Memorial Hall: Covers an area of 34,000 square meters, with a building area of 6,000 square meters. It comprehensively displays the history of the Battle of Taierzhuang through cultural relics, video materials, and other materials, and is an important place for patriotism education.
Ancient Canal Wharf Group: There are 11 existing ancient wharves from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Visitors can take a black-awning boat (about 1 hour, ticket 60 yuan/person) to tour 15 kilometers of water streets and alleys and feel the charm of the "living ancient canal."
Fuxing Tower: 38 meters high and 7 floors, it is a landmark building of the ancient town. Going to the top allows visitors to overlook the whole ancient town. At night, the lights are brilliant, and the night view is highly ornamental.
Travel Suggestions：
It is recommended to spend 2 days to fully experience the culture, night view, and surrounding attractions of the ancient town and avoid a rushed itinerary.
A night tour of the ancient town is a major feature. It is recommended to stay in an inn in the ancient town and experience the water town atmosphere at night and the light show (two shows every night at 19:30 and 20:30).
When taking a black-awning boat through the water alleys, you can choose the boatman explanation service (additional charge of 20 yuan) to learn about the historical stories and architectural features of the ancient town.
In summer, pay attention to heatstroke prevention and carry a sunshade, fan, and other items; in winter, it is relatively cold, so pay attention to keeping warm. Some water alleys may freeze, so be careful when walking.
When buying specialties, compare prices at several stores. Handicrafts such as Taierzhuang clay sculptures and canal stone paintings are of commemorative significance.
Notes：
There are many water streets and alleys in the ancient town. Watch your step when walking, especially on rainy days, as the bluestone roads are slippery and falls should be avoided.
When taking a boat tour, wear a life jacket properly, obey boating regulations, and do not chase or play on the boat.
Maintain solemnity in the Taierzhuang Battle Memorial Hall. Loud noises are prohibited, and exhibits may not be touched.
During peak seasons (holidays and summer), there are many tourists. It is recommended to travel at off-peak times and book accommodation and tickets in advance.
Protect the ancient town environment, do not litter, do not damage ancient buildings or facilities, and abide by the scenic area management regulations.