Country Driving: A Road Trip through Ancient China

September 29 through October 6 was this year’s Golden Week in China. Students had off-time from class to work on theses, sightsee in Nanjing, or travel. For Golden Week 2023, Sam Trizza, his roommate Jack 周峰, Brock Mullen, and Sam Parmer took a road trip through nearby provinces, visiting ancient towns and rural areas.  

Before I arrived at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, I was recommended a book by Peter Hessler called Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory. I picked it up at the HNC library and, with my roommate Jack’s overwhelming kindness, we planned a road trip through Jiangsu 江苏, Zhejiang 浙江, and Anhui 安徽––a circle around Taihu Lake––for Golden Week. Here are notes from our journey: 

Day 1: We left Nanjing for the Number #1 Road 一号公路 in Yixing, Jiangsu to have lunch with one of Jack’s students and her family. Besides being an HNC student, Jack is primarily an English teacher helping students focus on their oratory skills. Yoyo (10), Andrew (7), and their parents were generous hosts. We had a large meal with tea and conversation covering Yoyo’s questions about America, why we thought it was important to study at the HNC, and our questions about life in Yixing and the Chinese economy. We finished our visit with a stroll in a countryside park where locals were hanging out with their sugarcane-eating kids. We spent the night near Wuxi 无锡 where one young Chinese boy was fascinated with the American military and asked us if we knew his school friend who visited America last year.  

Day 2: We traveled to Suzhou 苏州, the “Venice of the East”, to see the Pingjiang Road and the Grand Canal, which was dug during the Sui Dynasty (581 - 618 AD). Never did we see more people during Golden Week than at Pingjiang. It was truly a 人山人海 experience. Then we headed for Tongli 同里古镇, a preserved ancient town with more dense waterways than Suzhou. We stayed in the heart of town in a hotel owned by a local family­­––it felt more like we were staying in their house. The hotel had furniture that was over a hundred years old, Mao memorabilia, and 3 courtyards in a long-line fashion that symbolized prosperity in Chinese architecture and home design. 

Day 3: We left Tongli and headed for Moganshan 莫干山. We passed by Hangzhou 杭州 since the 19th Asian Games were in session and we dared not go near the crowds or traffic. The rolling hills that came from the plains of Hangzhou turned into the jagged, bamboo-covered mountains of Zhejiang province 浙江 which surprised us Americans. There were sometimes trees on the mountains, but mostly bamboo, which has bright green leaves at the top, making all of the mountains look that brighter green. Moganshan is home to lots of villas including one for Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek. After a 30-minute twisty-windy bus ride down the mountain, I was pretty motion-sick. One woman actually threw up when we got off the bus. Not a bus ride I’d like to do again.

Pretty tired from an afternoon on the mountain, we drove through Anji 安吉, a small town that surprisingly was home to a massive castle called ‘Hello Kitty World.’ Instead of stopping there, we visited a local night market. It became apparent that many of the little kids there didn’t have much interaction with foreigners. Maybe Hello Kitty World doesn’t have a big western draw. There, we received what was very common on this trip, and sometimes so common even in Nanjing: little kids walking up to us, staring straight up, and sometimes not saying a word. The occasional waiguoren or ni hengao was shared. The folks at the market were very kind. We had some of the best fried dumplings, bought some blueberry wine, chitchatted, and were on our way.  

We made it to a rural hotel, enjoyed the wine outside, and ended up talking with the owner for around two and a half hours. She gave us snacks to enjoy our blueberry wine with and poured us glasses of her homemade Chinese bayberry wine. She had never had Americans at her hotel. We learned about her son in school, her TikTok-famous daughter studying in Hangzhou, and a bit of her family history. She was a fantastic host who shared culture and conversation with us. 

Day 4: We left that morning for Huizhou 徽州 and Hongcun 宏村, two AAAAA (5A) rated tourist sites that boast ancient villages with shops. One thing became very apparent during our trip: China’s history is full of places that were built, destroyed, and rebuilt many times, and places that were important to multiple dynasties. It almost felt useless to keep track of which dynasties did what where. On the car ride into Anhui, Jack explained that all the villages and rural areas we had visited up to that point were some of the richest in China. They were byproducts of being in the Yangtze River Delta 长三角, one of China’s most prosperous economic zones full of companies and industry. But once we entered Anhui, Jack pointed out that even the roads were a little worse.  

Instead of seeing Hongcun that night, we decided to get up early and see it the next day, and instead grab dinner, a massage, and a night’s sleep.

  

Day 5: Hongcun was pretty incredible and transported you instantly. It was established in 1131 by the Southern Song Dynasty. We tried some xian bing 馅饼 from a man who said it was Hongcun’s best. I believe him! We walked around and appreciated the old-style architecture, close-quarter walkways, and good food. Scenes from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon were also filmed at Hongcun. After a morning in Hongcun, we started the long drive back to Nanjing.

Overall, the trip was eye-opening to learn about ancient China and the Yangtze River Delta, but most importantly, to have interactions with Chinese people outside of Nanjing. They provided interesting perspectives on issues here and abroad. All along the trip, we had our trusty guide, driver, and friend Jack to help us understand and interpret what we were seeing. On numerous occasions his commentary helped inject more flavor to what we were experiencing and he was able to provide thoughtful perspective and answers to questions we had. 

For those who seek a Chinese road trip adventure, three pieces of advice: read Peter Hessler’s book, make a great friend like Jack, and study at the HNC! 

Written by Sam Trizza, Cert+MAIR 2025