Located in the Gusu District Suzhou, the Guanqian Street is named from the Xunmiao Taoist Temple (Mysterious Taoist Temple) on the street. Guan is the Chinese pronunciation of temple thus Guanqian in Chinese means the in front of the Taoist temple. The total length of the street is around 780 meters.
The buildings on the street are all low with black, white and gray as the main colors. Even the lamps on the street incorporates the architectural elements of the Chinese folks and present the unique style of the Suzhou Gardens. There is popular sculptor artwork which reflecting the cuisine features and life scene in the 1950s.
The main attraction is the Xuanmiao Taoist Temple. The temple was firstly built in 276 and reconstructed in Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the peak time, the Taoist temple had more than 30 halls. It was the largest wooden-structure architecture of Song Dynasty in the South of Yangtze River Region. There are many precious stone tablets. The most renowned one is the stone carving of Lao Zi (the founder of the Taoist) painted by Wu Daozi, titled by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, written calligraphy by Yan Zhenqin and finally carved by Zhang Yundi of Song Dynasty. Such a historic masterpiece attracts so many folk amateurs all the time.
Taijian Long, an inner street, is another popular street which are full of food court. Among the famous restaurants on the Taijian Long, travelers could not miss the high-reputed Restaurant Songhelou, Laozhengxing Resturant, Wangsi Resturant and Gongdeli.