Reputedly the BEST Deep-fried Glutinous Rice Ball in Suzhou Proper

Описание: Keywords: Shantang Street, Shantang River, ancient bridge, ancient architecture, youtun tuanzi, sticky rice ball, glutinous rice ball

To wrap up the mini series on the Shantang Street area, let me write a little about the street itself.
山塘街系列告一段落，最后这集的补充信息就聊聊山塘街本身吧。

Shantang Street is frequently referred to as Qili Shantang, meaning "seven-li (about 3.5km) Shantang." However, some sources claim that this is a misinterpretation, as the li in Qili doesn't refer to the unit of distance "li" i.e. Chinese mile, but rather the li in the animal limao (the term could denote a variety of animals, such as ocelot). Hence, there are seven limao statues on the street.
大概七里长的山塘街别称"七里山塘"，但也有"七狸山塘"这说法，山塘街上的确分布着七座石雕狸猫。

At one end of the roughly seven li-long Shantang Street is Huqiu, i.e. "Tiger Hill," which my local friend asserts is more worthy of a visit than the world-renowned classical gardens of Suzhou. It is awesome indeed, see it in the second half of this early video (   • Pick My Crab! Chinese Mitten Crabs Picked ...  ), which unfortunately does no justice to its awesomeness. Let me quickly share a small tale about Huqiu here. Story goes that the hill was named as such cuz a white tiger was spotted crouching on the hill after King Helü of Wu was buried here, under the Huqiu Tower. People believed the tiger to be a manifestation of some mystical sword buried w/ King Helü. Centuries later, when Tang Dynasty official and poet Bai Juyi ordered the excavation of a channel that would become Shantang River, he also instructed seven limao statues erected as totems to counteract bloodshed associated w/ swords.
山塘街的一端是虎丘，我一位本地朋友认为这比饮誉全球的苏州园林更值得逛逛，等以后有机会再去拍拍 (前年秋天拍过，但水平惨不忍睹)，不过这里分享一个小故事。诸多史料记载，吴王阖闾的墓穴位于虎丘塔下，陪葬的三千把宝剑藏于旁边剑池里头。相传阖闾下葬不久后，人们看到一只白虎踞守丘上，虎丘由此得名。大家认为那白虎实则是葬剑冢之中的剑气所化，后来白居易开凿山塘河的时候，下令在七处沿河风水地摆放石狸像，以镇压剑意杀气。

This is one story behind the seven limao statues, and just another legend surrounding this legendary street.
这是关于七狸的解释之一，也是关于传奇山塘街的众多传说之一。

PS: Old video w/ details about the peculiar character "tun" in youtun tuanzi    • More on Suzhou's Famous FMHJ Wet Market: "...  
油氽团子的"氽" (读tun) 是不是跟"汆" (cuan) 很像双胞胎？看看上面的老视频，就知道怎么记住"氽"字了。

Name: 荣阳楼 (山塘街店)
Add.: 山塘街329号 (江苏苏州 Suzhou, Jiangsu Province)
Tel.: (0512) 65529665
Cost (this meal): RMB 10/p
Price (online info): RMB 15/p