Three Suzhou highways included in national beautiful roads list

The 2026 National Beautiful Roads List has been released recently. Three Suzhou highways are selected.

Taicang Taisha Line

Stretching 12.5 kilometers, the Taisha Line太沙线 connects not only Chengxiang Town and Shaxi Town, but also a string of hidden gems along the way. It links Jincang Lake Wetland Park featuring a vast expanse of blue waters, the Ming and Qing Dynasty stone bridges in Shaxi Ancient Town, Taicang Museum, rice paddy fields at Donglin Village, and the legacy of zhuangyuan (imperial top scholars) at Wanfeng Village. 

Jincang Lake Wetland Park

Shaxi Ancient Town

Donglin Village

Wanfeng Village

It has also been designated a provincial-level "Highway Safety Model," with high-strength steel guardrails, active luminous signage, bridge health monitoring systems, intelligent unmanned sweepers and guardrail-cleaning vehicles operating on a regular basis.

Zhangjiagang Pastoral Scenic Road

Spanning 31.317 kilometers, this road consists of one main line and eight branch lines, covering county, township, and village road networks. The main line is paved with steel slag asphalt, a byproduct of steelmaking that turns waste into treasure, offering both environmental benefits and durability. The branch lines feature even more innovative colorful scenic pavement.

The road serves agricultural bases across the entire region, connecting the Yangtze River shoreline, fertile fields, and flower seas. Along the route are trails, viewing platforms, and an observation tower. In spring, rapeseed flowers paint the landscape golden; in autumn, rice waves roll like the sea. As the seasons turn, it becomes a flowing ecological corridor. Farming experiences, fruit picking, and agricultural study tours bring new life to traditional farming. Countryside marathons, spring flower-viewing events, and autumn harvest celebrations draw crowds year-round. Bed-and-breakfasts and agritourism businesses along the route are thriving.

Wujiang Huanyuandang Highway

Huanyuandang Highway is an inter-provincial corridor composed of three county roads, namely Hushen Line (Yuandang Road)元荡路, Zhoulu Line周芦线, and Zhouhu Line周湖线. Located at the heart of the Yangtze River Delta Integration Demonstration Zone, it creates a seamless connection between Wujiang District in Suzhou and Qingpu District in Shanghai.

Drawing on the unique water-town landscape of Yuandang, the road features an integrated slow-traffic network that combines greenways, blueways, and scenic byways. The road winds through the scenery, and the scenery extends with the road. Driving here feels like traveling through a painting. 

The highway also connects four provincial-level characteristic pastoral villages and the Yuandang Beautiful Village Cluster. Notably, this road was previously named one of the nation's Top Ten "Highway + Tourism" Integrated Development Cases.