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Home Travel in Jiangsu Tongli Ancient Town
Tongli Ancient Town

         Tongli
Located at the bank of Tai Lake (tài hú 太湖), with eight lakes surrounded, Tongli (tóng lǐ 同里) is an ancient town famous for its beautiful scenery. The town is divided into 7 parts by 15 small rivers. All the parts are connected by 49 ancient bridges, making these parts an integrated area. Most of the architectures in Tongli are built by riverside, famous for “small bridge, flowing stream and thatched households” (xiǎo qiáo liú shuǐ rén jiā 小桥流水人家). Tongli is the best-reserved ancient town by riverside as well as the key cultural relics protection unit of province level, which has been listed as one of 13 scenic spots of Tai Lake.

TongliIn history, Tongli is called “Futu”(fù tǔ 富土). In Tang Dynasty (táng cháo 唐朝), the name was changed as “铜里"(tóng lǐ) for its luxuriousness. In Song Dynasty (sòng cháo 宋朝), people re-created the two characters of “富"(fù) and “土"(tǔ) and then “同里" became the current name for the town.

Crowned as “Small Oriental Venice"(dōng fāng xiǎo wēi ní sī 东方小威尼斯), Tongli is pretty and unsophisticated. There are a large number of architectures constructed during Ming (míng cháo 明朝) and Qing dynasties (qīng cháo 清朝), small bridges, and outstanding celebrities. The most outstanding ones in Tongli are the water, the bridges, the streets and the lanes.

The Retreat and Reflection GardenWater
All the architectures in Tongli are combined with water. The Shuizhushu Garden (shuǐ zhú shù bié yè 水竹墅别业) constructed in Song Dynasty, the Water Garden (shuǐ huā yuán 水花园), and the Hulin Garden (hú lín bié yè 湖林别业) in Ming Dynasty (míng cháo 明朝) are all beside the lakes. The most outstanding one among them is the Retreat and Reflection Garden (tuì sī yuán 退思园), all the pavilions, rockeries, corridors, and halls Tea House Along the Riversideof which are close to the water, which seems like that the whole garden is on the water.

People in Tongli are fond of tea due to its plenty water. There are more than 20 tea houses in Tongli, which are all located beside the river, which makes it convenient to get water to make tea. People always say that if there is no water, there will be no Tongli exist.

Bridge
Ancient Bridge on the RiverTongli is surrounded by five lakes, and there are many rivers flowing within the town, thus there are many bridges which were constructed in different dynasties. All of the bridges are standing upright though they are passing through hundreds of years.
The oldest bridge in Tongli is the Siben Bridge (sī běn qiáo 思本桥), which is constructed during Southern Song Dynasty (nán sòng 南宋). With a history of more than 700 years, it is still standing upright, spanning on the Qiaogang Port (qiáo gǎng 桥港). The smallest bridge is the Dubu Bridge (dú bù qiáo 独步桥), which is no more than 5 chi (chǐ 尺) long and 3 chi wide. Two persons met on the bridge should go through sideways.

Dubu BridgeThe most representative bridges in Tongli are the “three bridges”, namely, Taiping Bridge (tài píng qiáo 太平桥), Jili Bridge (jí lì qiáo 吉利桥) and Changqing Bridge (cháng qìng qiáo 长庆桥). There is a local custom of going through the three bridges, which they think that will bring them good luck and happiness. Taiping Bridge and Jili Bridge are both constructed during in 12th year of Qianlong reign (qián lóng nián jiān 乾隆年间). The former one is a girder bridge, small and delicate; while the latter one is a half-moon shaped arch bridge. Changqing Bridge is also called Xiejia Bridge (xiè jiā qiáo 谢家桥), or Guangli Bridge (guǎng lì qiáo 广利桥). It was reconstructed by Chen Yong (chén yōng 陈镛) and Xie Chen (xiè chén 谢忱). These three bridges are the most popular ones among the tourist.

Mingqing StreetStreet
The streets in Tongli are with long history. The most impressive one is the Mingqing Street (míng qīng 明清街), the total length of which is 160 meters. The stone road of the street is well preserved, along which there are the buildings mainly constructed during Ming and Qing dynasties. There are various shops on the streets, some sell local specialties, some sell painting and drawings, and some sell local snacks. Each shop is with a small flag hanging in front of the door, which makes you feel that you are in ancient times.

Chuanxin LaneLane
The most famous one in all the lanes in Tongli is the Chuanxin Lane (chuān xīn lòng 穿心弄). It starts form the Yuxing Bridge (yú xíng qiáo 鱼行桥), ends in Nandi Street (nán dì 南棣), with a total length of 200 meters. On both side of the lane, there are high walls, which are more than 8 meters high. The narrowest part of the lane is only 0.8 meters wide, which permit only one person to go through. Because there is a stone ravine under the lane, it always produce noise when people walk on it, and get the name of "Musical Lane”(yīn yuè lòng 音乐弄).

Tongli Ancient Town
Location:
Tongli Town, Wujiang City (wú jiāng shì 吴江市), Jiangsu Province
Admission fee: RMB 80
Opening hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 
                         7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. (during holiday)
Transportation: there are many buses in long distance bus station can take you directly to Tongli