Tongli



Tongli, which belongs to Wujiang in Jiangsu Province, is located along the bank of Tai Lake and to the
east of ancient canal with eight lakes surrounded; it is 80 kilometers away from Shanghai Hongqiao
Airport in the east and 18 kilometers away from Suzhou in the north.

Tongli is an ancient water town in east China's Jiangsu Province. Tongli enjoys fame across China for
its beautiful rivers, historic bridges and opulent court yard homes. With a history spanning over 1000
years, this water town has long been a mecca for tourists, who are not only drawn by its architecture
and waterways but also the vibrant local culture.

Tongli ancient town with beautiful scenery is surrounded by five lakes, namely Tongli, Jiuli, Yeze,
Nanxing and Pangshan. The town is divided into 7 small islands by 15 rivers arranged like the Chinese character “川” connected by 49 ancient
bridges, making these islands an integrated area. The architectures built by riverside, famous for “small bridge, flowing stream and thatched
households”, make Tongli ancient town 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.

Pretty and unsophisticated Tongli town boasts fertile paddy fields, rich resources and outstanding natives, thus crowned as “Small Oriental
Venice”. Tongli is characterized by a large number of architectures in Ming & Qing dynasties, small bridges and outstanding celebrities. In the past,
Tongli ancient town features over 20 natural scenic spots including “Eight Sceneries Ahead”, “Eight Sceneries Back”, “Successive Four Sceneries”
, “Eyeing on the Moon by East Creek”, “Mist in Southern Area”, etc.

At present, Tuisi Garden in Tongli ancient town has been listed as one of world’s Cultural Heritage, and Tongli ancient town is applying for it. With
the reinforcement of publicity, an increasing number of people are aware of and familiar with the ancient town.

Because of the landscape, almost all of the buildings are constructed along the waterfront. Sets of stairs
leading to the canals can be found in front of almost every building, providing locals with easy access to
the water. Not surprisingly, life in this picturesque town pretty much revolves around the waterways.
Everyday you can see locals venturing down to the water to wash clothes. Apart from that, the canals
also serve as the town's main mode of transport.