Tongli – Enjoy a Poetic Dream of Chinese Water Town

Tongli (同里), also called Tongli Water Town, in the southwest of Suzhou, is one of the “Top Six Ancient Towns in Jiangnan (Regions South of Yangtze River)” in China with a long history of over 1,000 years. Enjoying the advantageous location of being surrounded by water and linked by old stone bridges, Tongli is the symbol of water town in southern China. Therefore, it is regarded as the “Oriental Venice” as well as a “Natural Photo Studio” by people from the whole world and is titled the “National AAAAA Tourist Attraction”. Moreover, since it still well keeps a series of ancient structures from the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, like the “Retreat & Reflection Garden (退思园)” which is a World Cultural Heritage Site praised by many poets, Tongli is a perfect place to savor the authentic flavor of old water town in China and the real leisure life of the charming Jiangnan (江南) region.

☛ 2 Days Best Suzhou & Tongli Water Village Tour

History of Tongli

Tongli was established in the Song Dynasty over 10 centuries ago and was first named Fu Tu (富土, Fertile Land). But it changed to be called as Tong Li (铜里) so not to be too extravagant. And later people finally changed its name again into the present Tongli (同里). According to the history, Tongli is a key place in the ancient Wu (吴) region, and since it could communicate with the outside world only by boat, there were few wars or turbulence. And then, it became an ideal place for people to escape from the social upheaval and settle down.

To explore the real charm of Tongli Water Town, you can not only roam along the old streets and rivers, but also visit the famous spots such as the Retreat & Reflection Garden, Gengle Hall, Pearl Tower, Three Bridges, etc.

Retreat & Reflection Garden

Retreat & Reflection Garden or Tuisi Garden (退思园) has been listed as the World Cultural Heritage Site by the UNESCO. This garden was built during 1885 and 1887 by Ren Lansheng (任兰生) who was relieved of his office as government official for his corruption. He named this place as “Tui Si Yuan” to introspect himself. In Tuisi Garden, you can feel the very ancient charm from the historic wood buildings. However, you will be surprised to find the very fantastic water garden hidden in, where pavilions, corridors, bridges, halls, houses, rockeries, pools, old trees, lovely flowers, adorable fishes, etc. are all very harmonious and nice in this secret garden. Walking along the stone-paved path or standing on the pavilion on rockeries, you can appreciate the especially terrific sightseeing of the natural and traditional garden. For its amazing beauty, there is a Tuisi Zhuang (退思庄) in the botanic garden in New York, US, which is built according to Tuisi Garden, which completely demonstrates that the Chinese garden has already got popularity from the entire world.

Gengle Hall

Gengle Hall (耕乐堂, Happy Farming Hall) at the middle section of Lujiadai (陆家埭) is really a super ancient building in Tongli Water Town. Built in Ming dynasty in the traditional structure of residence in the front and garden in the back, you can appreciate the more ancient houses in this hall. In the residence area, there are abundant root carving works of various shapes exhibiting in the house, such as the eagle, the flower tree, the figures, the lion, and so forth. When you come in the water garden, you can enjoy the very clear pool with red fishes, antique winding stone bridges above the water, old houses with the traces of weathering, pretty blue sky. Every blink will present you a distinct visual feast!

The Pearl Tower

The Pearl Tower (珍珠塔) in Tongli Water Town is not really a tower but a mansion. It is famous for the love story named “Pearl Tower” taking place in this official censor’s mansion. According to the story, Fang Qing (方卿) and Chen Cuie (陈翠娥) loved each other very much but faced with the difficulties of the wide gap between their family statuses. After the man making efforts to get the “Number One Scholar” and returning hometown with reputation, Cuie and he finally got married. Visiting the Pearl Tower, you can admire the ancient houses and the wide water garden to be amazed at the charm of old water town and feel this famous love story.

The Three Bridges

The Three Bridges (三桥) in Tongli refers to Taiping Bridge (太平桥), Jili Bridge (吉利桥) and Changqing Bridge (长庆桥), which is one of the must-see highlights in Tongli Water Town. Forming a shape like the character “品” in Chinese, the Three Bridges is the treasure place in Tongli. You could see people walking on the bridges and boats running below. Especially during festivals, there will be very busy and jubilant, because local people treat it very auspicious and happy to walk along the Three Bridges. So you can follow the custom to get more good fortunes and better body by walking along the Jili Bridge, Taiping Bridge and Changqing Bridge in order for one round without going back.

Besides, there are many other interesting places to visit in Tongli Water Town, like Jiayin Hall (嘉荫堂) with beautiful design and gauze-cap-like beam decorations, Chongben Hall (崇本堂) with exquisite sculptures, Mingqing Street (明清街) with various local food and shops, Luoxing Island (罗星洲) with fabulous natural scenery, etc. you can spend more time to discover deeper beauty of Tongli!

☛ 5 Days Shanghai & Suzhou Highlights Tour with Tongli

You deserve to try the featured activities in Tongli to get the real fun and feel the authentic charm of this famous water town.

Rickshaw Tour

Let the local carter take you to appreciate Tongli Water Town with a distinct visual angle on the ancient rickshaw. Passing through the narrow lanes and admiring the centuries-old buildings, you can imagine yourself being the people living in Tongli in ancient times.

Boat Tour

Take a sculling boat at the daytime to feel the excitement of watching the ancient buildings and people passing by, the brand-new practice of going through the old Chinese bridges. You can have the scene of ancient Tongli people communicating the outside by boat in your mind. (25 min, about CNY 90 / boat; 1-6 people / boat)

Splendid Night View

The night view of Tongli Water Town is splendid. With strings of red lanterns lighting along the river, gorgeous colorful flashes shining in the trees, sparkling lights curving the fancy lines of bridges and paths, the water town will make you immerse into its beauty.

Enter Tongli Water Town to visit Retreat & Reflection Garden to see the secret garden, after that feel the love story at the Pearl Tower. Next walk along the Three Bridges to more fortunes. Then go to Gengle Hall to enjoy the water garden and the ancient houses. After that, take a sculling boat to appreciate the charm of Tongli Water Town.

2-day in-depth route

Day 1:

Enter Tongli Water Town to visit Retreat & Reflection Garden to see the secret garden, and then go to Jiayin Hall to enjoy the beautiful design in the old residence. After that, walk along the Three Bridges to more fortunes. Next, go to Gengle Hall to enjoy the water garden and the ancient houses. Then, take a sculling boat to appreciate the charm of Tongli Water Town.

Day 2:

Visit the Pearl Tower to feel the love story and admire the sightseeing, and see the carvings in Chongben Hall. Then, take a boat to Luoxing Island to admire the charming natural scenery.

☛ 2 Days Best Suzhou & Tongli Water Village Tour

From Suzhou - 25 km (about 40 minutes' drive)

Suzhou now operates metro Line 4 to Tongli. After you get to Tongli Metro Station, you need to take a 40 minutes' bus or a 10 minutes' taxi to reach Tongli Water Town. There are also frequent buses from Suzhou Beiguangchang Bus Station (苏州北广场站), Suzhou North Bus Station (苏州汽车客运北站), Suzhou South Bus Station (苏州南门汽车客运站), which take about 50 minutes to Tongli Bus Station (1.5 km from Tongli Water Town). More about How to Get to Tongli Water Town from Suzhou >

From Shanghai - 90 km (1.5 hours' drive)

You can take a tourist bus to Tongli Water Town from Shanghai Tourist Distribution Centers (上海旅游集散中心). The duration is about 1.5-2 hours. Or you can take a bullet train from Shanghai to Suzhou first, which is about 30 minutes and transfer to Tongli.

Travel with China Discovery (Top Recommended):

If you want to get rid of the hustle of public transportation and troublesome navigation, you can book a private tour package which covers sightseeing, dining and transfer from us. Our local tour guide and driver will escort you to Tongli with speed and convenience, and take care of all the details. You just need to focus on sightseeing. Contact us now >

Generally, a classic Suzhou tour takes about 1~2 days. Visiting Suzhou, you can't miss elegant Suzhou gardens, like Humble Administrator's Garden, Lingering Garden, Master of the Nets Garden, etc. You can choose one or two of them for a great garden delight. Other must-be-visited sights in Suzhou City include Suzhou No.1 Silk Factory from which you can watch the process of silk making from silkworms to elegant products, Tiger Hill which is known as the first sight in Suzhou, Suzhou Museum which is designed by I. M. Pei and Suzhou's old canalside roads (like Pingjaing Road and Shantang Street), etc. If you like Jiangnan watertowns, you can visit Tongli, Zhouzhuang or Luzhi to have a wonderful time.

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☛ 2 Days Best Suzhou & Tongli Water Village Tour

If you want to explore more about Jiangsu Province, you can travel to Nanjing - the old capital city of 6 ancient dynasties, Wuxi - a beautiful lakeshore city, Yangzhou - old culture center of southern China, etc. Check more about Jiangsu Tours>

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In fact, most people travel Suzhou with Shanghai - the best gateway city to Suzhou, and Hangzhou which has long been on a par with Suzhou since ancient times. Generally, it needs 2~3 days enjoying Shanghai's highlights and another 2~3 days appreciating the poetic beauty. Check more about Shanghai Suzhou Hangzhou Tours>

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Since 2012, we have helped numerous customers visit Suzhou and surroundings. With our fully-inclusive private tour packages, all of our customers enjoyed their trips to the exquisite gardens, peaceful watertowns, informative silk factory or museum, old Suzhou streets, etc. Some of them kindly shared their precious photos and stories about their Suzhou journey, just get inspired now.

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