A Day Trip to Tongli Ancient Town

Tongli Ancient Town is located on the banks of Taihu Lake to the east of the ancient canal, and was established during the Song Dynasty, boasting a history of over a thousand years, truly living up to its reputation as an ancient water town. It is eighteen kilometers away from Suzhou City and eighty kilometers from Shanghai, one of the six famous water towns in the south of the Yangtze River, covering an area of thirty-three hectares, surrounded by five lakes, with a network of rivers dividing the town area into seven islands. Forty-nine ancient bridges connect them into one, known for its 'small bridges, flowing water, and households'. Tongli's history can be traced back to the 'Songze Culture' and 'Liangzhu Culture' from five to six thousand years ago. As early as the Neolithic Age, there were ancestors here practicing slash-and-burn agriculture, living and multiplying. The superior natural conditions made this place the richest in the Wu region, hence it was originally named 'Futu'. The lakes and wetlands of the south of the Yangtze River bring life to this land; the ancient and lush Ming and Qing architecture bear witness to the flowing years here. The tranquil and leisurely people of Tongli still guard the peaceful times here as they did in the past. Tongli, in the name of nature, preserves a thousand-year-old story for you. Step into it to experience the black-awning boats described by Lu Xun, as well as endless poems and the gentle Wu dialect. A breath of elegant ancient charm hits you in the face, with the tenderness of the south of the Yangtze River, the exquisite beauty of the water town, and the elegance of the ancient style. It is said that 'one garden, two halls, three bridges' are the famous sights of Tongli, and the real essence of Tongli lies in the 'one garden' of Tuisi Garden. Tuisi Garden was built by Ren Lansheng after he was impeached and dismissed during the Qing Dynasty's Guangxu period. The designer, Yuan Long, was a painter proficient in poetry, calligraphy, and painting. Unlike famous gardens such as the Humble Administrator's Garden, Tuisi Garden is small and exquisite, with all the architectural elements of a southern garden, and it adopts a horizontal layout to suit the local conditions. In the evening, you can go to see a 'Watercolor Tongli' scene performance. The main story is about the love story of the ancient town, where a pair of childhood sweethearts go through trials and tribulations and finally become a couple, which perfectly concludes the 'fate' of the ancient town. The 'fate' of the ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River is about writing a piece of beauty, once encountered, one is drawn into it.