If you're a Chinese film buff, you may have already seen a bit of Tongli (Tónglǐ, 同里)—it's a popular spot for shooting historical scenes. Some 18 km (11mi) to the southeast of Suzhou and 80 km (50 mi) west of Shanghai, Tongli is one of the best preserved of Jiangsu Province's old Yangtze River Delta water towns, featuring an assortment of Ming and Qing Dynasty houses situated amidst a network of canals spanned by 49 classic Chinese bridges.
Charming scenes abound: willows reflect in waters plied by sampans. Whitewashed walls and black-tiled roofs with graceful upturned eaves shelter elderly couples lingering over tea. Temples and gardens emerge from the mist or glow in the sun, adorned with wood carvings of figures from classical Chinese literature and folklore. Tongli is understandably popular with tour groups, so if you'd like to take in the scenery with a minimum of fellow tourists crowding the picture, come on a weekday or in the off season.
An RMB 80 fee gets you into the old town and most of Tongli's attractions, including the UNESCO heritage site garden, Garden of Retreat and Reflection (Tuisi Yuan), the Ming-era Gengle Hall, Luoxing Islet (Luóxīng Zhōu, 罗星洲) and its temples, as well as other notable attractions. Admission to the Chinese Sex Museum is an additional RMB 20. An easy day trip from Shanghai or Suzhou, Tongli also makes for a pleasant overnight destination—the town empties of tour groups in the evening, making for peaceful strolls and pretty views of lights reflecting off the surface of the canals, and there are a number of charming guest houses offering affordable Tongli accommodations.
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History
Consisting of seven islets separated by 15 canals situated near Tai Hu (Tai Lake), Tongli, established in the Song Dynasty, has a history of over 1,000 years—fortunately, a relatively calm one, leaving us with excellent examples of classical Chinese architecture. Most of the historical buildings date from the late Ming and Qing dynasties. The town was opened to foreign visitors in 1986 and since then has accommodated itself well to the tourist trade.
Climate
Spring and fall are the best times to visit Tongli, with moderate rains and temperatures making for pleasant outdoor weather. April and May see high temperatures in the mid-teens and 20sºC (60s-70sºF) and moderate precipitation. September is nice and October is brilliant, with little rain and highs ranging from 15-24ºC (70-84ºF). Summers are hot and muggy, with August highs reaching well into the 30sºC (90sºF), and winters chilly and damp, with lows occasionally dipping below freezing. If you're lucky, you can catch the town after a fresh snowfall—the dark waters of the canals and branches of the willows stand out against the snow, adding charm to an already quaint and beautiful scene.
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Tongli is a great place to sample local Jiangsu cuisine, especially dishes featuring fresh aquatic plants and fish. Most local food is slightly sweet, favoring brown sauces and light seasoning that allow the flavors of the ingredients to stand out. Famous regional snacks include smoked fish, dried bean curd, glutinous rice cakes and lightly fried spring rolls. There are a number of good, cheap "home-style" restaurants along the canals, and you're best off just following your nose and picking the canal-side establishment that suits your mood at the time. Order a cool drink or pot of tea, sample the local fare and relax as river traffic, locals and tourists drift by.
You can easily get by entirely on snacks if you wish. Local and visiting Chinese seek out highly regarded Tongli lotus root (Tónglǐ liánǒu, 同里莲藕)—a sweet-tasting white tidbit well worth trying. Another snack to try is jiǔniàng bǐng (酒酿饼), a kind of pancake made with distillers' grains.
Most restaurants don't have English menus, but the Xiangge Jiulou (Xiānggé Jiǔlóu, 香格酒楼) on Mingqing Jie (Míngqīng Jiē, 明清街) is an exception.
Jiangsu guide | Tongli attractions | Tongli flights (Shanghai)
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Getting around
Once in tiny Tongli, walk or rent a bicycle to explore the charming village.
To and from Tongli
Bus
The water town of Tongli lies 105 km (65 mi) from Shanghai. Several direct buses travel from Shanghai to Tongli (2 hours). Buses leave Shanghai Stadium (Shànghǎi Tǐyùguǎn, 上海体育馆; Tel: 86 21 6426 5555) and Hongkou Football Stadium (Hóngkǒu Zúqiúchǎng, 虹口足球场; Tel: 86 21 5696 3248) at 8:30am every day. Remember to book tickets in advance. Also, a 1:35pm bus to Tongli departs the Hutai Long-Distance Bus Station (Hùtài Chángtú Kèyùn Zhàn, 沪太长途客运站) every day (Tel: 86 21 5653 8590 / 5652 4263 / 5653 8064).
Some passengers travel first to Suzhou and then transfer to Tongli, just 18 km (11 mi) away. Suzhou's three bus stations all operate routes to Tongli. Buses depart Suzhou South Bus Station (Sūzhōu Qìchē Nán Zhàn, 苏州汽车南站; Tel: 86 512 6577 6577) every 20-30 minutes from 7:10am to 5:20pm; every half an hour, Tongli-bound buses leave Suzhou Wuzhong Qu Bus Station (Sūzhōu Wú Zhōng Qū Qìchē Zhàn, 苏州吴中区汽车站; Tel: 86 512 6525 1088) from 7:10am to 6pm; and Suzhou North Bus Station (Sūzhōu Qìchē Běi Zhàn, 苏州汽车北站; Tel: 86 512 6577 6577) operates buses once an hour from 7:25am to 5:25pm.
Train
Fast trains now run from Shanghai to Suzhou daily (30 minutes). Daily trains run from the Shanghai Railway Station (Shànghǎi Huǒchē Zhàn, 上海火车站;Tel: 86 21 6317 9090/9510 5123) and Shanghai South Railway Station (Shànghǎi Nánzhàn,上海南站; Tel: 86 21 6451 1039) to Suzhou (1 hour). From Suzhou, passengers take a bus to Tongli (50 minutes).
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Tongli is still a sleepy little town, but a number of performances and festivals now complement the town's stately Ming and Qing architecture. From Spring through fall, you can generally find regional Suzhou-style folk music, opera and dance performances in a number of gardens, squares and teahouses. Summer weekends see nighttime garden recitals of Chinese classic ballads and stories—all in the Suzhou dialect, which might limit foreign visitors' appreciation of the costumes, lamps, moonlight and melodies.
Museums & Galleries
A rather unexpected museum lies just east of Tuisi Yuan (the Garden of Retreat and Reflection)—the Chinese Sex Museum (Zhonghua Xing Wenhua Zhanlan). Previously located in Shanghai, the museum surveys some 4,000 years of sex and sexuality in the Middle Kingdom, going all the way back to a sculpture of a phallus sporting the head of a woman from around 2,000 BC.
Festivals & Events
Tongli is popular with Chinese tourists for its festivals and events. A visit during a celebration such as the Water Dragon Shooting Festival (Zhá Shulóng, 闸水龙) on the 23rd day of the six lunar month is when large crowds of people get soaked by "water dragons." On the 30th day of the seventh months is another festival celebrating the birthday of Dizangwang Bodhisattva. Visitors can see residents of Tongli light candles and send them down the river. Note that all festivals are timed to the Chinese lunar calendar, so you'll need to check local listings for precise dates.
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