"Jasper Zhouzhuang, rich soil Tongli, style Luzhi, dream Xitang, Shuige Wuzhen, Fujia Nanxun" is people's definition of the six ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River. As one of the six ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River, Tongli is famous for its "small bridges, flowing water, and people", and the river in the ancient town is divided into seven pieces in the shape of "Chuan", which is connected by 49 ancient stone bridges.
Tongli has excellent natural conditions since ancient times, as early as five or six thousand years ago, it was regarded as a rich place, and the ancestors lived here. Later, from the pre-Qin to the Han and Tang dynasties, Tongli was a prosperous place. In the Song Dynasty, the town was officially built here under the name of "Tongli". Nowadays, most of the ancient buildings in Tongli Ancient Town are the former residences, temples and gardens of celebrities left over from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Tongli not only has a rich historical heritage, but also a large number of talents, from Tongli out of the champion, jinshi, lifter, a total of more than 100 people.
Tongli Scenic Area now includes Retreat Garden, Pearl Tower Garden, Songshi Wu Garden, Taihu Lake Water Conservancy Exhibition Hall, Chongben Hall, Jiayin Hall, Gengle Hall, Luo Xingzhou and other scenic spots. Among them, the Retreat Garden, Chongben Hall, Jiayin Hall, Taiping Bridge, Jili Bridge, and Changqing Bridge are often recommended as classic scenic spots in the ancient town, and are called "one garden, two halls, and three bridges".
The Retreat Garden of "One Garden" is the most famous private garden in Tongli, the ancient town, and is listed as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO. The retreat garden was built in the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, and it was a private courtyard built by Lan Sheng, the director of the garden, after he was dismissed and returned to his hometown. The meaning of the name of the garden is taken from the "Zuo Biography" in "Thinking Loyalty, Retreating Thinking to Make Up for Mistakes". Retreat Garden covers an area of less than 10 acres, the layout of the garden is exquisite and exquisite, among the many Suzhou gardens, it is a small garden with more characteristics.
The Chongben Hall and Jiayin Hall of the "Second Hall" were both built in the Republic of China period, and the two halls face each other across the river, and they are all exquisite small houses. The value of Chongben Hall and Jiayin Hall lies in the building itself, the two houses not only have a scientific and reasonable architectural structure, but also a variety of stone carvings are very exquisite, and tourists who are interested in architecture may wish to stop and appreciate carefully. At the same time, the interior of the two halls displays the furniture used by Jiangnan people in the old days, and the hall of Chongbentang is also used as the "Jiangnan Water Town Wedding Customs Museum", displaying some exhibits related to Jiangnan wedding customs.
The "Three Bridges" include Taiping Bridge, Jili Bridge, Changqing Bridge, you can see it when you go out of Jiayin Hall, and the three bridges stand on their feet, less than 50 meters apart. These three bridges symbolize peace, auspiciousness and longevity respectively, and the people of Tongli Ancient Town in the old days had the custom of "walking on the three bridges" in order to seek peace and smoothness.
Tongli Ancient Town adopts a pass system, and tourists need to buy tickets to enter the ancient town from 07:30 to 17:30 every day, and the ticket price is 100 yuan/person. If you buy one day in advance, you can enjoy a preferential price of 80 yuan/person. The pass includes all the attractions in the ancient town as well as a ferry ticket. Outside of the paid hours, the town is free to enter and exit, but the attractions are closed. There are also many hotels and B&Bs that provide accommodation in the ancient town, most of which do not bear the cost of tickets, and guests who enter the scenic spot before 17:30 still need to buy their own tickets. Therefore, if you choose to stay in the old town, it is recommended to check with the store in advance.
Compared with the ancient towns of Mudu and Luzhi, which have been almost completely commercialized, Tongli Ancient Town still retains some historical atmosphere. The main road of the ancient town is still the result of over-exploitation of tourism business. Although Tongli is not as famous as Zhouzhuang, it is still overcrowded on holidays. If you want to experience the leisurely nature of the water town in the south of the Yangtze River, I am afraid you have to choose the off-season or unpopular side alleys to play.
Information Reference
Scenic tickets: The online price is 80 yuan/person
The market price is 100 yuan/person
Opening hours: 07:30-17:30 from April to October and 07:30-17:15 from November to March every year
