This is the final chapter of our town-hopping mini trip among the ancient waterfront towns of China, midway between Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou. After Wuzhen, Xitang, Luxu and Lili, we reached our ultimate destination of Tongli where we spent two leisurely nights in a traditional Kezhan guesthouse converted from a 300-year-old Qing Dynasty scholar’s mansion.
Fellow travelers often ask the obvious question: why spend four nights to visit FIVE of these traditional canal-lined towns, when most independent travelers typically visit only ONE on a daytrip?
First, I see this as a fascinating cultural landscape of an ancient people living in harmony with their crisscrossing canals and waterways ... or at least until the recent decade when the advent of reliable roads have finally connected this land with the outside world. Second, this is THE definitive scenery of Eastern China, just like the hilltop villages of Tuscany or the whitewashed towns of the Greek Islands.
And most importantly, the amazing selection of traditional Kezhan guesthouses in these towns far exceeds anything you'll find in to metropolitan Shanghai or Hangzhou. Suzhou currently has one that charges twice the amount we paid for our 300-year-old guesthouse in Tongli, and about 3 times as much as we paid for our 500-year-old guesthouse in Xitang. That’s why we chose to spend as many nights in these little towns as Shanghai and Hangzhou COMBINED.
At this point of the trip we had already visited Wuzhen and its gentrified, sparkling clean (by Chinese standards) version of a completely refurbished ancient town where every arched stone bridge was carefully manicured for the most photogenic effects. The previous night was spent at the more intimate and occasionally chaotic town of Xitang, cruising its cozy canals between rows of tacky but characteristic red lanterns. After a full day of touring the untouched and authentic peasant towns of Luxu and Lili, we arrived at Tongli by late afternoon. Each town had its own flavor and distinct allure, so what separates Tongli from the rest?
A semi-rural extension of Suzhou since the medieval ages, Tongli differs from our previous waterside towns in its deep-rooted Suzhou influence. The cobblestoned canal-side walkways look strikingly similar to Suzhou's Pingjiang Road, and every one of its villas radiates that distinctive flare of Suzhou's classical gardens. Just as Wuzhen and Xitang are charismatic in their own unique ways, Tongli also has its inimitable features.
It would be sensible to start with the one attraction that arguably elevates Tongli above all its peers -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While Wuzhen, Xitang and Zhouzhuang still sit (as of 2012) on UNESCO’s tentative list awaiting formal recognition, Tongli’s Tuisi Garden has already reached this highest level of acclaim since 2001. This was also why we chose Tongli instead of the neighboring and more popular town of Zhouzhuang -- its gardens were simply too beautiful to miss.
When Suzhou’s list of classical gardens was granted World Heritage status by UNESCO, Tuisi Garden was the only one outside of Suzhou receiving the same honour, and for good reasons. As the Chinese say “even the diminutive sparrow possesses the 5 vital organs,” this relatively small villa of merely 3 hectares is absolutely jam packed with almost anything you could want in a classical garden.
I probably don’t need to mention the splendid greeting halls and tea halls -- these should be the starting points in any respectable Chinese villa, Suzhou-style or not. And since the first generation master of the villa was a scholar-bureaucrat who served the Emperor in Beijing, a stately and functional study/library would be a must to host visiting mandarin officials. These were all great, but the brilliant 19th Century architect of Tuisi Garden had the classical methods of Suzhou gardens down to a tee.
Looking for a six-sided pavilion on top of a mount with an unobstructed vista for the Moon Viewing Festival? Check! What if you want to impress your scholarly friends with an artificial mountain in the middle of the villa for to go for an adventurous hike on a boring afternoon? You got it. How about a pavilion fashioned in the shape of an elaborate houseboat floating on the private pond, inspired by Empress Cixi's Marble Boat in the Summer Palace of Beijing? Well, you get the idea.
Almost any classical diversion one could think of, it’s probably here. This was certainly a great way to spend one’s retirement years, which was the original purpose of the garden when it was constructed in the 13th year of Emperor Guangxu, or 1887 in the Western World. While the first generation master financed this with several tons of silver taels, this was already considered less lavish compared to some of the contemporary gardens in Suzhou.
If you’re wondering where all this cash came from, the guy was actually forced into retirement amid investigations for corruption allegations. If this sounds amusing, that's only because you're not a Chinese citizen living under constant duress from the dark side of local politics. Even today corruption remains painfully widespread, except the money now gets funneled overseas to snatch up luxury villas in America and Europe.
If happier thoughts are among your vacation preferences, Tongli has an impressive array of elegant villas to keep you entertained for at least a day. Don't believe misinformed claims that Tongli could be covered in a couple hours -- the town could be WALKED in a couple hours, but those unfortunate visitors would be missing the finer pleasure of chilling out at the lesser known and quieter villas.
One such underrated villa is Gengletang, an even older complex of lovely classical structures and garden greenery dating from the Ming Dynasty. As Gengletang receives significantly less visitors compared to Tuisi Garden, the pavilions and covered corridors around its lotus pond combine for a relatively undisturbed spot to sit for tea. Remember to grab some bottled unsweetened tea from the local supermarket though, if you don't want to be ripped off for RMB 20 per cup.
In terms of pure photogenic quality, another overlooked spot which I've never seen reviewed is the Ancestral Temple inside the Zhenzhuta at the northern edge of town. We arrived in the afternoon after the majority of Chinese worshipers and fortune tellers have departed, leaving us to wander by ourselves among the hung curtains of wooden prayer amulets. The vivid colors and exotic atmosphere vaguely reminded me of an internationally famous photo locale, the Fushimi Inari Taisha of Kyoto.
Tongli also hosts another attraction that can be called exotic ... in an entirely different way. Displayed at the China Sex Museum are 3000 years of titillating artwork and objects from practical manuals to torture devices. While the museum is not included as part of the general admission ticket, the extra cost of RMB 40 is quite worth it as long as you're okay with their rule of no photos inside the exhibit halls.
But the defining postcard scenery of Tongli, like any of its neighboring waterfront towns, is in its timeless canals and the river-dependent lifestyle of its townsfolk. While the long chain of teahouses along the canals may seem commercialized, some of these teahouses actually date from late Qing Dynasty and has formed an authentic part of the townscape for the past century. The problem for visitors is that since the declaration of Tongli's tea culture as an Intangible Heritage in 2010, the resulting popularity has caused prices to skyrocket to around RMB 50 ... per head ... even before you order any snacks to go with your tea.
So skip the Apocha (literally Grandma's Tea, as Tongli's unique teahouses are generally called) shops and find your own favorite corner of town with your own bottled tea in hand, and recline in the tranquility of the town after the departure of the day-tripping tourists. With Tongli being comparably less popular than the likes of Wuzhen and Zhouzhuang, there are plenty of space inside this conglomerate of seven interconnected islands to lose yourself for an afternoon.
So this is Tongli, a living ancient town that still carries on its 1000-year-old symbiosis with its waterways into the 21st Century. Without these picturesque canals the old town would have been demolished and rebuilt, and without the old town the canals would have been filled in and replaced by roads, like much of modern Suzhou. This is probably very close to what Suzhou's working neighborhoods would have looked like a century ago, so if you're visiting Suzhou and can afford an extra day, Tongli is definitely an excellent side-trip.
TRANSPORTATION
The easiest way to reach Tongli is by bus from Suzhou. Buses depart from the square immediately north of Suzhou Train Station every 20 minutes or so from 06:30 until 19:00-ish, taking around 50 minutes for RMB 8 as of late 2012.
From Shanghai, the most reliable and flexible way is to simply take the highspeed train to Suzhou then the above bus. Day-trippers could follow the Chinese tourists and take a return bus tour from the several "Shanghai Sightseeing Bus Centers" (Metro Line 1 or 4 to Shanghai Stadium Station, then take Exit 6), departing around 08:30 and returning from Tongli around 16:30 for around RMB 130. Note that the tour includes the same-day return bus fare plus the entrance ticket into Tongli. If you're staying for the night, you can't take the bus the next day and probably need to return via Suzhou.
From Hangzhou, there are currently buses departing the North Long Distance Bus Station daily at 7:50, 10:35, and 13:20, taking around 2 hours and costing around RMB 60.
Finally, here's the secret that even local Chinese tourists may not know. The more famous waterfront town of Zhouzhuang is only one short bus ride away, making for an easy day-trip for anyone wishing to visit both of these ancient towns in one go.
Here's the trick -- go to the Tongli Bus Station (10 minute walk southeast of town) and take local Bus 263 to the end terminus of Jiangze. Where's this Jiangze you ask? You're practically at the southern edge of Zhouzhuang, a 5 minute walk from the ticket booth! And the bus fare -- just RMB 1 -- simply can't get any cheaper!
On return you could take the same bus back to Tongli, or you could go to the Zhouzhuang Bus Station (north side of Zhouzhuang town) and take the next bus to Suzhou / Shanghai or beyond. You can imagine the possibilities for excellent open-jaw itineraries, eg. Suzhou - Tongli - Zhouzhuang - Shanghai!
ACCOMMODATION
We found our favorite hotel of our 17-Day journey, right here in Tongli. You can read the hotel review here in the previous article.
A night in Tongli is highly recommended as it gives you a much deeper appreciation for the real town before the daily arrival of the tourist hordes. Expect to see authentic scenes of the townspeople carrying out their morning routines, practicing Tai Chi at the main square and washing clothes in the canals.
As I mentioned we stayed not just one, but TWO NIGHTS in Tongli. Discovering our favorite hotel here was of course the main reason, but in retrospect I do see Tongli as the best traditional waterfront town for an extended stay, compared to Wuzhen or Xitang (and perhaps even Zhouzhuang which we didn't visit). First, the town itself is much bigger than Xitang or Wuzhen East, and is certainly much more authentically preserved than Wuzhen West. Second, the entrance ticket is valid for 2 days, as opposed to 1 day at Wuzhen East and West. Third, the town of Zhouzhuang is just a short bus or taxi ride away (see above for transportation details), for those who want to see a contrast of the two towns without having to switch hotels.
FOOD
Highly influenced by the predominantly sweet flavors from neighboring Suzhou, the local cuisine of Tongli combines a lot of prototypical Eastern Chinese dishes with its own rural ingredients. Expect a wide variety of freshwater produce such as whitebait, shrimps and crabs, as well as farmhouse fare such as free-range chicken and a local version of the ubiquitous Red Braised Pork Knuckle known as Zhuangyuanti.
We came across three decent restaurants, two of which were recommended to us by domestic Chinese visitors. See our restaurant reviews here for details.
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