Suzhou - Restaurant and Hotel Reviews

The food, above the gardens, was actually my favorite memory of Suzhou.

IMHO visitors place too much attention on her immaculate, World-Heritage-worthy classical gardens, and end up missing the taste of an ancient culinary tradition, 2500 years in the making and highly esteemed among Chinese cuisine. Chinese gourmands may associate Suzhou with the nationally famous Hairy Crabs of Yangcheng Lake (see our upcoming article on Crab Caviar tasting at a crab farm). But even within central Suzhou you'll find a multitude of excellent restaurants ranging from RMB 20 to 250 (CAD$3 to $40) per head. Again we consulted the locals, and were directed to three authentic and highly reputed restaurants in town.

Food Review: WUMEN RENJIA, Main Branch (Suzhou)
Address: Panru Alley 31, Pingjiang District, Suzhou
Hours: 06:30-13:30, 17:00-20:30
Website/Map: Map from Google
Directions:Start from the front entrance of Lion Grove Garden. Walk north along Yuanlin Road and turn left onto the first alley (Panru Alley). Wumen Renjia is immediately on the right, behind an intimidating rack of medieval wooden fences.


This is currently reputed to be the best restaurant in Suzhou, overtaking the historic Songhelou according to many local gourmands. Architecture fans also know this place as the childhood home of the great I.M. Pei. Housed inside a magnificent Qing Dynasty mansion just steps from the gorgeous Lion Grove Garden, Wumen Renjia is so well-camouflaged inside an old-fashioned neighborhood that we would have never found this place on our own without directions from the locals.

This is a restaurant best known for its strict adherence to 100-year-old recipes in the grand culinary tradition of Suzhou, and patrons are seated in an airy dining hall of giant wooden pillars and antique carved beams. Once again we employed our usual strategy -- focus only on the most traditional, time-honoured local dishes that earned the restaurant its fame. As a result all of the dishes reviewed below are arguably among Suzhou’s most famous dishes, starting with the Stir-Fried Shrimp in Clear Sauce (Qingchao Xiaren).



In one of the simplest and most representative of Suzhou dishes, this heap of sweet freshwater shrimp were individually shelled by hand, coated in a creamy mixture of starch and egg white, stir-fried in oil and finally served with a side dish of aged rice vinegar. This was actually very similar to the Longjing Shrimp we had a few days ago at Hangzhou’s Xihu State Guesthouse, but posessing a slightly rougher texture and an oilier mouthfeel balanced perfectly by the acidity of the dipping vinegar. As a metaphor I thought of the Longjing Shrimp as more of a delicate feminine dish, contrasted against this bolder, masculine version. It’s no wonder that my wife let me finish most of this dish, as I was the one who thoroughly enjoyed it.



Even better was this incredible dish of Braised Eels in Sizzling Oil (Xiangyou Shanhu). As a foodie I’m crazy about the taste of Unagi, or freshwater eel ... crazy enough to travel to specialty restaurants in Tokyo, to Osaka and to Nagoya for the different regional styles. And this time in Eastern China one of my most anticipated dishes was the local specialty of Shanhu, made from the small yellow eels indigenous to the area. This is perennially my favorite dish in Shanghainese restaurants in Hong Kong and elsewhere, and I was anxious to taste the real thing at what’s reputed to be one of Eastern China’s top restaurants.

And it did not disappoint -- this was easily among the best freshwater eels I’ve ever had, in any nationality or genre of preparation. The characteristic fattiness of the eels was already perfectly complimented by the savory glaze of soy, yellow wine and a dollop of white peppercorn, before our server came with a large spoonful of sizzling garlic-scallion mixture to generously slaver on top of the eels in front of our eyes. Immediately the dining hall was filled with an aroma so magical that all neighboring tables glanced our way at this spectacular dish, the oil still bubbling and the eels still searing on the scorchingly hot ceramic plate. This one dish alone would be enough to make Suzhou worthwhile for me. It’s that good.



After two oilier dishes it was time for a traditional palate cleanser, arriving in the form of this Water-Shield and Three Shredded Delicacies in Broth (Sansi Chuncai Tang). A small, lotus-like aquatic plant often found floating in local ponds, the water-shield is treasured as a delicacy here in old-fashioned Suzhou as opposed to being a feared invasive species in the United States. Perhaps this is the solution -- if only someone could fabricate a TV health fad to convince the American public to love the slimy, slip-down-your-throat texture of these tender green leaves.



Arriving next was another dish synonymous with Suzhou cuisine, the Deep-Fried Yellow Croaker in Squirrel Form (Songshu Huangyu). I was actually a little disappointed when the plate arrived, as our fish was somewhat skewed to one side and the incisions made on the sides of the fish weren’t good enough to produce the desired “squirrelly” appearance after the battering and deep-frying. But perhaps I was being hypercritical, as the batter was still perfectly crispy and the vinegar counterbalanced any residual oiliness in the meat very well. My wife thought highly of this dish, and as long as the slightly botched visual presentation was overlooked, I had to agree that the flavor was indeed outstanding.



The absolutely most amazing dish of the night was this tiny 4cm x 4cm square of pork, a personalized appetizer portion that commanded the same price (RMB 42) as our lunch for two earlier that day. But it was worth it -- this was the 120-year-old recipe of Empress Cixi’s Cherry Pork (Cixi Yingtao Rou), the best pork I’ve ever tasted so far in my life.

This was as perfect and as meticulous as a cheap piece of pork could be prepared: start with a perfectly square piece of 5-layered pork belly and make precise checkerboard incisions on the skin side, with each cut terminating at the perfect depth right where the top fatty layer meets the first lean layer of meat. Marinate with the regional specialty of red fermented rice paste, yellow wine from the glutinous rice of Shaoxing, rock sugar, aged vinegar and whatever secret ingredient passed down from the imperial chefs of the Qing Dynasty court, then finally simmer for a whole day from morning to dinner time until all the excess fat has been drained from the meat.

The result was a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth combination of the sweet and chewy skin, two thin layers of reduced fat, and two layers of slow-cooked lean meat that would all disintegrate in the mouth under the softest bite. One might think of this as more of a male carnivore’s favorite, but it was surprisingly light considering its origin as a solid chunk of fatty pork. Even my wife agreed that this was the most memorable dish of our time in Suzhou.



By this time we had already ordered way too much food, and we made the mistake of ordering yet one more of Suzhou’s best-known dishes. It was crab caviar season and the restaurant was selling Hairy Crabs from the nearby Tai Lake for RMB 158 a pair. As we planned on traveling to Yangcheng Lake for the famous Big Sluice Crabs (Dazhaxie) the next day, we decided to order the Tai Lake variety here as a legitimate comparison.

The crabs turned out to be somewhat average -- neither the female nor the male crab produced a large amount of yellow caviar, though the amount of white caviar in the male crab saved the day. I still thought they weren’t worth their price tag however, as I’ve had better Hairy Crabs for far cheaper prices in other Chinese cities, and not necessarily in Eastern China. Just the luck of the draw I guess.



A memorable episode began when we asked for scissors to clip off the legs, which I thought was the typical way to start shelling Hairy Crabs in most Chinese cities. Our waitress laughed, and to our surprise brought out the owner’s wife to personally teach these unrefined barbarians how to properly eat Hairy Crabs at the birthplace of Hairy Crabs! Here we re-learned the process of twisting and separating each segment of the leg, and inserting the smaller segments into the shells of the larger segments to push out the meat. Pictured is my wife’s attempt to reassemble part of the crab after she had finished all the caviar and meat inside. As for me, I think I proved once again that my lack of manual dexterity was beyond help.

This wasn’t a cheap meal -- in fact it was the second priciest of our 17-day trip, owing largely to the Hairy Crabs before which we should have stopped. We’ve got no regrets though, as the both the Braised Eels and the Cherry Pork were among our most memorable dishes, extraordinary enough to be reasons for another trip to Suzhou. The quality of food was amazing -- as long as you stick to their best dishes -- and I have no hesitation recommending this restaurant to anyone interested in the flavors of Old Suzhou.

Bill for Two Persons

Stir-Fried Shrimps in Clear Sauce	RMB 58
Braised Eels in Sizzling Oil	RMB 68
Water-Shield and Three Shredded Delicacies in Broth	RMB 28
Deep-Fried Yellow Croaker in Squirrel Form	RMB 138
Empress Cixi's Cherry Pork (Small)	RMB 42
Steamed Big Sluice Crab (One Pair of Male/Female)	RMB 158
Draft Beer	RMB 12
Rice	FREE
TOTAL	RMB 502 (CAD$79.7)

Suzhou isn’t just about expensive, RMB 500 meals of imperial court-influenced dishes. Equally renowned is the 1000-year-old peasant favorite of Lamian (later transliterated to Ramen by the Japanese) noodles typically sold in neighborhood noodle house for RMB 10 to 15 a bowl. Again we followed recommendations from the locals and visited two of the best-known noodles houses in town.

Food Review: TONGDEXING (Suzhou)
Address: Jiayufang 6, Pingjiang District, Suzhou
Hours: 06:00-13:00
Website/Map: Map from Google
Directions: Start from the front entrance of Yiyuan Garden (just north of Leqiao Metro Station), walk north along Renmin Road then turn left at the first street (Jiayufang). Tongdexing is about 50m down the street on the left side.


If having a knock-off clone is the ultimate sign of commercial success in 21st Century capitalist China, this unpretentious noodle house must be among the best in the country.

Started out as a neighborhood joint in Suzhou barely 20 years ago, Tongdexing has famously attracted imitators as far as Shanghai, bold enough to also call themselves Tongdexing with a slightly different character of “De” in the name. I can’t quite remember the end result of the ensued lawsuit, but I did make a mental note that I must visit this place sometime.



As we arrived in Suzhou in late 2012, Tongdexing had already expanded into a small franchise across the lower Yangtze Delta, with its main branch still centrally located just north of the popular Yiyuan Garden. No colorful advertisements were in sight, and instead a traditional red sheet with badly hand-written calligraphy was used to indicate the seasonal specialties available at this time. No English menus here ... just point at whatever the locals are having. If you want an authentic breakfast/lunch experience in Suzhou, this is probably as close as it gets.



Ordering food was the easy part -- the tough part was lining up for 10 minutes at the window and continuously tempted by the incredibly deep aroma emanating from the giant vats of soup stock. While Tongdexing is well-known for two distinct soup stocks unimaginatively named Red Broth and White Broth, only Red Broth remained when we arrived at 11:00 in the morning. It’s better to be here early, as the soup stock sells out quickly and the place typically closes by 13:00. It’s that popular.



Here it is, our Noodles in Red Broth with Simmered Pork (Hongtang Menroumian) with a side order of Deep-Fried Fish in Dark Oil (Aoyou Baoyu). These remarkably thin noodles were clearly designed to soak up the flavorsome broth made from eel bones and pork bones, and had an extremely chewy al dente texture achieved through a quick drench in cold water. The famed Simmered Pork was lightly marinated and tenderly slow-cooked, but even better was the syrupy goodness of the fish fillet, which came without any hint of a "muddy" flavor even though it must have been a freshwater fish at this price.



Equally delicious were these Deep-Fried Eels in Sesame Oil (Maxiang Baoshan), in a sweet, almost candied form carefully set aside from the noodles to prevent from over-soaking. The only unremarkable dish was the Duck Foie Gras, which made me even more curious about their other regional offerings such as the appetizingly sounding Smoked Duck.

But most amazing was the bargain basement price. A simple lunch of Noodles with Deep-Fried Fish would set you back a measly RMB 10 (CAD$1.6), and even our premium two-topping noodles averaged only RMB 21 per person. And remember that we’re right at the expensive city centre of Suzhou -- try finding lunch for RMB 21 at Shanghai’s East Nanjing Road!

Bill for Two Persons

Noodles in Red Broth with Simmered Pork	RMB 9
Deep-Fried Fish in Dark Oil	RMB 11
Noodles with Deep-Fried Eels in Sesame Oil	RMB 15
Duck Foie Gras	RMB 7
TOTAL	RMB 42 (CAD$6.7)

The next night we came back from Yangcheng Lake loaded with too much cholesterol from all the Crab Caviar we had for lunch. For a light dinner we visited yet another popular Suzhou noodle house, this one conveniently located next to the tourist district of Shantang Street.

Food Review: DONGWU MIANGUAN (Suzhou)
Address: Shantang Street 18, Jinchang District, Suzhou
Hours: 11:00-21:00 (unofficial; based on observation)
Website/Map: Map from Google
Directions: Start from the eastern entrance of Shantang Street (look for the traditional pavilion with a stone stele inside). Walk south and cross the bridge, then walk another 30m down the street. Dongwu Mianguan is on the right hand side.


This is noodle-crazy Suzhou’s answer to the fast-food franchise, an ever-present chain of peasant eateries you’d find in most city neighborhoods. We passed by at least three branches of Dongwu Mianguan during our short time here, and decided to visit one and compare its food against our excellent lunch at Tongdexing. Those might be large shoes to fill, but if they’re good enough to sustain 30 stores across this medium sized city, they must be doing some things right.



And here’s what they’re doing right -- good quality noodles at affordable prices. Once again we splurged on the premium two-topping noodles, in this case a bowl of Noodles with Deep-Fried Fish and Stir-Fried Shrimp. The noodles were surprisingly similar to those at Tongdexing: extremely thin, disproportionately chewy with a maximized surface area to saturate itself with the soup. While the soup was nowhere as deep and complex in flavor as Tongdexing’s Red Broth, the toppings were larger in portion and the overall quality was quite decent.



We originally wanted a dish of Braised Eels, but they ran out of fresh eels and we settled for the ubiquitous deep-fried variety. Again the difference in quality wasn’t huge compared to the same dishes at the outstanding Tongdexing, which was only open for breakfast and lunch. If you’re looking for a cheap place for an authentically Suzhou dinner at a convenient location, this is a pretty good option.

Bill for Two Persons

Noodles with Deep-Fried Fish Fillet and Stir-Fried Shrimp	RMB 23
Noodles with Deep-Fried Eels and Simmered Pork	RMB 22
TOTAL	RMB 45 (CAD$7.1)

What you want even cheaper eats?? No worries. Just north of Dongwu Mianguan, the pedestrian zone of Shantang Street is a great place to try out Suzhou’s cheap street snacks in a gentrified and relatively hygienic environment.


My favorite was a little Stinky Tofu shop located in the middle section of the pedestrian street. I don’t have a picture of the storefront, though it should be easy enough to simply follow the crowd of locals swarming around the counter.



Note the English, Japanese and Chinese labels at the dipping sauce station, and you know how incredibly popular this place is. Simply line-up outside the store, indicate (English is okay; hand signals if necessary) the number of orders when asked, and pay the RMB 5 per order when your line gets to the cashier.



This is what the multi-national clientele all wait in line for -- authentic Stinky Tofu, with the complex, slightly pungent flavor that has become increasingly rare in Hong Kong or even urban Shanghai due to the unpopularity of the highly odorous fermentation process. Even here the stink had been somewhat toned down, but the tofu was silken soft and the flavor was quite enjoyable.



We wrapped up the evening with dessert at a nearby shop specializing in the timeless local favorite of sweet soups. This is an example of why one must specifically ask for prices every time, as the posted price of RMB 6 only applied to the ubiquitous Red Beans and Glutinous Rice Balls flavor. Our order with the addition of the local delicacy of Fox Nuts ran a whopping RMB 18, enough for a cheap lunch in this city. Good thing my wife loved the chewiness of the glutinous rice balls and the fleshy fox nuts.

Snacks for Two Persons

Stinky Tofu	RMB 5
Sweet Soup with Red Beans and Fox Nuts	RMB 18
TOTAL	RMB 23 (CAD$3.7)

With much of our budget being spent on food, it’s natural that we wanted our hotel to be inexpensive and centrally located to minimize transportation hassles. And we found one at a very reasonable price, in one of the most picturesque areas of town.

Hotel Review: ROYAL GARDEN INN (Suzhou)
Address: Tongguiqiao Xiatang 33, Shantang Street, Suzhou
Price: RMB 200
Website: Official Site
How To Book: Skip the official site and book thru CTrip.com
Directions: From the Suzhou Train Station, take a short taxi (or Bus #50) to Shantang Street on Guangji Road. Get off at the crowded Tonggui Bridge, where the hotel is just 50m ahead.


If you’re on a mid-range budget like we were and want good value for your money in Suzhou, this largely overlooked hotel was the best of what I found as of late 2012. The above picture was actually taken on top of the Qing Dynasty stone arch of Tonggui Bridge looking down the 1200-year-old canal alongside Shantang Street, and on the right bank of the waterway was the neon sign of Royal Garden Inn. You simply can’t ask for a much better location than this.



Location was of course the trump card of this hotel, as you’re just steps from all the souvenir shopping, cheap street snacks and noodle houses of one of Suzhou’s most popular pedestrian districts. For the more adventurous, a 5-minute walk to the west would take you inside one of the last authentic waterfront neighborhoods, located on the western section of the Shantang Street (see next article). And on top of that, Suzhou Train Station and Long Distance Bus Station are just one short bus ride (Bus #50) to the north.

Our room was westernized, clean but had a medieval pillar smack dab in the middle of the room ... which was likely the reason for the discounted room price of RMB 200 (compared to the regular price of RMB 320). I personally didn’t care as long as it didn’t block my view of the TV, and it also shed light on the fascinating history of these rowhouses along the ancient canal. Beneath the brand new wallpapers was likely the empty shell of a grand mansion from another age.



Our only complaint was of the poor drainage in the shower stall, a frequently encountered problem in the mid range hotels of China. So there are caveats and catches, but they’re relatively minor nuisances if you’re the type of traveler who spend most of your time away from the hotel. And why would you waste your time in the room, when there’s a traditional Opera House located practically next door and two kilometers of Suzhou’s best canal neighborhoods to explore around the corner?

Ancient Waterfront Towns of China - Part 7: Tongli

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.

Ancient Waterfront Towns of China - Part 6: Tongli Hotel and Restaurant Reviews

After stops at Wuzhen, Xitang, Luxu and Lili we arrived at yet another ancient waterfront town of Tongli, renowned for its UNESCO World Heritage Site. This would be our base for the next two nights, where we’re checking into our most anticipated hotel of our 17-day journey.

By this time we’ve already stayed in some very unique guesthouses: the 130-year-old Songhetang in Hongcun and the 500-year-old Shendetang in Xitang among them. If you’re the sort of adventurous traveler who appreciates staying in a Ryokan in Japan or a Gite in France, you’ll also love the Qing Dynasty luxury in this 350-year-old traditional Chinese inn.

Hotel Review: JINGYITANG (Tongli)
Address: Fuguan Jie 5, Tongli
Price: RMB 280
Website: Official Site (in Chinese)
How To Book: Walk in, or call them at 13913070530 in Chinese.
Directions: Go to the "Three Bridges" area at the centre of town. The entrance of Jingyitang is a little private alley running north-south perpendicular to the canal. Ask the local shopkeepers to point you to the right door when you get there.


Built in the 2nd year of Emperor Kangxi, or Year 1662 in the Western World, Jingyitang was the office of a Qing Dynasty scholar-bureaucrat now converted into a traditional guesthouse, or Kezhan as locally known. In the rest of the world, France was about to enter its golden age under Louis XIV and the Ottoman Empire enjoyed its greatest expansion into Europe. Here in our remote little town of Tongli, the Emperor’s appointed engineer for waterworks infrastructure set up his office in this courtyard mansion.



A prototypical scholar’s mansion in this historic region of Jiangnan, or South of the Yangtze River, Jingyitang was designed as a narrow and deep complex of living quarters flanking a series of central courtyards. Over the centuries the outer quarters have been either sold off or confisticated by the socialist government and redistributed to poorer peasants, with only the innermost section remaining with the original descendants and eventually becoming the guesthouse of today.



Today the complex is owned by two modern descendants of the town’s powerful Wang clan, operating a guesthouse in the front quarters and retaining the back for their own private use. Pictured is Mr. Wang Peng sitting in his elegant greeting hall, working on the ledgers of the guesthouse in the early morning. The guy is also a quite a good cook, as we will see.



The historic greeting hall still serves its original functions of welcoming faraway guests and hosting dinners in the evening, in addition to wowing its visitors with some beautifully carved door panes, Qing Dynasty calligraphy scrolls and the owners’ collection of antique ceramics. It’s easy to forget that this wasn’t a museum, but someone’s living room.



But nothing prepared us for the entrance into our Qing Dynasty bedroom known as the Xixiangfang, or West Suite. This might have been the best RMB 280 (CAD$44) per night that we had ever spent in any country. After pushing open a set of heavy, creaky wooden doors that must have been a couple centuries old, we were led into our own private greeting room with its own antique furniture pieces and decorative calligraphy, as well as a study desk facing the windows.



To give a sense of how spacious this suite was, the greeting room alone was about the size of a 4-star hotel room I've had in Tokyo. The bedroom itself stood beyond a series of floor-to-ceiling door panels, the airy windows led to a serene view of the central courtyard and the guesthouse’s impressive main greeting hall. This was easily the best room in the house.



The bedroom was absolutely the stuff of fantasies -- we’re practically inside a museum of Qing Dynasty furniture pieces, except that we could touch, recline on and sleep inside the exhibits. Everything from the magnificent bed frame to the dresser table of dark rosewood to the flimsy standalone washbasin seemed to have come right out of an exotic movie set. We must have spent hours exploring every unimaginable detail in these 200-year-old artifacts that told the stories of the cultured scholars who once lived in these quarters.



Look at the exquisite craftsmanship in these intricate figurines telling the story of an Imperial official’s parade at just one little corner of our bed ... these scholar-bureaucrats knew how to live! While we also slept in one of these antique Eastern Chinese box beds at our guesthouse in Xitang, that still wasn’t quite as extraordinary as this museum-worthy piece of folk art.



At least I knew what to do with a bed ... but what about this exotic red box on the bedside with these evil-looking horns jutting out of it? Luckily one of the Mr. Wangs showed up to explain that this was merely a Qing Dynasty shoe cabinet for storing one’s odorous shoes at bedtime. It was too small for our modern hiking boots of course, and I ended up using it as a bedside table for the alarm clock.



But I definitely wouldn’t use this Qing Dynasty toilet bowl, now rendered as an object of decor in the greeting room ... besides this was a child-sized version anyway.

Aside from all its antique furnishing, our room also came with modern necessities such as a Western style toilet in a private bathroom, air-conditioning, TV, and wireless internet connection. Our two-night stay here was definitely the most memorable of our trip to Eastern China, and I have no hesitation recommending this place as an informal guesthouse so long as you don’t expect spotless cleanliness in a 350-year-old room. You could also pay a little extra like we did and turn the whole stay into a bed-and-breakfast or even half-board experience.



Dinner was served among the ancient calligraphy and priceless antiques in the aforementioned greeting hall, which was only large enough for about three tables. Hence it’s best to pre-order the dinner before heading out in the morning, which reserves a table as well as allowing for selection of the more time-consuming slow-cooked dishes. Our dinner started with these Smoked Small Fishes (Xiao Xunyu), which were drier and crispier than the typical round steaks of Shanghainese Smoked Fish that I’m used to. The flavor was on the sugary side as you would expect of most cold appetizers in this region, and was quite decent as a starter.



Tongli’s proximity to China’s largest freshwater lake brings to the dinner table a large variety of fresh fish and crustaceans, the most famous being the so-called "Three Whites of Lake Tai": White Fish (Baishuiyu), White Shrimps, and Whitebait. On this night we ordered the local version of Scrambled Eggs with Whitebait, a standard peasant dish you’d find along the entire Southeastern Chinese coast from Shanghai to Hong Kong. The whitebait tasted pretty standard, but the eggs did taste of a slight free-range flavor which would be harder to find in the big cities. While it was nowhere as miraculous as the free-range eggs we had in Hongcun a week ago, it would still beat the Cantonese version of this dish served in most Hong Kong restaurants.



But the definite best dish of the night were theses Oil-Braised Manchurian Wild Rice Stems (Youmen Jiaobai), a vegetable that seems quite common in Eastern China and nowhere else in the country. The classic combination of crispy wild rice stems with the slightly caramelized glaze of cane sugar and dark soy sauce was just too good. These fresh ingredients and simple flavors really embody peasant cooking at its best.



As I mentioned Mr. Wang himself was quite a decent cook, and when we pre-ordered our dinner he recommended that we try his proudest creation -- Slow-Simmered Free-Range Chicken (Dun Tuji). This was half a bird, lightly seasoned and slowly steamed for hours and hours until the meat became fall-off-the-bones tender. The focus of the dish wasn’t the seasoning of course, but the slight gameyness in the free-range bird. My wife loved this dish, and I thought it was the second best dish of the evening after the wild rice stems.



I was pleasantly surprised with the fair prices as well as the quality of food in this guesthouse, compared to the usually less-than-stellar restaurants in many family-run hotels. And while breakfast wasn’t included in the room price, for RMB 6 more Mr. Wang would get the neighboring Wonton lady to deliver a bowl of fresh Wonton (or more properly, Huntun) with a soft boiled egg into the guesthouse. There’s hardly a more relaxing spot for breakfast than sitting in the private garden of a stately mansion from a bygone era.

Dinner Bill for Two Persons

Smoke Small Fishes	RMB 20
Scrambled Eggs with Whitebait	RMB 30
Oil-Braised Manchurian Wild Rice Stems	RMB 15
Slow-Simmered Free-Range Chicken	RMB 28
Rice x 2	RMB 4
TOTAL	RMB 97 (CAD$15.4)

Aside from dining at our guesthouse we took the advices from the Chinese visitors and tried two other eateries, both of which turned out to be pretty good value.

Food Review: JIUTANZI FANTONG (Tongli)
Address: Zhuxing Jie 13, Tongli
Hours: 11:00 – 21:00 (unofficial; based on observation)
Website/Map: Map from Baidu

Directions: Start from the town's main entrance (ie. the broad stone bridge). Facing the town, turn left into the first pedestrian street. The restaurant is about 50m down the street on the left hand side.


This is a hidden gem among Tongli's countless overcharging teahouses and restaurants. Walk into any other canal-side teahouse and you'll see what a bargain this place is -- instead of RMB 50 per person for tea alone, for the same price we had a seafood dinner complete with wine and beer.

Okay ... it's not technically seafood, but riverfood selected from the local region's abundance of freshwater produce. Jiutanzi Fantong is famous among budget-conscious Chinese travelers seeking authentic local flavors at reasonable prices, and of course its prime location on the canal doesn't hurt. There are no English menus, but who needs them when it's just as easy to glance at the next table to see what everyone else orders?


This was one of those really traditional eateries with square wooden tables that could be used for mahjong, crude wooden benches you'd see in Chinese martial arts films, and giant vats of nameless rice wines on tap. Local beers were already cheap at RMB 6, but an even better deal was the house premium yellow wine (Youhuang) that came in an intimidatingly large bowl for only RMB 9. This was perfect to go with the several snack sized dishes we ordered.


Our most expensive dish of the night was an appetizer featuring one of Three Whites of Lake Tai hailed by local gourmands. This impossibly plain dish of White Shrimp in Brine (Yanshui Baixia) was as simple as it looks -- small, plump freshwater shrimps boiled in a light brine, with nothing but green scallions and ginger to accentuate the sweetness in the meat. While the shrimp wasn't anything extraordinary, I definitely had no complaints about a RMB 35 (CAD$5.5) order of shrimp, especially in a waterfront restaurant in a tourist town.


As if RMB 35 wasn't cheap enough for shrimp, they also offered these Stuffed Lotus Roots with Pureed Shrimp (Xiarou Oubing) for the rock bottom price of RMB 18 (RMB 2.9). Granted there's only enough shrimp to fill those little holes inside the lotus roots, but the promise of shrimp alone seemed to put this rustic Eastern Chinese dish on virtually every table in the house. I guess this was the local version of onion rings in a pub -- a greasy snack to go down with the blue-collar favorite of yellow wine.



For more local flavors we ordered this plate of Stir-Fried Water Caltrops with Edamame Beans ... or Maodou Beans as they're known in China. This was actually my first time having water caltrops in the cooked form (as opposed to the peanut-like texture of raw water caltrops), and they turned out to be an great palate cleanser after those deep-fried lotus roots.



It was time to wrap up our dinner with some comfort food. This delicious pot of River Clams with Tofu in Broth turned out to be the best dish of the evening -- the clams were fresh, the tofu was silken smooth, and the thick broth was excellent as a clear sauce over plain rice. And best of all, this was also the cheapest dish at only RMB 18.

Even after four courses, a local beer and a large bowl of yellow wine, this meal still ended up being one of our cheaper dinner over four nights in the ancients towns of Wuzhen, Xitang and Tongli. If you're traveling to Tongli and want an authentic local eatery at a reasonable price, this would be my recommendation.

Bill for Two Persons

White Shrimp in Brine	RMB 35
Stuffed Lotus Root with Pureed Shrimp	RMB 18
Stir-Fried Water Caltrops with Edamame Beans	RMB 20
River Clams with Tofu in Broth	RMB 18
House Yellow Wine	RMB 9
Local Beer	RMB 6
Rice x 2	RMB 2
TOTAL	RMB 108 (CAD$17.1)

But if you're pressed for time and need a quick meal between Tongli's many lovely gardens, perhaps a noodle house would suit your requirement better ...

Food Review: CHUNGUAN MIANFANDIAN (Tongli)
Address: Shentian Jie 215, Tongli
Hours: 11:00 – 20:00 (unofficial; based on observation)
Website/Map: Map from Baidu
Directions: Stand outside the main entrance of Tuisi Garden. Facing the square, Chunguan Mianfandian is immediately on the left hand side.


As "hole-in-the-wall" as this unassuming noodle house may appear, it's been a Tongli institution for decades, due at least in part to its prime location next to the top attraction in town. Prices are slightly higher compared to similar noodle houses in Suzhou, but still cheaper than most places in expensive Tongli. RMB 18 (CAD$2.9) buys you a hearty bowl of noodles with regional specialties such as Pork Knuckles, Deep-Fried Fish Fillet or Sliced Eels. And if you're really on a tight budget, RMB 12 (CAD$1.9) buys you the regular noodles with sliced pork or mixed veggies. That's about as cheap as it goes for a filling lunch in this tourist town.



The noodles here are a little wider than the extremely thin variety that Suzhou is famous for, and was only slightly chewy. Even though the soup was nothing spectacular, this Deep-Fried Fish Fillet was pretty good ... and would have been better if only the portion was larger.



Tongli's version of the ubiquitous Red-Braised Pork Knuckles, promoted in this town as Zhuangyuanti (Top Scholar's Knuckles), tasted remarkably similar to Xitang's version. For those who don't mind the layer of fat -- and you really shouldn't order pork knuckles anywhere in the world if you do -- the combination of fat and lean meat should be tasty enough for any carnivorous man. Again the portion was too small to fully satisfy, and larger groups should probably order a whole knuckle for RMB 50 to share. But for the two of us, we really couldn't complain about RMB 36 for lunch at a town where teahouses charge RMB 50 per person for tea.

Bill for Two Persons

Noodles with Deep-Fried Fish Fillet	RMB 18
Noodles with Pork Knuckle	RMB 18
TOTAL	RMB 36 (CAD$5.7)