Why is Tongli special?
Tongli Village is one of several towns on the outskirts of Suzhou known as Little Venice. There are roads, but the main arteries through the town are the canals. Located along the bank of Tai Lake, Tongli ancient town has been listed as one of world’s Cultural Heritage.
Tongli Village Highlights
Tuisi Garden
Built from 1885 AD to 1887 AD, the Garden, simple and unsophisticated, quiet and elegant, is an area with typical local architectural style in late Qing dynasty. A complete collection of architectures, pavilion, terrace, tower, porch, bridge, hall and house is surrounded by a pond as if the garden is floating on it.
Chuanxin Lane
Residential lanes are the characteristics sights of Tongli. The name of Chuanxin Lane means “through the centre”. With a length of about 200 metres, the lane sprawls between walls which are more than eight metres tall. Because of the ditches under the lane, walking on it makes sound like “ta, ta”, known as the “musical lane”.
Residential House
Tongli Town deserves its reputation of a 'museum of ancient architectures', built along the riversides and decorated with flying eaves, carved windows, figured clay bricks, and small stairs leading down to the water, many of its buildings have kept their traditional facades, with stark whitewashed walls and black-tiled roofs.