Tongli Water Town

Tongli sits on fifteen canals that divide the old town into seven islets, linked by forty-nine stone bridges, some dating to the Song. Its most significant building is the Retreat and Reflection Garden, built in 1885 by a dismissed official and inscribed by UNESCO in 2000 as part of the Classical Gardens of Suzhou: a compact garden where buildings appear to float on the water, designed so that the whole composition is seen from a covered walkway. Three bridges in the centre, Taiping, Jili and Changqing, are crossed in sequence by wedding parties and at festivals for luck. The town is quieter than Zhouzhuang and less reconstructed than many.

What you actually see

• The Retreat and Reflection Garden - the UNESCO-listed 1885 garden built over water.
• The three bridges - crossed in sequence for luck at weddings and festivals.
• The canal network - fifteen waterways and forty-nine stone bridges.
• The old residences - Ming and Qing houses along the lanes.

When to go

March to May and September to November; weekends and holidays fill the lanes. Early morning before the tour buses arrive is a different town entirely. Evenings after day trippers leave are also quiet.

Honest expectations

The combined ticket covers a set of houses and gardens whether or not you want them all. Commercial shops fill the main lanes. Boat rides are short and priced per boat. Weekend crowds are heavy.

Nearby

Suzhou lies northwest; Zhouzhuang and other water towns are close.