Tongli

Tonlgi is a beautiful ancient water town in the Suzhou area of China, located about two hours outside of Shanghai by car. It has canals weaving throughout the town, and it is easier and quicker to travel places by boat here. Over these canals they have lovely circular arced bridges. This ancient town is quaint and a perfect getaway from the bustling city of Shanghai. I have been here twice now, with two different groups of people (once with a couple other students and another time with my family when they came to visit), and both times have been peaceful and enjoyable. There are multiple luxury ancient homes that are now museums/gardens for people to visit. The original owners created beautiful gardens inside their residences, and some of the architecture of the buildings and detail to them are stunning. This little town has a lot of history to offer if you just know where to look. The town itself can be a bit confusing to traverse through because of all of the waterways throughout. We went to a tea house for lunch on my first visit here and they had a performance going on throughout, performed by the local people dressed in traditional clothing, playing traditional instruments, and singing in the local dialect. It was an amazing experience.