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The Town of Tongli Part 2

Upon Entering the main gate, we walked down the narrow lane leading to the town. The lane did not appear touristy at all. There was a little stand selling Baozi (Stemed Stuffed Buns), one where they ground rice into flour, and all along the lane were baskets of drying fish and shrimp. A little further on, there were a few restaurants.


After walking along the narrow lane leading into the town, we then entered the town itself. We were stunned by it. It was so beautiful! The entire town is crisscrossed with canals. The canals could be crossed by dozens of ancient stone bridges. Each bridge was unique, and they were all beautifully built. The canals are lined with shops, houses, and restaurants. The buildings are either ancient, or built in the ancient style, and are so quaint. The buildings are whitewashed with black details, and grey tiled roofs. They look like the buildings you see in ancient paintings. The canals are lined with traditional red lanterns, and at night, they are lit and their reflections on the water are very romantic.


The best, and most picturesque way to get around the town was by water tax. They are small boats that can seat up to six people. The driver stands on the back of the boat and controls it with a rudder. The rudder is rowed back and forth which makes the boat rock gently as it plies through the water.


In the center of the town is a large square. In the center of the square is a small opera stage. It was beautifully built with large upswept roof ridges. Local opera was performed there daily, and I really enjoyed watching it.


When we arrived, there were a lot of tourists there, but at 2:30, all of the tour busses left, and so did the tourists. The town transformed itself. The tourist shops closed, and the one catering to locals opened up. The locals came out of the woodwork and filled the towns tea houses. If you can, I highly recommend spending the night so you can see what this town looks like without all of the tourists. At exactly 2:30, the pace of the town slowed way down, and it transformed into a much different town, and since the tourists were all gone, the town's gardens were empty. That is the time to visit them!

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Photos

A Shop That Grinds Rice into Flour
The grindstone in the center of the shop is where they ground the rice into flour.

Drying Shrimp
Along the lane, many fish and shrimp were drying in the sun.

A Canal in Tongli
This is one of Tongli's many canals. They were each lined with ancient buildings and were very picturesque.

Water Taxi
These are some of Tongli's water taxis.

Water Taxi
One of Tongli's Water Taxis

Crossroads
This is one of the crossroads of Tonli. You can see the many teashops and restaurants on the right.

Me in Front of Tongli's Many Bridges
Being a water town, Tongli has dozens of ancient stone bridges. Each one is unique, and they are all very beautiful!

Traditional House
Looking down the alley, you can see one of Tongli's ancient houses.

Shopping District
This is one of Tongli's shopping streets. The street is lined with shops selling traditional arts and crafts. I bought several beautiful paintings here.

Restaurant
This is the entrance to a restaurant in Tongli. It was just as beautiful as the rest of the town.

Stage in the Town Square
This little stage located in the center of Tongli was used to put on performances of local opera.

A Courtyard Garden
This is one of the little courtyard gardens found in the homes in Tongli.

Alleyway
This is one of the many alleyways that are in Tongli. They were wonderful to explore.

Tongli at NIght
Sadly my camera was incapable ot really showing how magical Tongli is at night.

Local Snack
This is a local snack that I had for breakfast. It is sort of like a Chinese Burrito.