http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Jiangsu/Tongli/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , China , Jiangsu , Tongli en-us Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:46:44 UTC Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:46:44 UTC Tongli Gardens Part 2This is another of Tongli's gardens. It is quite a bit smaller than the first but no less beautiful. The main feature of this garden was its large pond and surrounding buildings. What a beautiful way to spend the afternoon http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Jiangsu/Tongli/blog-282428.html Tongli Gardens Part 1The gardens of Tongli were exquisite. Although not as refined as Suzhou's famous gardens the gardens here were no less beautiful and because they are not as famous as Suzhou's they are far less crowded. Since at 230 the tourist busses leave Tongli the gardens are empty of people in the afternoons. The peacefullness of these gardens combined with their exquisite design m http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Jiangsu/Tongli/blog-282423.html The Town of Tongli Part 2Upon 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 le http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Jiangsu/Tongli/blog-282412.html The Town of Tongli Part 1Tongli located outside Suzhou in Jiangsu Province is one of my favorite destinations in China. I loved this village so much It is so beautiful. It is one of Suzhou's famous Water Towns. There are as many canals in Tongli as their are streets and the dozens of ancient stone bridges that cross them are each unique and beautiful. We took a bus from the city of Suzhou which http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Jiangsu/Tongli/blog-282400.html Today the kids and I traveled just an hour by car to another world. We often say we live in a bubble in Shanghai well today we went to China Tongli Tonglee is one of many water villages just west of Shanghai. The area is said to be the Venice of the East. The area is flat and apparently very low and is covered with water rivers canals ponds and lakes. People here really live with t http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Jiangsu/Tongli/blog-245184.html Aaahh. Tongli. The perfect water town. Tongli is a small water town about half an hour from Suzhou with ahistory of over 1000 years. Forty percent of the houses date back to the Ming and Qing dynasties that13681644 for those of you who aren't up to date with your Chinese history It was built around 5 lakesdivided into 7 islands by 15 rivers and connected back together by 49 bridges. Canals e http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Jiangsu/Tongli/blog-164828.html Itrsquos the end of term and I decided to take a few days off and slip away to Suzhou again. However Suzhou City itself was not the main reason for this visit. Instead I wanted to visit a small town only 18km away perched on the Eastern shores of Tai Hu Tai Lake the town of Tongli. Tongli is a very well preserved water township with a history of over 1000years. I had been told it was well w http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Jiangsu/Tongli/blog-74577.html