Tongli Tour
Encircled by 5 lakes outside and divided by 15 rivers with the town, Tongli is out of question an authentic water town. It is 18 km from Suzhou and now is the most well-preserved ancient town in Jiangsu province. With thousands of years, this town has affluent history as well as splendid today.
Its original name is Fu Tu, literally meaning prosperous land in Chinese. People lived prosperously here. And there were many rich families immigrated to Tongli. In early Tang Dynasty, local government tried to play low profile and changed to the current name Tongli (Tong means copper in Chinese, less precious than gold).
Nowadays in this small town, there are altogether 38 gardens and mansions, 47 temples and clan halls, 55 ancient bridges and hundred of former residences of local celebrities. The most famous spot in the town is Tuisi Garden. Tuisi means recluse and meditation in Chinese. It has been enrolled in the list of World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.