Tongli is a water town in southern Jiangsu that most people discover after visiting (or deciding against) Zhouzhuang. It’s about 20km from Suzhou and 80km from Shanghai, built across five islands connected by 49 stone bridges, with canals threading through a town where people still live, shop, and go about their days alongside the tourists.
The key difference from Zhouzhuang: Tongli feels less like a museum and more like a living place. Local residents hang laundry over canal-side walls, elderly men play chess under covered walkways, and the morning market along the back streets sells vegetables and tofu alongside souvenir painted fans. The town has its UNESCO-listed garden, its historic bridges, and its boat rides — but it hasn’t been entirely transformed into a stage set.
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Open Table of contents
Entry Fees and Getting In
Entry fee: ¥100 per person (includes Retreat and Reflection Garden, Pearl Tower, and several smaller sites)
Opening hours: 7:30am–5:30pm
Evening entry: ¥60 (5:30pm–9:30pm), and it’s genuinely atmospheric
Tickets are sold at gates around the perimeter of the old town. The main entrance is on Tongli Lake Road (同里湖路) near the car park. There’s also a less-used east gate that tends to have shorter queues.
Retreat and Reflection Garden (退思园)
This is Tongli’s UNESCO World Heritage site (listed as part of the Classical Gardens of Suzhou group) and the reason most visitors come. Built between 1885 and 1887 for a disgraced Qing Dynasty official named Ren Lansheng — who was told to “retreat and reflect” on his errors — the garden is unusually intimate.
Unlike the grand imperial-scale gardens in Suzhou proper, Tuisi Garden (as it’s also called) covers only 6,000 square meters. Everything is designed to be experienced close-up: the stones are textured to run your hands over, the pavilions are low and accessible, the central lake reflects the rockery from just a few paces away. The design genius is in the compressed scale — it feels like a pocket universe.
Pro tip: There are usually fewer people here in the first hour after opening. Arrive at 7:30am on a weekday and you may have the garden mostly to yourself.
The Three Famous Bridges
Tongli has 49 bridges, but three are traditionally walked in sequence during celebrations: Taiping Bridge (太平桥) for peace, Jili Bridge (吉利桥) for luck, and Changqing Bridge (长庆桥) for celebration. Locals traditionally walk across all three at weddings, birthdays, and New Year.
The bridges cluster together in the southern part of the old town, and walking between them takes about 10 minutes. The scene of all three bridges from the canal is one of the best photographs in Tongli.
Canal Boat Rides
Wooden gondola-style boats depart from multiple points along the main canals. The boatwomen pole the boats through narrow canals between whitewashed walls and beneath stone arches — classic Jiangnan scenery.
Price: ¥90 per boat (up to 6 passengers), takes about 30 minutes
Departure points: Near the three bridges, and at several docks along Tongli Lake Road
Boat rides in Tongli feel slightly less packaged than in Zhouzhuang — some of the routes pass through residential canal sections where people are hanging out laundry and doing daily activities rather than performing for tourists.
The Pearl Tower (珍珠塔)
The Pearl Tower is a residential complex-turned-historic site, telling the story of a Ming Dynasty love story. A young scholar leaves his family’s pearl necklace tower to sit the imperial exams; years later he returns successful to marry the girl who waited for him. The buildings themselves are well-preserved Ming architecture, and the garden at the back is pleasant.
Included in the main ticket
Worth about 45 minutes
Geng Le Tang (耕乐堂)
A private Qing Dynasty mansion with a large courtyard garden, Geng Le Tang is less visited than the Pearl Tower but architecturally more impressive. The main hall’s woodwork carving is exceptional — look at the screen panels behind the main table.
Included in the main ticket
Where to Eat: Canal-Side Dining
Tongli’s restaurant scene is one of its strongest assets. The street along the south canal (南市街) is lined with restaurants with canal-side terrace seating — you can eat fresh water shrimp while watching boats pass literally beneath your table.
Local dishes to order:
- Lake shrimp (湖虾): Fresh from the nearby lakes, stir-fried with garlic, ¥45–65
- Perch with bean curd (鲈鱼豆腐): Mild and fresh, a classic Jiangnan dish, ¥58–85
- Zhuangyuan cake (状元蹄): Similar to Zhouzhuang’s braised pork knuckle
- Fermented rice wine (米酒): Local sweet rice wine, served warm in winter, ¥15–20 per bowl
Budget option: The morning market streets (off Mingqing Street, 明清街) have cheap local breakfast places — congee, fried dough sticks, and sesame flatbread for ¥5–15.
Restaurant recommendation: Tongli Renjia (同里人家) on South Street — simple but excellent, expect to pay ¥80–120 per person for a full meal.
Evening in Tongli
If you can stay until dusk, do. The lanterns come on at around 6pm and the canals take on a completely different character. The reflection of red lanterns and lit windows in the dark water is the image most photographers come to capture.
The evening entry ticket (¥60) is worth it even if you’ve already visited during the day and left — re-entering for the evening light is one of the best uses of ¥60 in Jiangnan.
Getting to Tongli
From Suzhou:
- Bus 游1 (Tourist Line 1) from Suzhou North Bus Station: about 30 minutes, ¥15
- Bus 游4 from Suzhou Train Station: about 50 minutes, ¥12
- Taxi from Suzhou: approximately 40 minutes, ¥80–100
From Shanghai:
- Bus from Shanghai South Bus Station (上海南站) to Tongli: about 1.5 hours, ¥35–45
- Train to Suzhou, then bus (combined journey about 1.5–2 hours total)
From Zhouzhuang:
- The two towns are about 30km apart; taxi takes about 45 minutes and costs ¥100–120
- Bus options exist but require connections via Kunshan
Tongli vs Zhouzhuang: Which to Choose?
If you’re visiting one water town, here’s the honest comparison:
| Tongli | Zhouzhuang | |
|---|---|---|
| Crowds | Lighter on weekdays | Heavier year-round |
| Authenticity | Feels more lived-in | More touristic |
| Garden | UNESCO Tuisi Garden | No comparable site |
| Architecture | Very well-preserved | Equally good |
| Food scene | Better restaurant options | More souvenir shops |
| Distance from Shanghai | 80km | 50km |
For most independent travellers, Tongli is the better choice. It’s slightly further from Shanghai but rewards you with a less packaged experience. The Retreat and Reflection Garden alone justifies the trip.
Where to Stay
Most visitors come on a day trip, but staying overnight is worthwhile. Canal-side guesthouses (民宿) are the way to go:
- Yuhe Shanzhuang (鱼和山庄): ¥350–550/night, canal views, good breakfast included
- Tongli Waterhouse: ¥450–700/night, renovated heritage building, small courtyard
Book well in advance for weekends in April and October.