Suzhou Water Town Travelogue

It seemed I had waited a very long time, clinging to a longing for little bridges over flowing streams and waterside homes, chasing faint threads of thought through a haze of confusion. The sky was so purely blue, the clouds had no time to linger; on a breezy, sun-filled afternoon, I stepped into the water-town world that haunted my dreams—Tongli and Zhouzhuang in Suzhou.

Tongli is located in the northeast of Wujiang City, Jiangsu, 18 kilometers from Suzhou’s city center, with very convenient transportation. Besides direct buses from the North Square of Suzhou Railway Station, the easiest way is to take Metro Line 4 from Suzhou Railway Station to Tongli (about 45 minutes), then transfer to bus 725 (20 minutes) to reach Tongli.

Tongli is an ancient town with a long history and typical water-town style, dating back over a thousand years to the Song Dynasty. Within the town, there are hundreds of gardens, temples, residences, and former homes of notable figures built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Fifteen small rivers shaped like the Chinese character ‘川’ divide the area into seven islets, while 49 ancient bridges link them into a whole, famed for its ‘little bridges, flowing waters, and waterside homes’.

Tongli has numerous inns. The one I stayed at this time, Yuqingge Garden Hotel, was wonderful—the rooms were small but its garden was exquisite.

Tongli touring route: Tuisi Garden – Lize Girls’ School – Wang Shao’ao Memorial Hall – Gengle Hall – Jiayin Hall – Chongben Hall – Taihu Lake Water Conservancy Exhibition Hall – Songshi Wuyuan (Pine Stone Enlightenment Garden) – Pearl Tower Garden – Chen Qubing’s Former Residence – Mingqing Street.

Tuisi Garden is the most famous residence in Tongli and one of the renowned gardens of Jiangnan (south of the Yangtze).

Tuisi Garden was built between the 11th and 13th years of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1885–1887). Its owner, Ren Lansheng, had this garden built after being impeached and dismissed from office. The name ‘Tuisi’ (Retreat and Reflect) was taken from the Zuo Zhuan, simple yet full of meaning.

Compared with Suzhou’s four great gardens, Tuisi Garden is small. Covering just over nine mu (about 0.6 hectares), it boasts ingenious design and unique layout, completed over two years. The entire garden centers on a pond, with buildings seemingly floating on water. Its layout breaks from convention by shifting from the usual vertical orientation to a horizontal one from west to east: west for the residence, middle for the courtyard, east for the garden. The garden’s essence lies in the east section, showcasing late-Qing Jiangnan garden architecture.

On the west side, three halls—the sedan chair hall, tea hall, and main hall—were used for weddings, funerals, and receiving guests.

In the east, the inner residence features two buildings named ‘Wanxiang Lou’, each with five upper and five lower rooms, connected by double corridors running east-west, known as a ‘zoumalou’ (horse-walking building), the finest in Jiangnan.

The scenic area is also divided into east and west, with a courtyard in the west and garden in the east. The courtyard serves as the garden’s prelude, featuring a dry boat, the Zuichun Wangyue Pavilion, and the Suihan Ju. The garden is water-centered, a prime example of a ‘waterside garden’ where hills, pavilions, halls, corridors, verandas, gazebos, and boats all hug the water’s edge, making the garden appear to rise from the water—truly a unique gem of Jiangnan and a marvel of architectural beauty.

Each building in Tuisi Garden can stand alone as a scenic spot, yet they also complement one another, creating harmonious vistas.

Taihu Lake stones abound in Tuisi Garden; even a small courtyard with a tree will have some Taihu stones as adornment.

Lize Girls’ School was founded in the 32nd year of Guangxu (1906) by Ren Chuanxin, the second-generation owner of Tuisi Garden, pioneering women’s education in Wujiang.

The Wang Shao’ao Memorial Hall celebrates the spirit of Wang Shao’ao, a co-founder of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, renowned social activist, and outstanding representative of Tongli. It uses objects, paintings, and photographs to portray his revolutionary life and extraordinary journey.

Gengle Hall was built by the Ming Dynasty recluse Zhu Xiang. It follows the traditional front-residence, rear-garden layout: the front has an entrance hall, main hall, and tower; the rear garden includes a lotus pond, a three-bend bridge, Sanyou Pavilion, winding corridors, Yuanyang Hall, Yanyi Tower, Gusong Veranda, Huanxiu Pavilion, and Moxiang Pavilion. A west gate in the garden leads to the countryside. Originally it had five courtyards with 52 rooms, but over time it has been altered. Today it has three courtyards with 41 rooms, comprising halls, gardens, studies, gazebos, and towers.

Jiayin Hall was the early residence of the famous patriotic poet Liu Yazi, once known as the Liu Residence. Its owner, Liu Bingnan, a relative of Liu Yazi, made a fortune in the oil business and moved to Tongli, spending 20,000 taels of silver to build Jiayin Hall in 1922. The buildings feature exquisite carvings of considerable artistic value. The main hall is lofty and spacious, exuding a noble air.

Chongben Hall’s allure lies in its carvings. The complex extends along a central axis through five courtyards, comprising an entrance hall, main hall, front tower, rear tower, and kitchen. From the main hall to the inner chambers, there are over 100 wood carvings, each with a different theme, all featuring clean and bright designs, lively compositions, and masterful, fluid knife-work.

In a small courtyard with piled Taihu stones and flower terraces, bamboo and red maples set each other off charmingly.

The Taihu Lake Water Conservancy Exhibition Hall is located at the former site of the Taihu Water Conservancy Tongzhi Office, which was converted from property confiscated from Chen Yizhen, a successful candidate in the imperial examinations during the Kangxi period. This site is one of the very few surviving relics of water-control institutions in China, holding great value for research into Taihu Lake water management and the historical development of such government offices.

Brick carvings at the Taihu Water Conservancy Tongzhi Office.

Songshi Wuyuan displays over 1,200 exquisite pine-screen slate paintings, a collection painstakingly amassed over thirty years by Mr. Zhang Jiaxin, former design department head of the China Railway Engineering Corporation, and his wife, Ms. Wang Yuejun (now donated to the Tongli government). The garden was purpose-built by the local government to preserve this precious natural and cultural heritage.

The Pearl Tower Garden was the residence of Chen Wangdao, an investigating censor of Nanjing’s Henan Circuit in the Ming Jiajing era. Covering 18,000 square meters, it is divided into east, west, and north sections. The east includes a memorial archway and residence with two rows of five-courtyard houses, separated by service lanes. The eastern row has a tea hall, Honglüe Hall, Lanyun Hall, and a tower; the western row features a ceremonial gate, Yulan Hall, and Wenxiang Reading Tower. The west is a garden with Rugu Zhai, Biyun Mountain House, Qingyuan Hall, Lüqiu Pavilion, Ziwei Pavilion, Jingming Veranda, Xiaolan Pavilion, Fucui, Xiqing, Beishan Shenzi, a pond, an ancient stage, and Zhiyin Zhai. The north holds an ancestral hall.

Honglüe Hall is the main hall of the Chen residence, used for receiving honored guests and hosting ceremonies.

Yunlan Hall is the main setting for the ‘Pearl Tower’ story. At that time, Fang Qing’s family had declined, so he came to rely on his aunt. In the feudal society that valued family status, Fang Qing arrived at the Chen home in humble clothes just as his uncle was celebrating his birthday. His aunt, ashamed of him, led him to the front hall of the inner quarters to humiliate him—this is the famous tale of ‘Fang Qing Meets His Aunt’.

The ground floor’s central area was the living space of the master and mistress, with their bedroom on the east and the maid’s room on the west. Climbing eighteen steps leads to the embroidery chamber of the young lady, Chen Cui’e, furnished with a painting desk, bookshelf, embroidery frame, chess table, qin table, and a Xiangfei couch, etc.

The residence and garden are separated by a river.

The rear garden centers on Qingyuan Hall, built by the water. A small tower called ‘Rugu Zhai’ stands in the garden, exquisitely designed with corridors on all sides. Leaning on the railings, you can gaze out at the picturesque reflections and enchanting scenery, with pavilions, terraces, towers, flowers, and trees all within view.

Chen Qubing’s former residence is a simple Qing Dynasty home. Chen Qubing (1874–1933) was a modern poet and one of the founders of the Southern Society. He joined the Tongmenghui early on, followed Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and tirelessly promoted revolution. He made significant contributions to the Xinhai Revolution that overthrew the Qing monarchy and the campaign against Yuan Shikai. In 1923, he became a professor of Chinese at National Southeast University (renamed Central University in 1928 and Nanjing University in 1949). After 1928, he served as director of the Jiangsu Revolutionary Museum and chief commissioner of the Jiangsu branch of the Antiquities Preservation Committee of the National Academy. He died of illness in his hometown of Tongli in 1933.

Mingqing Street, over 160 meters long, is built in Ming and Qing style, preserving the unique Jiangnan layout of upper and lower streets running parallel. Here you can admire the prosperous old town market: stone-paved streets lined with shops selling antiques, embroidery, silk, traditional foods, and local specialties such as fox nuts (jiantoumi), lard rice cakes, and soy-braised pork trotters.

Tongli is surrounded by five lakes, with winding lanes and crisscrossing waterways, leaving behind numerous ancient bridges from various periods.

The three most representative bridges are Taiping Bridge, Jili Bridge, and Changqing Bridge. These small, elegant bridges form a ‘品’ shape across the water, earning them the nickname ‘Top-tier Bridge’ (a pun on ‘bridge of the highest rank’). Walking across all three is known as ‘walking the peace road’ or ‘walking away a hundred ills,’ reflecting wishes for health and safety.

Taiping Bridge is a small, delicate stone beam bridge spanning the Dongliu and Qizi districts. It bears a couplet: ‘Forever benefiting the north-south peaceful road, completed in the 23rd year of Jiaqing.’

Jili Bridge, an arch bridge, spans the Qizi and Liangxu districts, lying between Taiping and Changqing bridges. It has couplets on both its north and south sides.

Changqing Bridge, commonly known as Xiejia Bridge, spans Dongliu and Liangxu. It was formerly called Fujian Bridge or Guangli Bridge. Its couplet declares the builders’ shared righteousness, constructing the bridge for the people—a deed of merit for the time and benefit for ages.

In Tongli, every home borders the water and every household has boat access. Ming and Qing houses stand row upon row; bridges from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties are well preserved. With simple yet spirited bridges, neatly laid stone paths, the scenery everywhere exudes the poetic charm of ‘little bridges, flowing water, and waterside homes’—the essence of a Jiangnan water town.

As night falls, step out of the guesthouse and onto the streets. Lanterns along the lanes twinkle, small boats gently bob in the silvery light, and shopkeepers bustle in and out. Tongli at night is especially enchanting.

Zhouzhuang is just 15 kilometers from Tongli. From Tongli Bus Station, bus 758 takes 25 minutes directly to Zhouzhuang’s Jiangze Station. I stayed overnight at the Shuiyueju Inn in Zhouzhuang.

This water town of Zhouzhuang I had briefly visited fifteen years ago. The century-old town, built of blue bricks and ancient tiles, with a small river winding through like an elegant ink painting, boats gliding back and forth, and boatmen and women singing melodious tunes—that scene has long lingered in my mind.

Ancient streets paved with blue stone slabs follow the intersecting waterways, winding and turning in graceful curves.

Pavilions, terraces, towers, small bridges, and flowing streams interlace, exuding an irresistible charm and endless allure.

The bridges of Zhouzhuang are a Jiangnan marvel, bearing history and recording culture. On the crisscrossing waterways, 14 ancient stone bridges from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties are perfectly preserved, nearly each with its own famous story, enhancing not only the scenery but also the water-town ambience.

All Zhouzhuang’s bridges are stone arches, resembling rainbows resting on the water from afar, or like gazing eyes. Each end has steps leading up; the raised back of the bridge offers a vantage point to look down and watch the graceful boatwomen, listen to soft Wu-dialect songs, and hear the water lapping against the bridge.

The Twin Bridges (Shuang Qiao) refer to two stone bridges built together during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty over intersecting canals. Because one bridge lies horizontally and the other vertically, with a square arch and a round arch, they resemble an ancient key, so locals call them the ‘Key Bridges’.

Each bridge is over ten meters long and about three meters wide, built of granite. These bridges gained worldwide fame through Chen Yifei’s oil painting ‘Memories of Home,’ making them a must-see for Zhouzhuang visitors.

Fu’an Bridge is highly renowned, a round-arch bridge famous for its elegant design. Located at the east end of Zhongshi Street, it spans the north-south market river, connecting both sides. Legend says there was once a Zongguan (Supervisor) temple nearby, hence its original name Zongguan Bridge. At each of its four corners stands a building; curiously, there are no stairs inside between the first and second floors—you have to go outside and climb the bridge steps to reach the upper level. The bridge also features five Wukang stones, rarely seen in Jiangnan.

When the white-walled, grey-tiled houses by the water are reflected on the calm river surface, the river becomes a mirror, reflecting Zhouzhuang’s tranquility and beauty—‘the scenery is as beautiful as a painting, and you stroll within the painting’.

Zhouzhuang’s charm lies not only in its enchanting water-town scenery but also in its profound history and culture. A visit to Zhouzhuang must include Shen Hall and Zhang Hall. These two buildings embody two completely different value orientations in Chinese culture. Their owners followed different paths, leading to vastly different fates.

Shen Hall is located on South Market Street, south of the east end of Fu’an Bridge. Facing south, it comprises seven courtyards and five gate towers, with over a hundred rooms of various sizes arranged along a 100-meter central axis, covering more than 2,000 square meters. It was built in the seventh year of the Qianlong reign (1742) by Shen Benren, a descendant of Shen Wansan, the richest man in Jiangnan.

Known as ‘the wealthiest man in Jiangnan,’ Shen Wansan once funded one-third of the construction of Nanjing’s city walls for Zhu Yuanzhang. But because he lavishly rewarded soldiers with his ‘wealth rivaling a nation,’ he offended the emperor and was exiled to the army. During his banishment, he traded again along the Tea Horse Road and regained his fortune. In 1392, he went to Fuquan Mountain to practice Daoism, later died in Pingyue, and was buried there. His remains were later moved to Yinzi Bang in Zhouzhuang.

Shen Hall consists of three parts: the front section with a water gate and stone quay, serving as a boat dock; the middle section with the wall gate, tea hall, and main hall for receiving guests, discussions, and ceremonies; the rear section with the large and small hall towers and back hall rooms for daily living.

The brick-carved gate tower facing the main hall is the most magnificent of the five, standing 6 meters high, topped with brick cornices and upturned eaves, supported by brick arches below, with lotus pendants on both sides. Five layers of brick carvings are tightly arranged, with a central plaque inscribed ‘Accumulated Virtue Shines Far.’ Surrounding reliefs of ‘red plum blossoms greeting spring’ depict figures, animals, pavilions, terraces, and opera scenes, all so lifelike they rival the brick gate tower in Suzhou’s Wangshi Garden.

In the hall, Songmao Tang stands central, with high, wide eaves. Beams and pillars are carved with pythons, kylins, flying cranes, and dancing phoenixes. The hall’s ‘Songmao Tang’ plaque was written by Zhang Jian, the top scholar from Nantong.

The main tower is robust and flowing, with all beams and columns carved in Ming-style circular patterns. The entire building combines the strengths of Huizhou, Shaoxing, and Suzhou styles, grand and imposing.

The zoumalou (horse-walking building) is a distinctive architectural form in Jiangnan residences, with corridors on all sides that allow passage through connected towers—so spacious that one could even ride a horse through, hence the name.

Shen Hall’s zoumalou is about 200 meters long with 45 rooms, extending through six courtyards from the wall gate to the small hall tower in a ‘回’ shaped layout.

The zoumalou served as the living quarters for the Shen family, including the master’s bedroom, the young lady’s boudoir, the young master’s room, and the master’s study.

In old times, the Shen daughters rarely left the inner quarters, spending most of their time in their upstairs boudoir. They could not casually meet guests, and the wall windows provided a perfect peephole.

Strolling through the zoumalou, the air seems permeated with the vivid breath of bygone days.

Zhang Hall, originally named Yishun Tang, was built during the Zhengtong era of the Ming Dynasty by descendants of Xu Kui, the younger brother of the great general Xu Da. In the early Qing Dynasty, it was sold to the Zhang family and renamed Yuyan Tang, commonly known as Zhang Hall.

Zhang Hall may not match Shen Hall in grandeur, but the Ruojing River flows right through the house, creating the unique feature of ‘sedan entering through the front door, boats passing through the home’—a clever contingency plan devised by the owner, an official, to avoid misfortune.