Savoring Tongli: Tuisi Garden, the Most Famous Garden

Travel time: March 2021

Travel mode: self-driving

Route: Nanjing – Suzhou Tongli Ancient Town (Tuisi Garden – Lize Girls' School – Wang Shaolong Memorial Hall – Pearl Pagoda – Chuanxin Alley)

Suzhou Tongli Ancient Town (Jiayin Hall – Chongben Hall – Gengle Hall – Luoxing Isle) – Tongli Beilian Village – Suzhou Luzhi (Baosheng Temple – Shen Bohan's Former Residence – Rice Shop – Jiangnan Culture Park) – Nanjing

Taking a weekend to visit Suzhou's ancient towns, I chose Tongli, which I hadn't been to before. It's a bit of a pity that after decades in Nanjing, I'm only now visiting Tongli, but it also shows that there are too many wonderful places in Jiangnan; it takes years to see them all. The road conditions were good, and following the navigation, we smoothly arrived at Tongli's north parking lot. After parking, we contacted the inn and learned that our inn was on the south side of the ancient town. Thinking it wasn't far, we decided to walk, which also gave us a chance to get a general look at the town. We bought tickets at the visitor center, 80 yuan per person. Visitors need tickets just to enter the ancient town, and some attractions inside require ticket checks again. A single ticket is valid for two days, which is convenient for visitors like us who stay at inns within the town.

After buying tickets, we entered the ancient town. A lively atmosphere hit us, with crowds of people jostling on the streets. On one side of the street was the murmuring water, on the other, shops displaying a dazzling array of Tongli specialties. Stepping on flagstone paths, accompanied by the small river, crossing little bridges, we headed south. Because there were many tourists and we were carrying luggage, we didn't stop to admire but went straight to our inn on Zhuhang Street. After checking in, we grabbed our cameras and eagerly went out.

Just as we stepped out of Zhuhang Street, we encountered this distinctive Tailai Bridge. The bridge itself was tall, and with a large bamboo pavilion built on top, it exuded an even more majestic and imposing aura.

Just a few steps from Tailai Bridge, there was a three-arch stone bridge – Zhongchuan Bridge.

Zhongchuan Bridge is the bridge where Zhongchuan Road in Tongli Town leads directly to the ancient town. The memorial archway to the south of the bridge is a landmark of the ancient town; you need a ticket to enter through that archway.

Standing on the tall Tailai Bridge, overlooking the Tongli water town, it's an ancient town with a long history and a quintessential water-town style.

Whitewashed walls and black-tiled roofs; the water, sounds, and air all exude an ancient charm.

The clear river water reflected the entire Tailai Bridge.

On both banks, many of the white-walled, black-tiled residences are buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, arranged in neat rows. The ancient town has preserved many old buildings and is one of the most well-preserved water towns in Jiangsu Province.

A town formed by water, every house connected to the water, every household accessible by boat, creating a beautifully layered and picturesque water-town scene.

A peach tree full of pink blossoms brightened the mottled white walls and black tiles.

Nowadays, many of the riverside residences have become inns or bars, giving these ancient buildings new vitality.

We passed by the Ming-Qing Commercial Street but didn't rush to enter; we just drifted by lightly.

We continued north along Zhongchuan Road.

There was a spacious square.

At one end of the square stood an ancient stage.

Because Tongli epitomizes the beauty of Jiangnan ancient towns, it has attracted countless film crews to shoot movies and TV dramas here, so a 'China Tongli Film and Photography Base' was established. The square's floor tiles are engraved with the signatures of various production teams.

We didn't wander aimlessly; instead, we used the attractions included in our ticket as our guide and began our Tongli journey. The first stop was a garden enclosed by high walls right next to the square – Tuisi Garden.

Address: No. 234 Xintian Street, Tongli Town, Wujiang District, Suzhou

On the tall white wall, there was a small doorway, so inconspicuous that it made me wonder. Several plaques hung beside the door. The first on the left was the garden's completion date – the Qing Dynasty. The second on the left was a plaque from UNESCO in November 2000, designating Tuisi Garden as a World Cultural Heritage site. The second on the right indicated that Tuisi Garden was the former site of Lize Girls' School, and the first on the right gave a brief introduction to the garden. From these simple plaques, one can learn that Tuisi Garden, built between the 11th and 13th years of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1885-1887 AD), was the residence of the owner Ren Lansheng, who returned home after being impeached to 'retreat and reflect,' and it is a World Cultural Heritage site.

We passed through the corridor between the entrance hall and the tea hall. The residential area of Tuisi Garden is divided into inner and outer sections. The outer residence has three courtyards along the central axis – the entrance hall, tea hall, and main hall – arranged with clear hierarchy. The outer residence was mainly used for receiving guests, weddings, and ancestral ceremonies.

The tea hall, also called the flower hall, was used for receiving ordinary guests.

The courtyard between the tea hall and the main hall.

The main hall, also called 'Yinyu Hall,' was used for receiving distinguished guests and conducting ancestral ceremonies, weddings, and funerals.

The inner and outer residences could be separated or combined, with a compact layout. To the east of the outer residence, separated by a wall, was the inner residence of Tuisi Garden.

The two buildings to the south and north, each with five rooms upstairs and five downstairs, were called 'Wanduo Lou,' the living quarters for the garden owner and his family. The running-horse building had black pillars, red railings, and hanging fascia. The two buildings were connected by double corridors. Stairs were placed under the corridors, providing shelter from wind and rain and separating the owners from the servants.

The ground floor of 'Wanduo Lou' had an introduction to the Ren family and the history and culture of Tuisi Garden.

There was also an interactive area with a Go game table. For those with leisure and refinement, playing a game here would be such an elegant activity!

The running-horse building also housed a paper-cutting shop – 'Jian Nan Chun'. The owner was Ji Jianming, known as the top paper-cutting artist in Jiangnan, a native of Tongli.

Further east from the running-horse building, we entered a larger courtyard, the central courtyard of Tuisi Garden. The central courtyard marked the end of the residence and the transition to the garden. Anchored in the central courtyard was a boat-shaped structure with a bow but no stern – a land boat, said to be used for guests to disembark from their sedan chairs. In front of the boat, a scene composed of rockeries, small trees, and exotic flowers and plants was arranged. On both sides of the land boat were the bedrooms for male and female guests in the 'Sitting in Spring and Moon-viewing Tower' and the 'Three Friends of Winter' tea room featuring pines, bamboo, and plum blossoms, reflecting the host's thoughtful and warm hospitality.

On both sides of the boat stood a tall white magnolia and a tall southern magnolia. The two large magnolia trees sheltered the entire boat under their green shade; everywhere beyond the windows was lush and verdant.

On the mottled wall of the Moon-viewing Tower, three windows featured three different lattice patterns. The lush old trees and the green moss at the base of the wall all bore traces of history.

In front of the courtyard, camphor and magnolia trees were planted, giving an ancient and vigorous feel. The small courtyard was simple but captivating, serving as a natural transition and an excellent prelude to the garden.

The bow pointed east, straight toward the moon gate named 'Clouds and Mist Locking the Key.' Like a boat ready to set sail, it guided visitors to the eastern garden. This was the true heart of Tuisi Garden's scenery.

Passing through the round gate of the courtyard, we entered the garden. Right at the garden entrance, clinging to the tall white wall of the central courtyard, was Shuixiang Xie (Water Fragrance Pavilion). The waterside pavilion had a resting-hill roof with rolled eaves and large upturned corners, extending over the water, and formed a scenic contrast with Tuisi Thatched Hall across the water. Its three water-facing sides were fitted with 'meiren kao' (leaning rails), which now serve as seats for tourists to enjoy the view.

From Shuixiang Xie, we admired the garden. The garden was centered on water, with buildings and rockeries arranged along the water's edge. Most structures were built close to the water, emphasizing the expansive feel of the water surface. Hence, Tuisi Garden is also praised as a 'garden hugging the water.' Across the water, at the center of the pond's north bank, was the core of the eastern garden – Tuisi Thatched Hall. The hall spanned five bays, with a resting-hill roof and rolled eaves, surrounded by a corridor on all four sides, simple and elegant. In front of the hall, a white stone platform extended lightly and gracefully over the water, both steady and grand.

To the left of Shuixiang Xie, a winding corridor led away, with historical inscriptions on its walls.

Looking from the corridor into the pond, the water was so clear that it mirrored everything, creating a special ambiance.

A few steps away, a two-story irregular pentagonal pavilion appeared – Lansheng Ge (Scenery-embracing Pavilion), also called the Misses' Tower. Lansheng Ge was tucked right outside the east gable of the main building in the central courtyard, the Sitting in Spring and Moon-viewing Tower. It was cleverly designed with three sides and six windows on both floors, a unique shape that showed great ingenuity, allowing the female guests to enjoy the garden's scenery without leaving the building.

The furnishings in the room below and to the side of Lansheng Ge were antique and elegant.

The view in front of Lansheng Tower featured a pool of clear water at the center, shimmering with reflections. Around the pond, small buildings were scattered: on the left, the Thatched Hall; on the right, Shuixiang Xie; and in the middle distance, Naohong Yige ('Boat of Red Splendor').

Moving a few more steps, we arrived at the garden's main scenic building, Tuisi Thatched Hall. Facing south, the hall was simple and elegant, eschewing ostentation. This principle was evident everywhere, from the window and door decorations to the furniture.

The terrace south of the hall faced the pond; standing there, one could take in the entire garden. To the right front was Naohong Yige, behind it the two-story Xin Tai (Spice Terrace), and on the left by the water, Guyu Shengliang Xuan (Rain-on-wild-rice Cool Pavilion). In this limited space, the designer, based on Jiangnan water-town characteristics, harmoniously integrated pavilions, terraces, towers, chambers, galleries, workshops, bridges, waterside pavilions, halls, rooms, and studies around the pond, cleverly achieving a combination of land, water, and air in architectural space – a unique masterpiece in Jiangnan.

From another angle, Shuixiang Xie and Lansheng Ge, framed by foreground rockeries, flowers, and trees, resembled a tranquil and serene landscape painting.

Opposite, to the southeast, was the boat-shaped building – Naohong Yige. The bow featured a hanging hill style with a slightly lower roofline. The boat body was supported by lake rocks, as if sailing on the rivers and sea. The stern was anchored to the pond's edge, backed by tall trees. Behind Naohong Yige was the 'Nine-bend Corridor,' built along the water. The corridor meandered and undulated, its walls inset with nine lattice windows of different shapes.

Tuisi Thatched Hall was the main feature of the garden. Standing on the platform in front, looking around, one could enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view.

Leaving the Thatched Hall, we continued clockwise around the pond. After a bamboo bridge, there was a rockery with a Mianyun Pavilion (Sleeping Cloud Pavilion) on top; behind the rockery was Guyu Shengliang Xuan.

Gazing out at the garden with a broad view, the water and buildings fit tightly together; the entire garden seemed to float on water. The liveliness of the water added a dynamic touch to the whole garden.

The water was crystal clear, like a bright mirror reflecting everything around, creating a perfectly complete picture.

Arriving at Guyu Shengliang Xuan, this waterside pavilion had a unique design: originally, three water channels ran beneath it, acting as a natural air conditioner and keeping the interior cool and damp. In the middle of the pavilion hung a large mirror, with a fragrance-drenched couch set before it. Combined with floor-to-ceiling lattice windows, during the scorching summer, one could enjoy the mirrored scenery of mountains and waters without leaving the pavilion, escaping the heat, slicing melons, and admiring lotuses – a favorite spot for the women.

Looking out from the window of Guyu Shengliang Xuan into the garden, the layout was compact yet natural, with plant arrangements that rose and fell rhythmically, seamlessly flowing. It was like a symphony perfectly combining man and nature, with a prelude and a climax.

Coming close to Naohong Yige, a closer look at this 'boat' revealed exquisite craftsmanship. On both sides, long dark red hanging lattice windows with carved patterns, half-open, resembled fish scales. Expanding one's view, Naohong Yige echoed with the surrounding lake rocks and the Thatched Hall on the opposite shore, achieving harmony between the environment and nature.

Walking along the winding corridor that circles the pond, strolling along, we enjoyed the changing scenery with every step and the poetic atmosphere. On the corridor, we came across a half-pavilion, a passage leading to the Osmanthus Hall.

It was named for the many osmanthus trees planted in the garden. In the golden autumn, when the fragrance of osmanthus fills the garden, it must be sweetly delightful. The cobblestone path in the courtyard was artistically varied.

The Osmanthus Hall, with five bays, was originally the family shrine and library.

Here, Hongyi Xuan now displays the calligraphy and paintings of artist Zhou Jianhong.

This was the exit of Tuisi Garden. The exit doorway was slightly larger than the entrance but still understated.

Actually, before coming to Tongli, besides checking the driving route and booking an inn, I hadn't done much research. So for visiting Tuisi Garden, I simply picked the nearest attraction from the ticket list. Entering Tuisi Garden through the humble, narrow entrance in the white wall, I wondered how the 'World Cultural Heritage' plaque by the door came to be. After passing through the dim sedan chair hall, everything I saw was completely different from my initial impression. Each courtyard was more beautiful than the last, each scene more wondrous. Tuisi Garden was small yet exquisite, elegantly simple and tasteful, with pavilions and terraces half-hidden, full of delightful surprises. The garden's architecture was overwhelming yet well-paced, unfolding before us like a three-dimensional painting. After a complete tour, I understood why Tuisi Garden earned its designation as a World Cultural Heritage site.