Which is more worth going to, Pingjiang Road in Suzhou or Tongli?

Tongli is an ancient town, and Pingjiang Road is just a street, which is completely different.

Tongli raiders

Last time I finished writing Zhouzhuang Raiders, I was well received by many friends, so I am eager to write another Raiders of other ancient towns, first of all Tongli Ancient Town, because there are many similarities with Zhouzhuang, I hope it will be helpful to everyone, and I hope that you will have time to write other ones in the future, such as Lijiang Raiders and Dali Raiders.

Shanghai to Tongli (105km):

self-driving

Just follow the signs at the exit of Lili Tongli on g50 Expressway and you can get to Tongli.

passenger train

Shanghai Gymnasium → Tongli Time: 8: 00/9: 00/10: 00/1:00 Drive: about 2 hours.

Shanghai Hutai Road → Tongli Time: 12: 30/ 13: 40 Drive: about 2 hours.

From Shanghai to Suzhou and then to Tongli (Suzhou to Tongli is only 18km);

Air conditioning Shanghai Hongqiao Airport → Suzhou time:10: 00/1:00/12: 00/13: 00/14: 00//kloc.

Bus time from Shanghai to Suzhou: every 15 minutes: about 2 hours.

Suzhou South Bus Station → Tongli Time: 6: 30/6: 50/8: 30/9: 25/1:00/12: 25/14: 00/.

Suzhou Wuxian Bus Station → Tongli Time: every 15 minutes: 35 minutes.

Suzhou Railway Station → Tongli Time: Every 30 minutes: 50 minutes.

Train Shanghai → Suzhou Time: every 20 minutes: 1 hour

General situation of Tongli ancient town

Tongli used to be called "rich soil" because the name was too extravagant. In the Song Dynasty, some scholars overlapped the old name "rich soil" and crossed it up and down to form "Tongli", which is still in use today. At that time, the richness of Jiangnan was evident.

Tongli is located at 10 km west of Zhouzhuang. Why do you mention Zhouzhuang here? Because Zhouzhuang is so close to Tongli, it is recommended that friends who travel choose one of the two ancient towns, otherwise it is not worthwhile to travel by boat. I think Tongli is better. Zhouzhuang gives me the feeling that it is famous and there are too many people. There are many roadside shops, but there are relatively few people in Tongli. However, there are not many shops in the alley of Tongli, all of which are local people, and it is quiet in the morning and evening. Sleeping in the ancient town won't be awakened by the noisy sound of the tour group coming in early in the morning. Although it is very close, the traffic from Zhouzhuang to Tongli is very inconvenient. Either take a black taxi or take a bus to Tongli at the station south of Zhouzhuang (called Jiangze Station), which takes half an hour. Sometimes the bus is late and unreliable. Tongli is only 18km away from Suzhou city. There is a direct bus to Tongli at Suzhou Railway Station (not high-speed railway station, Suzhou) during the day, and the ticket is very cheap, only 8 yuan. The ancient town is surrounded by water and embedded in the five lakes of Tongli, Jiuli, Yeze, Nanxing and Pangshan. The building stands by the water and is known as the "Little Venice of the East". Many friends here are probably impatient, and popular science stuff is really boring, haha.

Tongli special

There are many rivers and bridges, many buildings in Ming and Qing Dynasties, and many celebrities and scholars. They are famous for their "small bridges and flowing water". The main scenic spots can be summarized as "one garden", "two halls" and "three bridges". Garden A refers to the retreat garden, which is a garden in the world cultural heritage list. It is small but beautiful, but if you have visited the gardens in Suzhou, you might as well not go. The second hall is Gengle Hall and Chongben Hall. In fact, some places where root carvings are placed need to buy tickets. The ticket price is 100 yuan, and the scenic spots (including Tuisi Garden, Wang Shaosong Memorial Hall, Jiangnan Wedding Custom Museum, Jiayintang, Gengletang, Luoxingzhou, Chen Qubing's former residence, Antique Garden, Pearl Tower and Songshiwu Garden) are combined into one. Check-in time is from 8 am to 4: 30 pm, and then you can come and go freely. Please don't believe the scalper who accosted you on the road and said that he would take you in, or the expired ticket that was given to you at a low price. None of this works. Don't lose money and lose interest in playing. The third bridge is in the center of the ancient town, and the scenic spots of the third bridge are also on the joint ticket, but as long as the scenic spots of the third bridge can enter the ancient town, it doesn't matter whether it is a ticket or not. Lujia Inn is on Bridge 3. In the chat with my boss, I mentioned the story of the Third Bridge.

The third bridge is "Evergreen", "Geely" and "Taiping", three ordinary stone bridges, vicissitudes of life.

Of the three bridges, the "Taiping" bridge is the oldest, and it can be safe after walking. Geely Bridge is a bridge full of good luck. After leaving, promotion and wealth are indispensable. "Evergreen" means always full of youth.

In the life of fellow villagers, the full moon, marriage and 60th birthday are bound to take three bridges. Young people want a happy marriage, and they must take three bridges to get married. You can grow old together and be happy forever after you leave, but you should also pay attention to taboos. It is best to ask the locals. For an old man's birthday, he will live a long life by walking three bridges. There are quite a few old people in Tongli. It is said that many people live to be over 90 years old. Now there are 1 10-year-old birthday girls in Tongli town, and they are still very healthy.

The spirit of crossing the bridge has no effect, so let's just let it be for the time being. But these three bridges certainly represent the people's yearning for happiness and a better life in the future. Since it is a local custom, we must go around the Third Bridge.

It is no exaggeration that the Third Bridge is called a blessed land and a land of geomantic omen.

There are mainly restaurants around, selling local dishes, and the price is quite expensive. If two people want to eat enough, they need at least one red PP. Below I will introduce the problem of eating, and I will tell you how to play first.

Optimal travel time

Tongli is a typical Jiangnan water town with a pleasant climate. In winter, the temperature is generally around 0- 10 degrees, and it is already very cold when it is -4 degrees. The temperature can reach 38 degrees in sunny days in summer, and it is the most comfortable time in spring and autumn, about 20 degrees, and the scenery of the four seasons leads all the way. So you don't have to mind the season when you go to Tongli, but it's best not to go on weekends or holidays, because it's hard to appreciate the tranquility and beauty of the ancient town and water town in the rolling crowd. This time, there are not many people because of bird flu, but there are already many. Ps, bird flu is actually not that serious.

Some folk festivals

As the saying goes, "A thousand miles of different winds and a hundred miles of different customs", there are many unique folk festivals in Tongli:

Luohan on the first day of the first month

From the first day of the first month to the fifth day of the first month, the faithful men and women in the four townships and eight neighbors rushed to Luohan, the "Nanguan" point in the southwest of the ancient town, in order to achieve peace in the four seasons.

March 28th Zhu Tianhui

This is a spontaneous activity to commemorate Zhu Youjian, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, but most of Tongli are old women, so few people in Tongli know the essence of Zhu Tianhui, and only remember a folk song: "March 8th rolled over an old woman". The main activity is "sitting on a stool and being a vegetarian".

April 14 Fairy Club

This is a wide-ranging activity, but Tongli has its own characteristics. The main activities are: walking on stilts, lifting incense, refining mussels and boating. The queue was very long, and finally a group of kind men and women wore atonement clothes and skirts to show their atonement.

Shoot a waterspout on June 23rd.

It is a major feature of Tongli. In fact, this is an annual fire fighting competition. From the Great Temple to the west, all the way to the Ferry Bridge, people with faucets opened fire together, water hoses flew around the river and the fog dispersed. The scene is spectacular.

Tongli cruise

Ticket price of Guzhen Third Bridge Scenic Area: 70/boat (6 people)

Tickets for Tongli Lake Scenic Tour: ￥200/ boat (20 persons)

How to play the ticket-purchasing scenic spots

Retreat Garden → Sanxietang → Cultural Relics Museum → Jiangnan Wedding Custom Museum → Sanqiao → Gengletang → Dingzihe → Jiayintang → Mingqing Street → Shidetang → Wuhe Gate House → Chen Qubing Former Residence.

Local delicacies

Tongli has a mild and humid climate and dense rivers, which are rich in freshwater rivers and various aquatic crops. Food culture has typical Jiangnan characteristics. The most famous dishes are champion's hoof, shrimp cake, three-silk spring rolls, sesame oil eel paste and famous watercress cooked in fresh river water, such as white fish, perch, mandarin fish and turtle. Aquatic plants, such as Zizania latifolia, celery, water shield, water chestnut, lotus root and arrowroot, all have unique local characteristics. Snacks include crisp socks, 100-fruit honey cakes, Cibao cakes, green cakes, Fujian cakes, lard rice cakes, chicken rice heads, big meat buns, distiller's grains cakes, malt cakes, small smoked fish and so on. The restaurant in Sanqiao is very expensive, but the taste is OK. See if you can adapt. The local food in Tongli is sweet and the riverside scenery is good. The most famous Lujia has a good price. And it tastes good and the price is affordable. The boss introduced me when I was drinking at the boat pier bar that night. When I left with my husband, I went to dinner at noon and reported the name of Chuandun Bar, which gave me a small discount. It tastes better than the third bridge and is obviously much more hygienic. I regret not going. There is also a private kitchen called Loujia in a very biased place, which is not big, but it should taste good, because many stars who are filming in Tongli have also gone there to eat, and the owner of the boat pier bar has also mentioned it. I suggest you go to the bar and order a beer next time you go to Tongli. If the boss can chat with him now, he should learn something from friends who don't know him. The boss also has many stories, but. When I wrote this guide, I also lost a lot of his help information. Those who are interested in going to Tongli Weibo can pay attention to him and ask about the weather and accommodation. Even tell me how to avoid a ticket.

Ok, let's introduce the famous dishes we have eaten in Tongli:

Huxian famous dish

Champion's hoof: the most famous food in Tongli, where you can chew on the road with pig's hoof freely. No one is surprised, and you won't feel beneath your dignity. These hooves are delicious. Locals must prepare this at home when entertaining guests or celebrating the New Year. It is said that a top scholar ate this hoof when he went to Beijing to catch the exam, and later went to high school, so he got this name. But that champion is not the one who retired from Philip Burkart. Don't make mistakes.

Shrimp in the cake: mix the egg whites, add rice flour and shrimp, and put them in the pot. Bright color and delicious rosin. You can also put it in a small box with tomatoes, which tastes better.

Three-silk fish roll: choose herring or grass carp weighing five or six pounds, take the middle part of female roe, remove the belly as skin, roll it into shredded ham, shredded chicken and shredded fragrant shavings, put it in a cage, and steam it with seasonings such as yellow wine and chives. Its meat is tender, fragrant and delicious, and its flavor is unique.

Oil eel paste: made of fried eel shreds, ham shreds, chicken shreds, shrimp, etc. Use a little shredded ginger, ghee, mashed garlic and boiled meat oil. When serving, the pepper is sprinkled very thinly, the aroma is tangy and the entrance is delicious.

Three whites in Taihu Lake: whitebait, whitebait, white shrimp and scrambled eggs with whitebait are all delicious. If you want to eat authentic food, you must go outside the garden. They can use peasant eggs, which are delicious. White fish should be steamed, because it is fresh fish, so it is also very fresh, but it has a lot of thorns. White shrimp is tender in meat and lighter in color than ordinary shrimp. People here basically eat the original flavor, and it feels a little sweet after eating.

stay

Tongli, where "home is by the water's edge, and households are connected by boats", has outstanding people and long alleys. The string of the heart is simple and elegant, and the bluestone path contains the unique cultural color of the water town. Houses on both sides of the Ming and Qing dynasties have experienced the washing of misty rain in the south of the Yangtze River, which makes people linger.

In this quiet and picturesque ancient architectural complex, a number of unique ancient residential inns were officially opened to the public. The folk customs are rich, the water passes by the window, the head rests on the river, and the sound of gurgling will accompany you to sleep. Have a dream with fellow villagers, blend in and be a fellow villager.

Tongli lives in the famous 1 Lujia Inn, which is affordable. We live in Sanqiao, antique, No.2 Fuzheng Caotang, a place with Chinese garden style and good taste. The name of the room is Jiangnan people. At night, the room is very quiet and there is basically no noise. The bed is antique, but very soft and comfortable. There is also a special area for guests to drink tea.

play

There are many streets in Tongli, such as Ming and Qing Streets, which are specially used to buy souvenirs, such as silk, crisp socks, green jiaozi, hooves and other things. We recommend Euryale ferox in Tongli, which is also commonly known as chicken head rice. Buy fresh or frozen and take it home to stew sweet soup. It's delicious. Put some lotus seeds and mung beans. At the most famous bridge in Tongli, you can eat many snacks, such as stinky tofu and fried crabs. Here, I want to remind you that all shopping needs an appropriate counter-offer.

In addition to several scenic spots, there are some interesting places in Tongli, such as afternoon tea: Sky City with cats on the Third Bridge, illy Coffee, Ship Pier Bar in Muwan and Coffee Cat. It is recommended to wear a hat in Sky City and Ship Pier Bar. Maokong is a place with a very strong literary atmosphere, focusing on postcards, which can be sent to your future self. Some drinks are slightly packaged, and many girls and boys have to quit, by the river. Unconsciously, I came to the ship dock again. This bar is both indoor and outdoor, and its location is excellent. It's near the ticket gate in Tongli, and the things inside are even more delicious. There are Italian handmade pizza and Chinese simple meals at dinner. The first afternoon, I waited outside the ticket gate because I didn't want to buy a ticket. This bar is next to it. It's strange to open during the day, but I didn't expect to cook catering and afternoon tea because I was sitting in their chair. So after I went in at night, I came here for a drink after dinner, ordered two cocktails and sat down. There were singers and bands in the evening. This is definitely the only one in Tongli, and it is here that I had a conversation with my boss. It feels like a short encounter. My boss used to live in Lijiang and around Yunnan, and I happen to like that place very much. I've been there once and I'm going to go again, so I talked a lot. I am really a man of temperament, and my view of bars is correct.

Tongli, an ancient town with a long history and culture. Silk and bamboo, xuanjuan, pingtan, opera, minor, flower basket, lotus fragrance, dragon dance, lion dance, bridge lamp, river lamp, etc. They are all cultural relics and popular tracks with great traditional charm. Taking the three bridges and rowing a cruise ship is a leisure way that integrates tourism and entertainment. Sitting on a cruise ship and enjoying the water landscape of the ancient town, you have a taste.

Tongli Night Garden is an excellent place for people to taste real life, trace back to the past and admire a better life. You can enjoy a cup of tea in the garden thatched cottage, while enjoying the leisurely moonlit night on the riverside, the opening of Wu Nong's lyrics in the gallery, the signature of "Two Springs Reflecting the Moon" in the pavilion, the clear selection of songs from the Pearl Tower on the shore, the euphemistic melody in the hall, the hazy moonlight in the back garden, the simple folk customs in the streets and lanes, and the floats and traffic lights reflecting river lights in the river, hanging alternately with branches.