Tongli ancient town (Chinese: 同里; Pinyin: Tónglǐ) with beautiful scenery is surrounded by five lakes, namely Tongli, Jiuli, Yeze, Nanxing and Pangshan. The town is divided into 7 small islands by 15 rivers arranged like the Chinese character “川” connected by 49 ancient bridges, making these islands an integrated area. The architectures built by riverside, famous for “small bridge, flowing stream and thatched households”, make Tongli ancient town the best-reserved ancient town by riverside. Tongli is characterized by a large number of architectures in Ming&Qing dynasties, small bridges and outstanding celebrities. Tongli boasts 38 residences in Ming&Qing dynasties, 47 temples and ancestral halls and around 100 residences of local rich and powerful people as well as former residences of celebrities.

In 2004, Tongli together with Luzhi and Zhouzhuang were listed in the tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage Sites.


The Retreat & Reflection Garden(Chinese:退思园；pinyin:tùisīyuán) or Tuisi Garden is a notable classical garden in China,has been listed as one of world’s Cultural Heritage. It is located in Tongli Town and 18 kilometers from Suzhou Old City. The main buildings are divided into east and west parts. The western part of the garden is the residential quarter, including a sitting hall, a tea hall and the main hall. The eastern part is the scenic area consists of the exterior and interior gardens. The garden is shaded by lush elegant trees and embroidered with various bonsais and flowers. The layout of Tuisi Garden is particular, small and exquisite, the pavilion and platform set off each other. It has pavilions, platforms, buildings, towers, corridors, bridges and halls and so o¬n. It is centered by the pool; the buildings are like floating above water.