Tongli (同里古镇)is another ancient town situated 18km away from Suzhou, and 80 km from Shanghai. It was built in the Ming and Qing Dynasty, about 1,000 years ago. Surrounded by several lakes, this 0.67-square-kilometer town is divided into 7 parts by the 15 river courses at its midst. This is a town on the river whose streets are supplemented by rivers, upon which numerous boats float back and forth. Its 20 ancient bridges of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties join the town into an integrated whole.
Water is the sould of Tongli Ancient Town. All of the local residences are built along the river and boat is the most common transportation for the resident. The daily life was connected with water closely. In front of each residence, there is a flight of stone stairs leading to the river, where people wash clothes. Some residences have attics stretching above the river, where buckets hang for water collection.
Tongli is noted for its small bridges. There are 55 bridges in the town of Tongli. The most famous are the three bridges.They are Taiping, Jili, Changqing Bridges. They all represent blessing. When getting married, the birth of a child, celebrating birthday, people will walk across the three bridges to pray for the health, the happiness and something like that.
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Updated by Sophie
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