Located in Suzhou city, East China's Jiangsu province and established during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Tongli Ancient Town is a national 5A-level tourist attraction boasting gardens, temples and private mansions, many the former residences of celebrities. 

The town lies in an enclosure of five lakes, and is divided into seven small "islands" by 15 traversing rivers. The water's taking up more than 40 percent of the entire area of the town has given it a reputation as the Venice of the East. 

The photo provides a beautiful bird’s eye view of Tongli Ancient Town. Tongli is world-renowned as a typical town of the Jiangnan region (located to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River). [Photo/ VCG]

Tourists take boats to go through a small bridge in Tongli Ancient Town. Forty-nine bridges have been built to connect the isolated 'islands' separated by waterways. [Photo/ VCG]

The town’s history could be stretched back 5,000-6,000 years, when it was formally called "Futu" (literally meaning "rich land") thanks to its favorable natural conditions. 

Tongli Ancient Town has also nurtured profound culture and has been home to talented people, including Wei Ruxian (1216-45), the top passer of the highest level of imperial civil service recruitment examination, and Ye Yin, a poet of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). 

With its long history and splendid culture, the Retreat and Reflection Garden (Tuisi yuan) in the town, one of the classical gardens of Suzhou, was inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage List and included among the country’s important parks. Tongli Ancient Town is also rated as a famous historical and cultural town in China and is the only ancient town listed as a provincial cultural relic protection site.

The entrance of the Retreat and Reflection Garden [Photo/ VCG]