China six top ancient Watertowns 中国六大水乡古镇

•SouthernChina'sWatertownsarethecanaltownsalongtheYangtzeRiverandtheGrandCanalthatbisectShanghaiandthetwoneighboringprovinces,JianguandZhejiang.TheyincludeZhouzhuang,Tongli,Wuzhen,XitangwhicharewellknowntovisitorsandthoselessvisitedsuchasLuzhiandNanxun.•Watertownsarecharacterizedbyburblingbrooks,archedbridges,slab-stonepavedalleys,watersideteahouses,andwhite-washedMingandQingdynastiesresidences,arealivingculturalheritageandrevealauniquewatersidelifestyle.MuseumofAncientBridgesContactusBriefIntroFeatureGetthereLandscapesTongliTongliBriefIntro•Tongliisover1000yearsoldandhasonlyrecentlybeenchangedintoatouristattraction.Thetownischaracterizedbystonebridgesandwellpreservedancientarchitectureincludingprivategardens,templesandhouses.•Thereare15smallriverlanescrisscrossedthetown,overwhichspansaround49stonebridgesinvarietyofstyles.Bridgesareimportantpartsofthetown.themostfamousbridgesamongthe49bridgesinTongliarethethreebridgescalledTaiping(peace),Jili(luck)andChangqing(celebration)bridges,whichhasbeenimportantlandmarksoftheplaceandregardedasthesacredarchitecturebythelocals.Wheneverthereisanimportantoccasion,suchaswedding,peoplewouldliketowalkthroughthethreebridges,whichissupposedtobringpeace,fortuneandhappinessintheirlives.TongliFeatureBuildingswellpreservedfromtheMingandQingDynastiesstandingbytheriversfillthetown.Thetraditionalgardensarewellworthseeing.TheTuisiGardenmakesagoodexample.Thegardenwasconstructedbetween1885and1887byanimperialofficial.Inthegarden,pavilions,terraces,halls,rockeries,pondsandotherelementsofthegardenwereharmoniouslyintegratedtogether.TongliLandscapesTongliGetthere•Tongliis80kilometersawayfromShanghaiandonly18kilometersawayfromSuzhou.ThereisanexpressbusfromShanghaitoTongliwhichdepartsfromShanghaiStadiumat8a.m.,9a.m.,10a.m.and11a.m.,thejourneytakestwohours.ShuttlebusesfromSuzhouRailwayStationorSuzhoubusstationwilltakeyoutoTongli,in35-50minutes.TongliLocation:Tonglitown,Wujiangcity,JiangsuProvinceBriefIntroFeatureGetthereLandscapesZhouzhuangZhouzhuangBriefIntro•ZhouzhuangliesatthemiddlebetweenShanghaiandSuzhou,isanancienttownofKunshancity,Jiangsuprovince,whereaboundswithriversandlakes.ItisthoughtbymanytobethebestwatersidetowninChina.Theancienttownhasahistoryofmorethan900yearsoldwithmanyhousesbuiltintheMingandQingDynasties.Thereareabout100houseswithcourtyards,and60ofthemhavearchgatewaysmadebycarvedbricks.•Withlakesonfoursides,thebeautyofZhouzhuangisspeciallytobefoundalongthewatersidelanesandaroundanumberofthestonebridges.Adifferentvistaateveryturncanbefoundhere.Allthosemakeavisitmostenjoyable.Also,onecanenjoythefairylandatmosphereoftheeveningsherewhenthemyriadstarstwinkleasthoughincommunicationwiththeglitteringlights.ZhouzhuangFeature•Zhouzhuang'sTwinBridgescompriseanarchedbridge,Shide,andabeambridge,Yongan.Together,ShideandYonganformoneofthetown'smorepopularattractions.Theymeetatarightangle,andtheircomplementaryshapescreatetheimageofanancientChinesekey,whichiswhyShideandYonganarealsoknowntothelocalsasKeyBridges.•Itslonghistory,richculturaltraditionanduniquenaturalenvironmenthavegivenZhouzhuangadistinctiveflavor.Thelocalaccent,dressandsocialcustomsrevealacertainrusticyetsimpleelegance.Alocalwoman'straditionaldressfeaturesaflowerytowel(orapieceofbluecotton)forascarf,aright-buttonedjacket,ashortpleatedapronaroundherwaist,apairofblackpants,andapairofembroideredshoesonher...ZhouzhuangLandscapesZhouzhuangGetthere•Howtogetthere:ZhouzhuangislocatedhalfwayfromShanghaitoSuzhouinKunshanCity,JiangsuProvince.ItiseasytogettherebybusbothfromShanghaiandSuzhou:FromSuzhoubusleavesfromSuzhouNorthLong-distanceBusStationfrom7:05amto5:00pmevery20munites.FromShanghai:ShanghaiStadium:Busleaves:7:00,9:05,9:45,12:10;Returns:14:30,16:30ZhouzhuangLocation:QuanfoRoad,Zhouzhuang,KunshanCity,Suzhou,JiangsuProvinceBriefIntroFeatureGetthereLandscapesLuzhiLuzhiBriefIntro•LuzhiancienttownisinKunshancity,about25kilometersawayfromSuzhou.Thetownisaround1squarekilometer.Ithasalonghistoryofmorethan2,500years.•Thetownischaracterizedbysmallwaterlanes,stonebridgesandtheriversideancientbuildings.Thereareabout41wellpreservedancientstonebridgesofdifferentstylesandsize.Thesehighlydistinctivebridgesincludemulti-archedbigbridges,solo-archedbridges,well-ornamentedandtwinbridgeswiththetwobridgeslookalmostthesame.LuzhiFeature•Knownasthecapitalofbridges,Luzhihasacrisscrossingnetworkofriversandstreamsandnumerousbridgesoverbluewaters.Theseantiquebridges,alongwithotherhistoricalsites,oldstreets,heritagehomesand1,300-year-oldginkgotrees,speakofagloriouspast.LuzhihavebeenrenownedastheMuseumofAncientBridges.41bridgesinthetowndisplaydifferentstyles,sizes.Thesestonearchitectureshavebeenstandingthereforthousandsofyearsthroughnaturalcorrosions.LuzhiLandscapesLuzhiGetthere•Howtogetthere:Around10busesleavefromShanghaibusstation(806,ZhongshanBeiLu)forLuzhidaily.Onweekendsormajorfestivals,specialtouristbuseswillbeoperatedonthatroute(ShanghaiYangpusportcenter:7:30;Hongkoufootballstadium:8:00andShanghaisportstadium:8:30)LuzhiLocation:LuzhiTown,KunshanCity,25kmsou