The pinnacle of Jiangnan water towns! Tongli Ancient Town's exclusive autumn activities, encounter life in an ink painting

💡Trip Highlights:
✔️ Night tour of Tuisiyuan Garden: Immersive light and shadow show "Tuisiyao Moon," the curved bridges and waterside pavilions reflect the brilliance of this thousand-year-old garden, and the Hanfu-clad ladies crossing ancient and modern times are breathtakingly beautiful! (Night sessions open every Friday and Saturday in September)
✔️ Chrysanthemum Feast: Starting mid-October, the ancient town transforms into a sea of chrysanthemums, with tens of thousands of exquisite pots lining the riverbanks, and the "Flower God" installation, the same as at the Luoshen Buddha, lands at Sanqiao Square!
✔️ Hanfu Time Travel Plan: At Zhuxing Street's "Yilian Hanfu Experience Hall," unlock a full set of makeup and costume for 68 yuan, wear a Ming-style horse-face skirt, and shoot the same narrow alley light and shadow scenes as in "The Longest Day in Chang'an" in Chuanxin Alley

🎫 Ticket Guide:
✅ Combined ticket 80 yuan (includes Tuisiyuan Garden and 10 other attractions), available for purchase 3 days in advance on certain platforms, students/teachers get half price with ID
✅ Night tour free entry (after 17:00), but attractions are closed, suitable for photographing lantern reflections
✅ Accommodation benefits: Book a guesthouse inside the ancient town (such as "Zhengfu Caotang") to get a multiple-entry pass, enjoy exclusive access to the empty Sanqiao at 7 AM

🚗 Transportation Guide:
✈️ Major transport:

- Self-driving from Feixian: G2 Jinghu Expressway → G42 Huyong Expressway, about 7 hours total, ample parking at North Town Parking Lot (30 yuan/day)
- High-speed rail option: Linyi North Station → Suzhou North Station (4.5 hours), take Metro Line 4 then transfer to Bus 725 directly to the ancient town, last bus at 19:00

🚌 Scenic area transport:

- Hand-pulled boat: 90 yuan/boat (up to 6 people), recommended route from Yuxing Bridge to Jili Bridge, both banks shaded by green trees like a natural tunnel
- Electric cart: 20 yuan/person, suitable for quickly touring the main street with elderly or children

📸 Photography Tips:
1️⃣ Tuisiyuan Garden · Floating in a water painting:

- Shoot reflections of the waterside pavilion in the Nine-bend Corridor, exclusive access at 8 AM for perfect shots
- Frame the flying eaves of Guyu Shengliang Building from the second floor of Lansheng Pavilion by opening the window
2️⃣ Sanqiao · Rowing boat in the painting:
- East side of Taiping Bridge, capture the moment the rowing boat passes through the bridge arch
- Shoot the lantern-lit river at dusk, use portrait mode on your phone to blur the background for a more sophisticated effect
3️⃣ Chuanxin Alley · Time tunnel:
- At 3 PM when sunlight slants, the 80cm narrow alley’s stone slab light and shadow naturally create a cinematic filter
- Shoot from the side looking up, with hair flowing to fully express Jiangnan charm
4️⃣ Nanyuan Teahouse · Poetry in carved windows:
- Order a cup of Biluochun tea (38 yuan), sit by the window on the second floor, open the wooden carved window to shoot the small bridge and flowing water below
- At dusk, the sunset gilds the white walls across the river, every shot is wallpaper-worthy

🏨 Accommodation Recommendations:
✨ Premium Experience:

- Yinlu Tongli Courtyard: Renovated Ming and Qing dynasty old house, private hot spring + garden afternoon tea, about 800 yuan per person
- Huajiantang · Lize Girls’ School: Republic of China style girls’ school theme, change into student uniforms and shoot grand photos in the vintage corridor

💰 Cost-effective Choices:

- Zhengfu Caotang: Riverside view rooms, open the window to see rowing boats, about 300 yuan per person including breakfast
- Tongli Lake Resort: Lakeside hotel outside the scenic area, 300+ yuan includes kids’ playground and free shuttle bus

🍜 Food Map:
🍲 Must-try List:

- Jiutanzi Fantong: Signature top scholar’s pork knuckle, tender and falling off the bone, paired with secret sauce is amazing! About 50 yuan per person
- Linjia Shop: Freshly baked sock-bottom crisp 10 yuan/bag, salty and crispy to the point of crumbling, top choice for souvenirs
- A-Po Vegetable Noodle Shop: Exploding fish + pork intestine double toppings Aozao noodles, broth thick enough to coat the bowl

🍢 Popular Check-in Spots:

- Tong Xiaoli Milk Tea: Original brand by the boat dock, "A Cup of Good Luck" milk tea cup features Tongli logo, great for photos
- Laijun Dim Sum Shop: Freshly cooked gorgon fruit porridge in the morning, sprinkled with osmanthus honey, warms the heart

⚠️ Notes:

1. Large temperature difference between morning and evening in September, recommend bringing a light cardigan + sun hat, wear non-slip shoes on wet stone paths
2. Pitfall avoidance:
- Reject "low-price guides" outside the scenic area, official guides at 80 yuan/hour are more professional
- Bargaining tip for boats: negotiate down to 60 yuan/boat (non-holiday)
- Be cautious buying "wild pearls" roadside, most are farmed
3. Free benefits: Full WiFi coverage in the scenic area, password "tongli2025"

🎁 September Special Benefits:
📜 Animation Art Exhibition: September 11 - December 10, Chongbentang hosts "Sun Lijun Light and Ink Exhibition," free viewing of "Havoc in Heaven" manuscripts
🎨 Handicraft Experience: Tuisiyuan Square intangible cultural heritage workshop, 38 yuan to experience making Su embroidery sachets, finished product can be taken home
🎭 Weekend Flash Performances: Every Saturday at 19:00, Tai Lai Bridge features Pingtan and Kunqu opera performances, free costume photo sessions for those in Hanfu

📌 Suggested Itinerary:
Day 1:
Morning: Arrive by car → Check in at Zhengfu Caotang → 10:00 Tuisiyuan Garden (focus on waterside pavilion reflections)
Noon: Lunch at Jiutanzi Fantong → 13:00 Pearl Pagoda Scenic Garden (listen to "Pearl Pagoda" story)
Afternoon: See brick carvings at Gengletang → Boat ride at Luoxingzhou for blessings → 17:00 Night tour of Sanqiao to shoot lanterns
Evening: Listen to Pingtan at Nanyuan Teahouse → Eat sock-bottom crisp at Zhuxing Street

Day 2:
Morning: 7:00 Exclusive access to empty Sanqiao → 8:30 Shoot light and shadow in Chuanxin Alley → 9:30 Animation Art Exhibition
Noon: Riverside lunch at Lvjia Inn → 13:00 Hanfu experience → 14:00 Shoot Republic of China style photos at Huajiantang
Afternoon: Bike ride at Tongli Lake Wetland Park → Buy gorgon fruit cake as souvenir before departure