Wen Tu/Ying Zhigang

If we compare Tongli to a cup of tea, it is the lingering sweetness after being condensed, just like white tea, with its own pure joy.

White tea has a long-lasting and fragrant aroma, which has been refined and refined over time, becoming even more mellow. Like every brick and tile in this ancient town, it records the changes of time and flows with a lingering charm.

Passing through the bustling crowd, walking leisurely into the ancient town of Tongli, no matter how time may rush, one can stroll leisurely, admiring buildings with white walls and black tiles, containing human fireworks.

In Tongli, a beautiful morning begins with opening the taste buds.

There is no one who lives in this land and water who doesn't love to eat pastries. Osmanthus cake, thicket cake, fruit honey cake, lard rice cake

In the morning, the army Dim sum shop was filled with steam in the steamer, and a variety of cakes were brought out. The soft, glutinous, sweet and chewy taste was a reward for the busy day.

Laijun Dim sum Shop is the most famous and "casual" one, which is the representative intangible cultural heritage project "Min Cake" in Wujiang District with a similar appearance to the Youth League.

Minbing has a dark green color, bright and clean, with a refreshing aroma of Chinese herbal medicine in its mouth. It has a production history of over 500 years in Tongli and was once listed as a tribute to the court in the Qing Dynasty. It was selected for Empress Dowager Cixi to taste.

To make Min Cake, you need to make Min Cake into juice, then mix it with glutinous rice flour to make skin, and then use bean paste, peach kernel, pine nut, sugar lard dice as filling core to make it into moon cake shape, and then cook it.

In order to explain to me, the shop owner Zhao Laijun specially pulled out a Mincao plant.

This kind of Mincao, known as "Tianqing Dibai Grass" in traditional Chinese medicine and known as "Tianqing Dibai Grass", is sweet, cold, and non-toxic in nature. It contains various ingredients such as caffeic acid, carotene, protein, and carbohydrates, and has medicinal value such as clearing heat and detoxifying, anti-inflammatory and hemostatic, and preventing miscarriage.

Zhao Laijun said that this kind of grass is becoming increasingly difficult to find now, and only tender grass heads from May and June can be used to make Min cakes. Therefore, if you want to have a delicious taste, it depends on fate.

After breakfast, you can take a walk to Lize Girls' School, which was once a place for the education and enlightenment of famous ladies in the early Republic of China. It was founded in 1906 by Ren Chuanxing, the second generation descendant of the World Heritage Site, Tui Si Yuan.

Now, this place has been transformed into a boutique hotel in Huajiantang, consisting of two parts: the ancient style garden and the Lize Women's School. The spatial design concept is "the journey of a socialite's first growth", bringing out the experience of crossing the times and reflecting the unique Chinese and Western styles of the Republic of China through light and shadow.

Stepping on bluestone steps and passing through the small path outside the north wall of Tuisiyuan, the clear water Kan line and six pillar eight character school gate stand still in front of us. The arched door pillar corridor and the long balcony are adorned with white gypsum guardrails, and the light penetrates the indoor space, which is spacious, bright, majestic, upright, and beautiful.

The guest rooms are adorned with a sunny yellow, a college blue, a budding rose purple, and a pure girl's off white soft fabric, paired with light colored rattan wood to create the unique elegance of a "beautiful girl".

Choose a comfortable table and chair, order a signature pot of milk tea, and casually take down an interesting book from the bookshelf at the bread tree of Huajiantang's self created catering brand.

Outside the window, there happens to be the hexagonal pavilion that witnesses history and the wisteria tree covered in vines. The scenery is full of you, and at this moment, you are also a beautiful sight in the eyes of others.

Use the camera to capture the beautiful scenery, bring back a bunch of souvenirs from wandering the streets to friends, and record interesting stories in your notebook. These can all be considered as the fun and ritual of traveling.

After leaving the Huajian Hall and entering the Tuisiyuan, there is a small cultural and creative shop. Although the store is small, it is incredibly stunning.

Every product here is picked from the windows, pavilions, scenery, peaks, leaves, and fish of the Tuisiyuan. Taking three or two small items home brings back the poetic Jiangnan scenery of apricot blossoms, fireworks, and small bridges and flowing water.

Special recommendation: Maple leaf buckle brooch

A piece of red leaves sends longing, thousands of rivers and mountains always pass by affection. The southwest corner of the inner garden is the Osmanthus Hall, where osmanthus trees are planted in the courtyard. In autumn, the fragrance of osmanthus wafts, and tea and flowers are enjoyed here, creating the autumn scenery of "golden wind and jade dew" in the garden.

Compression collar

Popular during the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was a decoration worn by ancient people on the right lapel. After the popularity of "Yanxi Strategy" and "Ruyi Biography", people have developed a new aesthetic for pressed collars, giving them more value for use and viewing. They can be hung on bags or hand fans, and the combination with tassels makes them more elegant and elegant.

circular fan

Also known as palace fan or wan fan, it is a traditional handicraft and artwork of the Han ethnic group in China, representing reunion, friendliness, and good luck. Integrating elements of the Tui Si Garden landscape adds a unique color to it.

During travel, only beautiful scenery and delicious food cannot be let down. You can't go to Tongli Ancient Town without tasting the Dim sum of Lin's shop.

Fresh meat mooncakes, thicket cakes, green rice balls, wine cakes, osmanthus rice cakes, chicken head rice, malt cake, tuisi cake, osmanthus bean crispy candy, and sock bottom pastries are all kinds of pastries that fill the cabinets of the store. Just smelling the taste makes one's mouth water down three thousand feet.

In addition to his delicious fresh meat mooncakes, we also recommend the traditional tea dish from Tongli, which looks like a "sock bottom" - "sock bottom crispy".

The popularity of "sock bottom pastry" lies in its carefully selected ingredients and exquisite craftsmanship.

When making dough, you need to add oil and knead it repeatedly five or six times until it is completely even, so that the baked pastry can be thin and transparent layer by layer, making it crispy and refreshing to eat.

The production of filling is also quite meticulous, for example, the salt used to make salt and pepper pastries needs to be simmered in a wok, rolled out with a rolling pin, and the scallions need to be crushed into small pieces to avoid perforation and to prevent the filling from being exposed.

When baking, the pastry chef must stand by the stove and keep an eye on the furnace until the pastry presents a bright luster and emits a refreshing fragrance before it can be baked.

After strolling around and eating, it was dinner time. I recommend you go to the "Wine Jar Rice Bucket". The name of this restaurant sounds like a place where you can eat meat, drink alcohol, and gather heroes.

The restaurant is built adjacent to the water, with an antique decoration resembling the Tongfu Inn, a martial arts legend. There are oil paper umbrellas hanging on the roof and many message boards pasted on the walls. The private room upstairs faces the river.

The Taihu Lake Sanbai has fresh ingredients, fried snail soup in soy sauce tastes delicious, added a chicken sauce, clam meat, bean curd pot, and a mouthful of homemade rice wine presented by the boss. I am satisfied with my meal.

The most distinctive feature of the wine jar and rice barrel is undoubtedly the top scorer's hoof.

According to legend, in the fourth year of the Chunyou reign of the Song Dynasty, Wei Ruxian, the top scorer in Tongli, particularly enjoyed eating braised pork trotters, hence the name "Top scorer's trotters".

Pig trotters cooked in thick oil and red sauce, red and shiny, are soft, sticky, sweet and fragrant when eaten in the mouth, fat but not greasy. Tongli people entertain guests and friends, and this dish is definitely on the table.

During the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, Ren Lansheng, the owner of the Tuisiyuan Garden, hired a famous chef to cook "Zhuangyuan Hoof" as the main dish for a family banquet due to his admiration for Wei Zhuangyuan. Zhuangyuan Hong Jun and his concubine Sai Jinhua were famous guests.

In addition, you can also go to the courtyard of Cheng'en Hall hidden deep in the alley for private cooking. Due to its secrecy, it also adds an elegant taste of seeking seclusion in the alleys.

The boss self deprecatingly said that this was the only dead end in the neighborhood. However, the aroma of wine is not afraid of the depth of the alley, and by the time we went, it was already full.

The entire courtyard is quaint and adorned with various plants, as well as a small swing and fish pond.

The boss is very enthusiastic, and his attire is quite artistic, with a hint of scholarly energy.

Tongli stir fry, Babao duck, braised bamboo shoots in oil, secret fragrant hooves, delicious food that can't be stopped with chopsticks.

His secret Eight Treasure Duck is a delicacy highly recommended by many foodies.

Babao Duck is a traditional specialty dish in Suzhou area. It is made by opening the back of the duck with bones, filling it with glutinous rice, bamboo shoots, and other ingredients. It is then placed in a large bowl, sealed with glass paper and steamed until cooked. The duck is plump and full in shape, with prominent original juice. When it is taken out of the cage, it is topped with shrimp and green beans mixed with steamed duck brine, making it fragrant all over the house.

The night was deep, and as the prosperity of the ancient town faded away and the surroundings were peaceful, it was time to rest.

If you are still interested, I recommend you to stay at Jianyuan.

The architecture of Jian Yuan is a legacy of the Ming and Qing dynasties, small and exquisite, exquisite and transparent. The courtyard is composed of a pool of water and two small streams, forming four small landscapes: Zen language contemplation, shallow streams flooding the moon, floating boats playing qin, and maple and stone waterfalls.

Sitting down quietly to enjoy tea and chat, watching the poetic courtyard, with koi swimming around, and the blue brick and black tile houses around, one cannot help but sigh with the saying "I am born in Jiangnan, I only wish for eternal peace.".

Comfortable and minimalist room decoration style, incorporating Chinese charm. The furniture in the room is made of black walnut wood, with light gauze floating on the mantle frame, providing a comfortable and romantic experience.

The boss laughed and said, "The bed I sleep on is only a few thousand yuan, and each bed in the guest room here costs tens of thousands of yuan.".

The transparent large glass curtain wall allows people to lie in bed and see the slow flow of the city river, sweeping away the fatigue of running around and the peaceful appearance of time.

The ancient town of Tongli is like this, dancing lightly in everyone's heart, like a scholar standing at the entrance of their home, waiting quietly, waiting for the beautiful woman, at the end of the long alley, with a sweet smile.

All the wind and moon in Jiangnan are in this world.