Located on the bank of Taihu Lake and east of the ancient Canal, Tongli Water Town is 18 kilometers from Suzhou and 80 kilometers from Shanghai. As one of the six famous water towns, it occupies an area of 33 hectares and surrounded by 5 lakes.

The little town is divided into 7 parts by 15 brooks and unified by 47 bridges built in different types and different times. Among the 47 bridges, the most famous three are Taiping (peace), Jili (luck) and Changqing (celebration) bridges, which have been important landmarks of the place and are regarded as sacred architecture by the locals.

Built from the Song Dynasty, the town already has a history of over one thousand years. There are hundreds of gardens, temples, mansions and the former residences of celebrities built from 1271 to 1911 during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Amongst the famous gardens are Tuisiyuan, constructed between 1885 and 1887 by an imperial scholar, Chongbentang, and Jiayin Tang garden.