travel | R. Doug Wicker — Author

Lantern Festival Decoration

Ursula and I were very fortunate to have found ourselves in the Shanghai area during this particular time of year. The reason is because of how the Chinese Lunar New Year works. For 2014 The Year of the Horse began on January 31. That means that the Lantern Festival would arrive just fifteen days later. Thus we found ourselves in Tongli a mere one day before the Lantern Festival, and the streets and canals were awash in brightly colored lanterns and other decorations.

Lantern Festival Decoration

I’ll have more on the Lantern Festival in a upcoming series of blogs set during the festival in Shanghai. Until then we’ll concentrate today on the streets of Tongli.

Tongli Gate

That’s not to say that the streets of Tongli would otherwise be devoid of color and character. Far from it. Take a look at these storefronts:

Tongli Color

Sight is not the only sense to meet with warm greeting in Tongli. Your nose will also find equally pleasing aromas wafting from the many food shops awaiting take-home customers.

Tongli Street Food

Today’s photo gallery will treat you to more of the color, people, and other sights that make Tongli a must-see destination if you should find yourself in the Shanghai area: