R. Doug Wicker — Author

Gondoliering in Tongli

Our China Spree tour guide, the intrepid and courageous Mao “Jim” Chen, led us along the banks of the canals for our appointment with our gondoliers.  Along the way we noted the lanterns that ran along the banks in preparation of the upcoming Lantern Festival, which I will treat you to in a future blog.

Canals of Tongli

Color ran riot along the entire way.  Buildings were festooned with lanterns and banners of bright red and intense yellow.

Canals of Tongli

Alas, the sun did not grace our visit this day.  But that’s what white balance control is all about, isn’t it?

Canals of Tongli

After a relatively short hike we could see our awaiting gondolas in the distance.

Gondolas Await

As we approached our gondolas I was taken by the magnificent and beautiful wood construction.

Tongli Gondolas

Take a look at this closeup shot to see what I mean:

Gondola Closeup

Our group was large and much more than could be accommodated by just one or two gondolas.  So, we split up for individual assignments.

Tongli Gondolas

We broke into smallish, individual parties and carefully climbed aboard these skittish craft.

Gondoliering Along the Canals

Our own gondolier is shown below hard at work:

Gondolier Hard at Work

Fun Photo Friday both this week and next will display some of my favorite shots of Tongli, and next Monday and Wednesday we’ll continue our tour.  Until then here’s a closeup of our gondolier:

Gondolier Portrait

Tongli Doorway

There is a small village on the outskirts of Suzhou that bears considerable charm and many visual wonders.  That would be the canal-crossed town of Tongli, known as the Venice of the East.

Tongli Laundry

We’ll be taking an in-depth look at this Asian wonder over the next two weeks because it simply requires at least six blogs to do this place justice.

Tongli Map

After our rather scary run-in with Chinese law enforcement and our forced switching of tour buses in Suzhou, we arrived at a parking lot just outside the canal-bounded main district of this photographer’s delight.  We set out on foot and crossed a bridge that took back in time to a place that had its beginnings some 1,000 years in the past.

Tongli Canals

At first glance it might not seem from that bridge that Tongli contains much to see.  That initial look is misleading.

Tongli

For once you get into the heart of Tongli you are greeted by a cacophony of sights, sounds, color, and aromas beginning with the charming streets:

Tongli Streets

Beyond those initial streets lay the canals that crisscross the main village:

Tongli Canals

Wonderful buildings of ancient origin line these colorful canals:

Tongli Canals

But the old does share space with the new and trendy, as well:

Tongli Charm

The traditional also is available.  Take, for instance, the ancient art of using birds for fishing.  Here you’ll find gondolas upon which a flock of cormorants appear to have alighted.  Closer inspection however will reveal these birds are tied down and awaiting their owner for a day of cormorant fishing:

Cormorant Fishing

We’ll continue with our tour on Wednesday.  Until then enjoy a couple more shots of these quaint canals:

Tongli Canals

Tongli Canals