Lili Ancient Town

Lili is a traditional water town in the Wujiang District of Suzhou, close to the border where Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai meet. Known during the Tang dynasty as Lihua Village, or Pear Blossom Village, it developed into a busy market hub along the waterways during the Southern Song dynasty about nine hundred years ago. Compared to more famous canal towns in the region, Lili has retained a noticeably quieter and more residential atmosphere, with daily local life still unfolding along the stone steps of the canal.

The town is arranged along a single straight waterway, the Shihe, which is spanned by twelve historic stone bridges. Continuous covered walkways line both sides of the canal, a feature dating back centuries that allowed shoppers and boatmen to walk along the water sheltered from rain and sun. Set into the stone embankments below are more than two hundred carved mooring stones, shaped as elephant trunks, ruyi scepters, and fruit, once used to tie up wooden transport barges. Lili is also famous for its maze of more than a hundred narrow lanes, including dark alleys that run through the interior courtyards of ancient homes.