Tongli
Overcast skies and temperatures in the fifties greeted foreign teachers and guests as they gathered at the Fudan Guest House at 7:30 A.M. on a Saturday morning in April for a spring excursion to Tongli, a water town 80 kilometers to the west of Shanghai. Gloria, a staff-member of Foreign Affairs Office was the leader of the trip. In addition to the Chinese hosts, the group was made up of teachers, their family, and friends from Australia, Austria, Germany, Japan, Russia, and the United States.
An air of gaiety and some lively conversation marked the bus trip through the crowded streets of Shanghai to the suburbs then to the agricultural and industrial corridor along the intercity highway leading northwest.
Tongli is a tourist town, with the major attractions the narrow canals that meander through the town and the humpback bridges that span the canals. The tourist aspect is obvious as the bus pulls into a large parking lot filled with buses and automobiles and people scurrying about to purchase passes and line up for a cart ride to the start of the tourist trail. The electric carts seat nine people and are driven by women, all of whom are wearing white, brimmed hats with the fronts turned up for a jaunty look. This experience is orchestrated.
Boat-lined Canal Humpbacked Bridge Canalboats Andy and Ryan Tony
Soon we were being whisked along a cobblestone street lined with souvenir shops, cafes, and eateries to the gated entrance to the canal area. From there, Gloria led the group in a search for the boat dock. The long, narrow wooden boats are paddle-driven with a single oar at the back. It is a marvel how the driver can propel the boat forward with one oar that is located at the rear and which moves perpendicular to the line of travel. The canal, just like those that stretch along San Antonio River Walk, is lined with cafes, restaurants, shops and milling tourists. The Tongli waterway, with its wooden boats, stone walls, and fewer commercial venues, is quieter and less hectic that its U.S. counterpart in Texas.
Back on land, Gloria gave the group the place and time for lunch and set people off to wander on their own. This allowed enough time for a leisurely stroll along narrow lanes and a visit to a garden that included a museum of beds. The ornate wooden four-poster beds were enclosed on three sides and adorned with wood carvings and metal sculptures. These literal bed-rooms are examples of the creativity that results when space and design options are limited.
The garden exit is opposite the China Sex Museum, prompting one group to label this the after-lunch destination.
Frontage on the canal being premium real estate, it was no surprise to enter a masonry building through a house-like door. This restaurant looked like somebody’s home. Just inside the door was the 10 X 12 kitchen followed by a line of small individual dining rooms. The several courses served included a juicy baked ham, a noted food of this region, pork, vegetables, scrambled eggs, tofu, and rice.
The highlight of the afternoon was a visit to the exhibition For Chinese Ancient Sex Culture, also known as the China Sex Museum. This museum includes an entry garden, a larger garden, and several buildings. The large garden has more than 60 pieces of stone carving erotica, samples of which are shown below.
No Evil Wife with Four Husbands Symbol Woman Zoophilia Garden Centerpiece Relaxed In Your Dreams!