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TONGLI
View of the main pond in the Tuisi Garden
Around them, the different spaces of the garden are laid
out: the study hall, oriented towards the water to en-
courage calm; the resting pavilions, open to the ponds
and the arched bridges; the covered gallery that allows
the garden to be walked without breaking the unhurried
rhythm of the stroll; and the secondary courtyards, whe-
re light filters through bamboo and stone mosaics. Each
one is conceived for a different moment of the day and
of the mood: to contemplate, to write, to converse or
simply to listen to the murmur of the water that gives
meaning to the whole ensemble
Everyday life beside the canal
Tongli is not understood only through its monuments,
but through the everyday life that still sustains its streets.
Early in the morning, shopkeepers set out baskets of ve-
getables freshly brought from the nearby orchards, whi-
le some neighbours sweep their doorsteps with bamboo
brooms they have been using for generations
The sound of water gently striking the walls, the gree-
tings exchanged across bridges and the creaking of
shutters as they open draw the routine of a city that,
despite the constant arrival of visitors, maintains a do-
mestic rhythm.
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