Pingyao County is located in central Shanxi Province, China. It     1     (consist) of five towns and nine villages, covering an area of 486.5 square miles. This small county was noted for some     2     (impress) architectures in ancient conventional styles.

As the birthplace of the Jin Businessmen during the Ming and Qing     3     (dynasty), it played an important role in the economic development of Shanxi during that period. The first Chinese trading shop was opened there. For     4     next hundred years, the city was home to almost all of the large trading shops in the country.

Its City Wall is rated     5     (high) of the “Three Treasures” of the county together with Zhenguo Temple and Shuanglin Temple. With a total length of six kilometers, the City Wall covered by bricks and stones is about 12 meters tall and 3 to 6 meters wide on top. From a bird’s eye view, the rectangular (长方形的) wall represents a tortoise (龟). A tortoise was     6    (traditional) considered a symbol of longevity, conveying the residents’ hope     7     the Ancient City would be permanently secure.

Pingyao is no longer very prosperous (繁荣的),     8     the grand Pingyao Old City, constructed a thousand years ago, stands the test of time.     9     (wander) along the Ancient Street inside the old town, you can still sense its former grandeur. Since it was listed as UNESCO World Heritage in 1997, Pingyao     10    (become) a hot destination of millions of tourists.

The Jiangsu countryside stretching between the cities of Suzhou and Shanghai is home to a lot of small beautiful water towns, many of which     1     (locate) along the Grand Canal, an artificial canal connecting Hangzhou to Beijing with the aim of bringing supplies of goods to the imperial capital.

One of these towns is Tongli, which is easily     2     (access) to tourists from the nearby city of Suzhou.     3     (build) in the Song Dynasty, the town offers pleasant views and landscapes of traditional China, characterized by picturesque canals crossed by arch bridges and whitewashed houses that overlook the water.

Walking along the narrow alleys(巷), you can admire     4     interesting number of well-preserved traditional houses, temples and gardens. The atmosphere is     5    (exceptional) peaceful compared to most popular sites that are ruined by mass tourism and commercialization. Yes, Tongli is home to a great many souvenir shops and local products, but what amazed me was     6     well the town is preserved despite being open to tourism: a good balance       7     commercial activities and local life. So in spite of its     8     (popular), Tongli maintains a quiet, laid—back feeling, making it an ideal destination for visitors who seek peace and leisure.

I     9     (take) scores of pictures while touring Tongli, which I hope may inspire travelers to add this pretty water town to their trips. My impression of Tongli is so positive that I’ve been meaning     10     (go) back with my family for their first visit to China.