Tongqiao yizhao lu 桐橋倚棹錄

Tongqiao yizhao lu 桐橋倚棹錄 "Records of leaning on an oar at Tong Bridge" is a "brush-notes"-style book (biji 筆記) written during the Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Gu Lu 顧祿 (1793-1843), who also wrote the book Qingjialu 清嘉錄. The title derives from a line of the poem Bie yan shi yuan 別嚴士元 by Liu Changqing 劉長卿 (c. 726-c. 786) which reads "Leaning on an oar in the spring breeze at Helü City" (Chunfeng yizhao Helü cheng 春風倚棹闔閭城).

Dissatisfied with the superficial and inadequate local gazetteer compiled during the Qianlong reign-period, the author undertook field investigations and verified earlier reports. Following the model of Gu Yunmei's 顧雲美 (Gu Ling 顧苓, 1609-c. 1682) Huqiu zhi 虎丘志, he named the work after Tong Bridge, a well-known bridge near Tiger Hill (Huqiu 虎丘) close to Suzhou. The work, in 12 juan, is inspired by the books Luoyang qielan ji 洛陽伽藍記 and Yangzhou huafang lu 揚州畫舫錄. It uses the Seven-li Shantang area near Tiger Hill 虎丘七里山塔 as its setting and provides a detailed account of urban life in Suzhou.

The chapters cover themes such as landscapes, famous sites, temples, shrines, residences, markets, crafts and occupations, boats and waterways, and gardens. The last four categories, in particular, contain material seldom found in other local gazetteers. The author's evaluations of people and events are also notably perceptive. Chapters 10–12 are especially valuable, providing detailed accounts of shops and markets, crafts and occupations, boats, gardens, market gardening, medicinal products, and agriculture—materials directly related to the livelihoods of ordinary people. The work also quotes many poems by renowned writers. It includes material on Suzhou folk handicrafts, artisanal products, wine houses, recipes, the local shafei boats (shafei chuan 沙飛船), decorated lantern boats, and related topics.

The book was first published in 1842. Because Suzhou was devastated by warfare less than a decade later, surviving copies became extremely rare. A reprint based on the copy owned by Gu Jiegang 顧頡剛 (1893-1980) was issued by the Shanghai Guji Chubanshe 上海古籍出版社 in 1980.