The ancient and moated town of Suzhou is famed for the artistic harmony of its gardens and the fine quality of its silk. On a visit to the modern city, it would be easy to overlook its most famous attractions which remain tucked away amongst the urban landscape. Unlike the mansions of 16th and 17th century Europe, these private retreats were very much off limits to the outside world. Only those invited beyond the high whitewashed walls had the opportunity to experience the imaginary worlds within, where small courtyards lead to zigzagging covered galleries, and windows created natural galleries of framed landscapes. The Wang Shi Yuan – Garden of the Master of the Nets and Zhou Zheng Yuan – Garden of the Humble Administrator present the essential elements of a Confucian scholar garden, which have radically different spatial aesthetics to their western equivalents. Such secret retreats, away from hustle and bustle of daily life became the inspiration for the great literati painters of the Ming dynasty.
Perhaps as interesting as the gardens is the architectural layout of the town which is founded on a series of canals. When Marco Polo visited Suzhou in the 13th century, he claimed that the canals had 6000 stone bridges.