From Nanjing, I took the train 1.5 hours to Suzhou. This city is known for gardens and canals. I decided to visit the biggest and best garden, the Humble Administrator’s Garden. Filled with lakes, pavilions, bridges, big collection of bonsai trees, this city is the prototype for many Chinese gardens everywhere. (photos)
The next day I took a day trip to the old town of Tongli. This is an even better example of the canal network. I paid for one ticket for the entire town and it allowed me to enter some of the houses which were like museums. A little similar to Greenfield Village in Michigan. (photos)
Running through this whole area is the Grand Canal, the longest ever built in the world (over 1000 miles) and built over many centuries like the Great Wall.