Zhouzhuang

'China's No. 1 water town' (Shen Wansan's former residence / Twin Bridges—Chen Yifei's 'Memory of Hometown' brought Zhouzhuang to the world / Zhang Hall and Shen Hall), on the World Heritage tentative list. Zhouzhuang is called 'China's No. 1 water town' for its fully preserved water-town layout of 'little bridges, flowing water, and homes' dating back to the Song and Yuan eras: the Twin Bridges (Shide Bridge and Yong'an Bridge) cross the water one lengthwise and one crosswise, lying on the river like a key. Painter Chen Yifei's oil painting 'Memory of Hometown,' inspired by them, was exhibited in New York in 1984 and bought by Armand Hammer as a gift for Deng Xiaoping—Zhouzhuang has been on the world map ever since. Legends of the Ming merchant magnate Shen Wansan, Zhang Hall's remarkable design where 'sedan chairs enter through the front gate while boats pass through the house,' and Shen Hall with its seven successive courtyards make up the town's three great cultural sights. Grid-patterned canals weave among old bridges and old houses; morning mist and night lantern reflections are the golden hours for photography. Reachable via Metro Line 11, Huaqiao Station, then a bus; holiday crowds are enormous—consider staying overnight to see the empty town at dawn.

Getting there: Shuttle bus from Suzhou Railway Station / Metro Line 11, Huaqiao Station, then a Kunshan bus