Classical gardens and canal-side lanes
Suzhou's classical gardens are a UNESCO site and the finest of their kind: carefully composed miniature landscapes of rockeries, ponds, pavilions and framed views. The Humble Administrator's Garden is the largest; the Master of the Nets Garden is small and exquisite. Pingjiang Road follows a canal lined with teahouses, and Tiger Hill has a leaning pagoda. The city has long been known for silk, and nearby water towns such as Tongli and Zhouzhuang keep the old canal life. It is under half an hour from Shanghai by train.