Where nature is shaped by hand

Jiangnan's classical gardens are portals to the past, in which the echoes of yesterday are alive and growing, Yang Yang reports.

Over the course of history, the region along the southern bank of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, which is known in China as Jiangnan, has been a haven for royals, government officials, prominent families and scholars, seeking refuge from war and chaos, and a place where they had established new dynasties, kicking off flourishing eras of literature and art.

Jiangnan's prosperity was propelled by the construction of the Grand Canal, which began in the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and reached its historical zenith during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

The aesthetics and preferred entertainments of the ruling classes shaped Jiangnan, bequeathing the region a rich cultural heritage.