Picturesque gardens dot the city of Suzhou, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province. Some of these gardens, known as the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, date back as far as the 11th century, and were designed by some of China’s renowned scholars. Nearby, numerous canals crisscross the city that is known as the Venice of the East. Forty-two percent of the city is covered in water through its canals and waterways.