A gate presented by the Emperor to honor the Zhang Family.

This gate was presented by the last Emperor, Pu Yi.

The female compound of the Zhang family looks over a nice pond.

The library which contains 1500 year old books. Quite rare.

Hand carved wooden printing plates for one of the books in the library.

Sign means that the Emperor hopes the family can be prosperous.

A scene along one of the canals we toured. Lady is washing her clothes.

Another view of canals in Nanxun, an ancient town in Zhejiang Province.

The blue banner is an ad for the local wine.

Notice that part of the buildings are built over the water.

A 50 year old ad for cosmetics.

Anhui style brick carvings adorn this gate.

Where guests were greeted. The characters show that the family is cultured.

The lions on the chairs show that the mother was the most respected member of the family.

A carved panel that tells part of the story of how girls were introduced to their husbands.

The matchmaker has signaled a man that the coast is clear to come into the girl's room.

The exterior of the family's French style ballroom. All imported from France.

A Pagoda behind the canal tour boats.

Our boat girl. She is using a 'Nu' that both steers and propels the boat.

Just the locals watching tourists float past.

A temple guarded by two lions. The one on the left is Female because she has a baby.

A giant calligraphy brush. This area is famous for calligraphy brushes.

This bridge was damaged by the Japanese during the occupation, they couldn't destroy it though.

A scene from our canal tour. Very nice and peaceful.

One of the old houses along the way. All setup for a water born lifestyle.

Where dishes would be washed, food cleaned, etc.

A local policeman drove down to wash some things out.

The view from our hotel room in an old wealthy family's compound.

Another view from our room.

A Chinese fairy who rides a 3-legged locust. His presence brings lots of money.

Hanhan in the hotel garden.

This is the entry to the Yan family compound in Mudu, Suzhou.

This the room where guests were met. The seating was done by the 'rank' of the guests.

Hanhan in front of a 200 year old magnolia tree, planted by Emperor Qian Long.

The pattern on the walk symbolizes money because it looks like the coin of the period.

One of the gardens, the owner had a garden for each season. This is the Spring garden.

In the reading room, richly decorated.

Gary and Hanhan on the other side of the reading room panel. This is for resting after long studies or writing.

An excellent example of Tai Hu stone. It is narrow and has many passages and holes throughout.

The Summer garden.

The Autumn garden. The stone used is yellow to match the leaves of autumn.

This area only used one day, Mid-Autumn Festival. The owner would look at the moon's reflection in the water.

The Late Autumn garden. Part of the celebration of late autumn is climbing and the stone here reminds you of that.

The Winter garden. The roof line is higher here to block the cold north winds.

The backyard of the compound. All the walks have different patterns, no two alike.

Another view of the backyard.

A bridal sedan, it is all carved and painted wood. Very heavy. The baby on top is to ensure a child will be on the way soon.

At a middle class person's home. A famous silk embroiderer is based here now.

A small pagoda inside this compound.

These doors frame a garden scene, like the tapestries in the gallery.

Live local opera. The story is about a wrongly accused woman and her death which brought 3 inches of snow in June showing her innocence.

A root carved into a bird.

The best preserved example of the woodworking skills in this area. Around 150 years old.

One of the silk embroideries. This is amazing, it looks just like a picture. One of many in this gallery.

A carved stone panel showing ordinary life in the Suzhou area 150 years ago.

Hanhan in front of a philosopher's house.

Hanhan on top of Tian Ping mountain.

Hanhan and the Tian Ping stone. The characters mean "Trace the Emperor's footsteps."