Take a short train ride west of Shanghai to Suzhou, known as the Venice of the Orient. Divided north to south by the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the city is nearly half water - ponds, lakes and charming canals. Dating from 516 BC, it is famous for its more than 60 gardens, some of them on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The exhibition hall at the Suzhou Museum next to the Humble Administrator's Garden was designed by I.M. Pei and opened in 2006.