Why it looks like this

Changshu, near Suzhou, grew rich on rice, cotton and canals — its name means 'long-lasting harvest'. Like other delta towns, its old core is organized by water: canals and streets running in pairs, crossed by stone bridges.

What makes it unusual is Yushan — Yu Hill — which juts into the old town itself, so the historic city wall climbed the hillside. Locals describe the town as half inside the hill's embrace, a piece of green mountain inserted into the flat, watery delta grid.