Suzhou, the city of canals and gardens, was called the ˉVenice of the Eastˇ by Marco Polo. An ancient Chinese proverb states: ˉIn Heaven there is Paradise; on Earth there is Suzhouˇ. The cityˇs love affair with gardens dates back 2,500 years and continues still. At the time of the Ming dynasty (13681644) there were 250 gardens, of which about a hundred survive, although only a few are open to the public.