Few cities can rival Suzhou in layering millennia of humanistic history. I once marveled at London, where every brick seemed steeped in stories of the Industrial Age; in Suzhou, even a humble tile-roofed earthen-walled house might conceal an elegant and romantic tale.
"Build a cottage in the world, yet free from the clamor of carriages and horses. Ask how this can be? With the heart far, the place naturally becomes secluded." As a serene and detached lifestyle and mindset drift further from us, visit "Shantang Family House" at Blooming Hill in Suzhou to rediscover a long-lost tranquil retreat and enjoy a few days of being "away from the city yet not from the world."