Old Suzhou

 The old town of Suzhou - the ancient city that everyone refers to as "downtown" - is known throughout China as a historical landmark.   The city is criss-crossed by canals and has a large assortment of traditional gardens.  Much of the city has been modernized, but there are still many areas with traditional houses and streets too narrow for modern traffic.  These have become tourist traps ... but not in a gaudy, artificial way.  They still have an atmosphere of authentic, old-style Chinese city life.

 These are photos of an Ping Jiang road, which is one of the better known Suzhou-style canal streets.

 The above, I assume, is an old neighborhood well.

 Though you don't have to dodge the cars, you still have to dodge the bikes.