Walking through the water town of Mudu (木渎/木瀆), some of the areas are quite new and modern, and others seem a bit traditional. The scars of time reveal themselves.

Even though the conditions don't look so great, there's something romantic about it. The notion of taking a gondola slowly through the water evokes some deep feeling from a different era.

What is it about moving slowly that's so romantic? The click-clack of the hansom cab navigating modern city streets. The occasional blasts from a hot air balloon as you drift over the landscape below. The back-and-forth swinging motion while riding a Ferris wheel.

Like a ripple in the water, it makes its way slowly touching everything around it.

Reflections in a Suzhou canal.