Crisscrossing walkways offer a panoramic view of the Ancient Pine Tree Garden in Mudu, a water town near Suzhou, Jiangsu province. [Photos provided to China Daily]

A visit to Mudu is not complete without enjoying a local opera show.

Waterways are shaded by willow trees and lined with old houses.

A cat rests on joss sticks in Mingyue Temple.

Mudu, near Suzhou, has a history of 2,500 years, but its gardens truly make the town an outstanding place to visit. Pan Zhongming takes a look.

Many water towns in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River are famed for their picture-perfect landscapes, featuring crisscrossing water lanes, with old arch bridges and houses.

Mudu, near Suzhou, in Jiangsu province, however, is the perfect place to savor the charms of these water towns.

The 2,500-year-old settlement is named after wood (mu) and rivers (du) and is full of culture and historical stories.

One of them goes like this: At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), the Wu Kingdom and Yue Kingdom were at war. Wu defeated Yue, after which Yue presented the beautiful Xi Shi to the King of Wu, Fu Chai. To please Xi Shi, Fu Chai decided to build Guanwa Palace on Lingyan Hill. For three years, wood was transported to the small town by the side of the hill.

The two kings of Wu also constructed Gusu Terrace, while Qizi Hill is the military fortress built by the Kingdom of Wu.

More than 200 years ago, the imperial painter during Emperor Qianlong's reign, Xu Yang, painted a long scroll depicting views of prosperous Suzhou. Approximately half the scroll depicts Mudu, a town of migrants at the time. There are groceries run by merchants from Hangzhou, salt from Yangzhou, silk from Suzhou and local specialties from Dongting of Suzhou.

Even today, traces of these stores, elegant gardens and simple stone bridges can still be found in the town.

Much of Mudu is behind closed doors. If you are privileged enough to be invited in you may find a private garden, while the owner hosts a poetry contest with his friends by the side of the pond.

Mudu is the hometown of many celebrities. Between 1015 and 1902, there were 24 successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations and 28 provincial graduates originally came from Mudu. These people were prominent in politics, economics, science and culture.

A couplet hanging in Shangxian Hall, of the Yan's Family Garden, illustrates the tradition of showing esteem to prominent people. The garden was originally called Muyuan Garden, meaning "admiring prominent people".

The one-hectare Yan's Family Garden is the former residence of Yan Jiagan, former "president" of Taiwan. The garden's magnolia tree is said to have been planted by Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Emperor Qianlong when he toured the town and stayed in the compound.

Shangxian Hall is built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) style, out of nanmu wood. The architect Liu Dunzhen dubbed Four-Season Mini-Garden a "classical masterpiece of gardens south of the Yangtze River".

Other gardens in the town are typical Suzhou style, or imperial in construction.

As early as the turn of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the town had more than 30 private gardens. More than 10 remain and have various styles.

Guanwa Palace at Lingyan Hill was the imperial garden built by King Fu Chai, while Lingyanshan Temple on Lingyan Hill and Mingyue Temple at the foot of the hill represent Buddhist culture.

In recent years, Mudu has renovated and opened four gardens - the Yan's Family Garden, Hongyin Shanfang, Ancient Pine Tree Garden and Bangyan's Residential House.

Hongyin Shanfang consists of two Ming-style gardens. Xiaoyin Garden is the former residence of Shen Shou, the "Queen of Embroidery", while Xiuye Garden is now a museum that displays imperial decrees and introductions to the imperial examination system.

Ancient Pine Tree Garden at Shantang Street is known for a 500-year-old pine tree and the well-preserved brick carving at its entrance gate. The garden is the former residence of Cai Shaoyu, a businessman in the late Qing Dynasty.

Bangyan's Residential House is the former residence of political theorist Feng Guifen and has a typical Qing garden. It is famed for its brick carvings, wood sculptures and stone engravings. The garden features a pond, surrounded by pavilions, gazebos, walkways, bridges and rockeries.

It is the gardens of Mudu that truly make this town an emerald among those towns in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Yan's Family Garden has attracted a long list of celebrity guests, including Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty.