Suzhou, the city of canals and gardens, was called the 'Venice of the East' by Marco Polo. An ancient Chinese proverb states: 'In Heaven there is Paradise; on Earth there is Suzhou'. The city's 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.