Navigating a Suzhou canal 1996. [Photo by Bruce Connolly/chinadaily.com.cn]
Traveling by city bus, I constantly watched for potentially interesting areas to jump off at or return later. That way I discovered narrow canals with buildings constructed over stone-paved walkways providing shelter from sun or rain. At that time not much had been modernized, the semirundown appearance creating excellent locations for artists, photographers or film sets. Where there were arched bridges, groups of people would gather to play cards, board games or have impromptu musical concerts. These were living communities where the sound and aroma of stir-fried cooking filled the air while fresh noodles dried outside. Clothes hung from small verandahs alongside bird cages protruding from windows.
The waterways were closely tied with local life. At canal intersections I sat on walls watching melons carted up from small wooden boats to be sold directly to pedestrians or cyclists crossing the often congested bridges - not congested by cars but by a constant human flow. There were surviving sections of the former city walls - some acting as arched gateways across the streets.
