Zhan Garden Nanjing

If you don't have time to get to Suzhou, visit this delightful Ming-dynasty garden complex that once housed Taiping officials. The on-site Taiping History Museum is included with your ticket, but it's the garden itself that's the real draw. With willows, acers, magnolias, bamboo, potted bonsai pines and a lovely lawn, the garden is also decorated with courtyards, pools, corridors and rockeries.