A river runs through it

Shaxi preserves the ancient charm of the water towns in East China's Yangtze River Delta

The small group of water towns, dubbed the "Oriental Venice", in East China's Yangtze River Delta, attract tourists from around the world. But water towns were everywhere when I was growing up in the area in the 1980s.

As a child, I used to sail a lacquered washing basin in search of the delicious roots of lotus flowers in the ponds and small lakes dotting the suburbs of Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province. Those suburbs are now part of the city's Central Business District.