Xiang Shan Guild: The artists behind China's botanical masterpieces

Students of Chinese garden art all know about the Xiang Shan Guild or the Xiang Shan Gongfang (Studio) - as they built Suzhou's beautiful gardens and Beijing's magnificent Forbidden City.

But the Xiang Shan Guild is not just important historically.

Suzhou could not have maintained its ancient garden courtyards, recognized as world heritage, without the Xiang Shan garden masters.