China , Chinese Venice
Not far from Shanghai there is a very ancient small town of Zhouzhuang. In 1086, the local rich man Zhou Digong donated 13 hectares of land to the Taoist monastery, which still exists today, has been repeatedly rebuilt and expanded.
The town began to grow rapidly. Intellectuals, artists, various dignitaries settled here, who spared no money for the construction of their houses and bridges. Zhouzhuang is surrounded on all sides by rivers and lakes connected by canals, which are the streets of the town. Almost every house has its own pier. There are also paved sidewalks on which you can walk.
Most of the houses are architectural monuments. A two-storey mansion built in 1742 is very interesting. It occupies 2000 square meters, has 100 rooms, 7 courtyards, 5 arches. The luxurious residence, built in 1436-1449, during the Ming Dynasty, belonged to the Zhang family. It occupies 1800 square meters, has 70 rooms and 6 courtyards.
https://earth.google.com/web/search/Zhouzhuang
