Architectural elements of classical design in Jiangsu

[Photo by Lou Qingxi/For China Daily]

4. Picture windows

Many halls and verandas opened to gardens through picture windows that frame the landscape and bring the outdoors inside. Unlike a static painting, the objects in the window change color and content in different seasons and weather conditions, and the view moves, as wind blows bamboo or a bird comes into the frame.

Related: Protecting country's cultural treasures