This book is about the past and present reality of the region south of the Yangtze, and it presents the poetic truth of the "river folk" who lived there. The people of canal towns left behind eternal gifts the stone bridges, the stone streets, the stone piers, and the rocky shores; row upon row of grey roof tiles atop the white walls along the rivers; and the famous gardens, unique to the southern Yangtze Delta. Although the water towns and the scenes of "river folk" are beautiful, very few of them still exist. This prose narrative, meticulously but rationally penned in an easily-understood writing style, providing both the memory of past events and a current record, allows not only architecture experts but also the general public to read and enjoy it at leisure.