Suzhou, China, is a city with over 2,500 years of history. Situated close to freshwater Lake Taihu, the city's overall topography is gentle, with a dense network of waterways and abundant rainfall. With its favourable topography and climate, Suzhou has a rich history of agricultural cultivation. The city's waterways have been constantly and artificially connected and transformed, and the development of water transport has brought Suzhou a thriving trading economy. Agriculture, rivers and canals are the historical roots of Suzhou's prosperity.

Inspired by Xu Yang's painting 'Prosperous Suzhou', which depicts 18th century trade life and suburban agriculture along the canals of Suzhou, the project aims to innovate and recreate an urban agricultural landscape in the traditional Chinese style through the design of agricultural cultivation and commercial areas on land and water. Drawing on elements from the scene in the ‘Prosperous Suzhou’, the project uses a modern approach to integrate the elements into the 'two sides and one line' of the site. By introducing the flow of water from the Xujiang River Canal, the site is transformed into a planting and farming area, a land and water commercial trade zone, and a rain garden leisure zone.