Kunshan's drive to protect its famous water towns has entered a new stage after the city published the results of a major investigation to identify which "water cultural heritage" will be prioritized during the project.

The rivers and streams crisscrossing the region have shaped the history of the city in Jiangsu province, and its picturesque water towns are often referred to as the "Venices of the East", attracting millions of tourists each year.

In order to preserve this unique heritage, Kunshan's municipal government launched an investigation to identify the most important remnants of this history in July.

The investigation has now finally published its findings, listing 109 main pieces of "water cultural heritage" that must be preserved.

Among the sites included were iconic local landmarks such as concubine Chen's water tomb in Jinxi town, the tomb of an imperial concubine who famously could not bear to leave the beautiful water town, as well as Qiandeng town's Wujia Bridge and Longting Bridge in Tinglin Garden.

The 109 items on the list will now be divided into three groups: engineering construction, documentation and intangible cultural heritage.

Further investigations to confirm and assess each item's history, state of preservation, ownership and cultural value will also be conducted in the near future.

Wujia Bridge in Qiandeng town

Concubine Chen's water tomb in Jinxi town

Longting Bridge in Tinglin Garden, Kunshan city