Yu Wenxian, master of Luban lock, also known as Kongming lock, a detachable toy with nine wooden slips. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Xukou is 15 km away from the city's busy downtown, nestled in a quiet curve on the bank of Taihu Lake, the biggest lake in the Yangtze River Delta.

Beginning with the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), scholars and artists liked to settle down there, to do their creative work while enjoying the scenery of its environment, and to make friends with the artisans and craftsmen from the neighborhood.

If the city of Suzhou is compared to a piece of art work, then it is Xukou that provides the city with the people to build and maintain its beauty－in garden courtyards, in brush paintings, in calligraphy scrolls, and in all their details expressive of the timeless folklore.

Xukou provides not just to Suzhou. It seems that anywhere in the world, if one can spot an element of Chinese art, that element may very well be from Xukou, at least in part.

Astor Court in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, a re-creation of a Ming Dynasty-style garden courtyard, was built by architects and craftsmen from Xukou, traditionally known as the Xiang Shan Guild.

"Our tradition actually goes much longer than Ming", said Xue Lingen, one of the current leaders of Xiang Shan Guild.