But the flight to American suburbs has left once-beautiful homes and buildings in the hands of the poor who lack the resources to renovate them.

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Before 1990, Suzhou was a beautiful tourist town, the home of many garden villas that were the summer homes of Ming and Qing Dynasty officials.

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"It really is beautiful in a kind of surrealistic way, but you also have to remember that it puts people and their homes in danger, " he said.

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