Tongyili & Tongdeli in Su Zhou Shi, China

In the nineteen twenties and thirties, Shanghai's Green Gang operated as one of modern China's most powerful organized crime syndicates. Du Yuesheng, known as 'Big-Eared' Du, rose through its ranks by running opium dens, protection rackets, brothels, and casinos—while also owning Shanghai's largest shipping company and two banks, per Atlas Obscura. Seeking a break from the city's intensity despite the constant threat from rivals and law enforcement, Du commissioned a holiday residence in Suzhou, the quiet water town where his mentor had grown up. He designed the courtyards with inward-facing doors, enabling private passage between buildings away from street view. Now called Tongyili and Tongdeli, the structures survive in elegant Minguo style, with ornate scrollwork and grapevine pergolas. After refurbishment in two thousand seven, they're preserved as part of Suzhou's cultural heritage.

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