Panmen Scenic Area

The Panmen Gate Scenic Area, located by a remaining section of the original city wall, chiefly consists of the Pagoda of Auspicious Light, the Land & Water Gates, and Wumen Bridge, the three historical relics under the state, provincial and municipal protection respectively. Panmen, being one of the eight land and water gates of the Grand City of He Lu built by Wu Zixu in the Spring and Autumn Period and having gone through all the vicissitudes for over 2500 years, is the only well-preserved ancient city gate of Suzhou today. Prof. Chen Congzhou, a famous classical architect, having ascended the Panmen Gate quite a few times, left his favorable comment that reads: "While there is a magnificent Great Wall in the north, there is the charming Panmen Gate in the south." A unique specimen of its kind, the ancient Panmen Gate has become the symbol of the ancient city of Suzhou, and has twice been selected as the subject matter of China's postage stamp and postcard.

The ancient land and water gates, the mysterious millennium-old pagoda, and the Wumen Bridge spanning the time-honored Grand Canal, echo with each other and form a delightful contrast, affording a quaint and wonderful sight of this water land in the southern Yangtze Delta. A visit to the Panmen Scenic Area will certainly reinforce one's impression of Suzhou's culture and history.