Panmen Gate Scenery Area



Panmen Scenery Area is located to the southwest of the ancient city of Suzhou with numerous historical
sites and landscapes. Stepping onto the top of the gate, you can see the Wumen Gate Bridge and the
Auspicious Light Pagoda. Together, they are popularly known as the Three Scenes at Panmen Gate.

Panmen Gate was initially constructed in the first year of the reign of He Lu, King of Wu. Although it has
been renovated and rebuilt many times through the ages, its location has never changed an inch. It
consists of the land city gate, the water city gate, the city gate tower, the Weng City and the city wall on
both sides. It was a place with utmost importance for the army in ancient times. Upon the gate, there is
a city tower. And the city wall is 300 meters long and 5 meters high. It is easy to imagine the prosperous
sights then that the double water and land gates of Panmen Gate shined on the Great Canal, when
horses and carriages went through the pass with flags fluttering, and boats paddling through the water
gates. The Great Canal beside Panmen Gate. Looking like a rainbow hung in the sky, it is the longest stone one-arched bridge in Suzhou.

Wumen Bridge Not far from Panmen City Gate, visitors can see Wumen Bridge. It was built in 1084 and is the highest ancient bridge in Suzhou
now. The bridge is 11 meters high and 66.3 meters long. It is recorded that it was made up of three bridges originally and has been repaired many
times in history. On the bridge, one can have a clear view of the gate tower of Panmen Gate and the Auspicious Light Pagoda. In the river, there is a
prosperous sight of boats sailing competitively in the Great Canal.

Auspicious Light Pagoda Standing at the entrance of the scenery area, it is as high as 53.57 meters and was built in masonry-timber structure with
eight sides and seven floors. It is said that the pagoda was built by Sun Quan in 247 to show his respect to his mother. It is the second oldest
structure of its kind in the Suzhou area, next to the Tiger Hill Pagoda only. And either in daybreak or twilights when sunrays shoot on its body cast
upon its roof, the pagoda looks particularly magnificent. If you climb onto the pagoda by following the stairs and looking into the distance, you will
have a panoramic view of the picturesque water-land in the Yangtze River Delta.

Except for the three fine sceneries, there are many other scenic spots to see around here, such as Premier Wu
Zixu's Memorial Temple, Hall of Sirui, Double-Pavilion Corridor Bridge and Century Bell of Tang.