As beautiful as a painting, the Panmen in summer is insanely popular

Panmen Scenic Area, located at the southwest corner of the ancient city of Suzhou, covers an area of 24.86 hectares. It is a tourist attraction formed on the basis of the ancient Panmen, the city wall, and surrounding historical sites. With numerous historical relics and rich cultural landscapes, it is a national 4A-level tourist attraction. Panmen was built in 514 BC, during the first year of King Helü of Wu in the Spring and Autumn period, and was one of the city gates supervised by Wu Zixu. It was originally named 'Panlongmen' (Coiling Dragon Gate) because a wooden coiling dragon was carved and placed above the gate to intimidate the state of Yue. Later, it was renamed 'Panmen' due to the winding and interlacing waterways. The existing gate is a relic from the Yuan dynasty and is the only well-preserved ancient city gate in China that combines both water and land defenses, possessing unique historical and cultural value. It consists of a combination of two water gates, three land gates, and a barbican, reflecting the defensive and residential functions of ancient cities. 📍Location: No. 49 Dongdajie, Gusu District 🎫Ticket: 36 RMB 🕣Opening hours: 8:30-17:30 🚘Transportation tips 🚇Subway: Line 5, Xinshiqiao Station 🚗Self-driving: Xinshiqiao Tourist Boat Terminal parking lot is not expensive, and parking spaces are generally sufficient; ⭐️Recommended spots to check in 1️⃣Panmen Water and Land City Gate It is a relic from over 2500 years ago when Wu Zixu built the city. At that time, he constructed the great city of Helü, creating eight city gates. Suzhou is a water town, with streets and waterways closely intertwined, and the city walls and gates also combined water and land defenses. Time is ruthless, and the other seven water city gates have long been destroyed. The only surviving water and land city gate is Panmen, which is not only unique in China but also unparalleled in the world. The existing city gate is a relic from the Yuan dynasty and is listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit. 2️⃣Wumen Bridge A single-arch stone bridge that spans the Grand Canal outside Panmen, originally built during the Song dynasty and rebuilt during the Qing dynasty, is also a national key cultural relic protection unit. Wumen Bridge was originally the only ancient bridge in the old city of Suzhou that did not require boats to lower their sails to pass through, indicating its height. 3️⃣Ruiguang Pagoda Located within Panmen, it is a seven-story, eight-sided brick and wood structure pagoda, originally built in the first year of the Jingde era of the Northern Song dynasty (1004). Although Ruiguang Pagoda was burned down during the Jianyan era of the Southern Song dynasty and the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan dynasty, and underwent multiple restorations during the Chunxi era of the Southern Song dynasty and the Ming and Qing dynasties, these restorations were mostly limited to the wooden eaves or decorative surfaces, with little change to the brick structure of the pagoda itself, making it a national key cultural relic protection unit. In 1978, a group of truant children playing in the dilapidated Ruiguang Pagoda accidentally discovered a treasure of the Five Dynasties period used to suppress the pagoda's spirit: a pearl sarira treasure dais, which is now one of Suzhou's treasures and is preserved in the Suzhou Museum. The three sights of Panmen, the city gate, and the pagoda echo each other, while the ancient bridge and the canal shine together. Along with the scattered gardens within the city, they weave the historical coordinates of Gusu. 💌Tips: 1. You can climb the tower, with a ticket price of 💰6, and the number of visitors is strictly controlled. 2. In the scenic area, you can feed small fish and black swans. 3. There is a treetop adventure park on the left before climbing the city wall, which is quite popular with children. 4. During the Dragon Boat Festival, the Gusu International Coffee Culture Festival takes place, with several well-known milk tea shops participating, as well as beautiful cultural and creative ice cream