Why is Pan Gate special?
As a famous historical landmark in Suzhou, China, the Pan Gate is located on the south-west corner of the Main Canal or, to be more precise, encircling canal of Suzhou. Originally built during the Warring States Period in the state of Wu, it was estimated to be around 2,500 years old.
Pan Gate Highlight
Pan Gate now belongs to the Pan Gate Scenic Area, which includes another two spots: the Ruiguang Pagoda and the Wu Gate Bridge.
Pan Gate
As a part of the ancient wall built on 514 B.C., Pan Gate, sometimes more exactly Pan City Gate, was strategically placed with an inscription, "the key to Wu kingdom" on the tablet over the gate. It is also known in China for its architecture and is so famous for its complex of both land and water city gates that many times, people directly refer to it as the "Land and Water Gate".
Ruiguang Pagoda
As the earliest pagoda in Suzhou built in 247 B.C., the Ruiguang Pagoda is constructed of brick with wooden platforms and has simple Buddhist carvings at its base. With a height of 53.57 meters (about 175.6 feet), this seven-floor pagoda was said built by Sun Quan, the King of the State of Wu in the Three Kingdom Period.
Wun Gate Bridge
Wu Gate Bridge, also known as Wumen Bridge, was originally built in Song Dynasty and rebuilt in Qing Dynasty. It is the highest single span stone bridge existing in the Suzhou urban area.
Shaped like a full moon, the total length of the bridge is 66.3 meters. The arch has a span of 16 meters and is 9.85 meters high. Each step on the northern and southern slopes is paved with a single flagstone.