Stands at the southwestern corner of the ancient city of Suzhou. It is Suzhou's oldest and the most completely preserved part of the ruins of the ancient city and has a long history of more than 2 500 years.
Construction of Panmen Gate began 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. The present Panmen Gate was rebuilt in the 11th year of the reign of Zhizheng in the end of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and renovated during the following Ming and Qing dynasties. With water gates and land gates towering side by side, Panmen Gate looks very imposing. The land gate consists of double gates, one inside and the other outside, with city walls forming a square terrace of about 20 meters long on each side. Once the invading enemies were seduced into this place, they would be like turtles locked in a jar.
When 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.
