The Panmen Scenic Area is located in the southwest corner of the ancient city of Suzhou, covering an area of 24.86 hectares. It is a scenic tourism area formed based on the ancient Panmen, ancient city walls, and surrounding famous historical sites, and is a national 4A scenic area.

 

[Panmen Panorama]

 

The Panmen Scenic Area was completed and opened to the public on October 1, 1999, during the 50th anniversary of the National Day. It consists of five functional areas: Ruiguang Tower Garden, Ming and Qing Commercial District, Central Courtyard, Ancient Residential Area, and City Wall Park. The Ruiguang Tower and the ancient city gate are key cultural relics protected at the national level, while Wumen Bridge is a cultural relic protected at the provincial level. In particular, the uniquely connotative ancient Panmen is a symbol and emblem of the ancient city of Suzhou, and is one of the more typical and complete ancient city gates with both water and land access that still exist in China.

 

The Central Courtyard, designed in the traditional classical garden style of "one pond and three mountains," integrates exquisite ancient architecture, water town charm, and the scenic beauty of mountains and lakes, appearing robust, expansive, and grand. This makes the Panmen Scenic Area retain the historical sense of ancient Suzhou while also embodying a bold and bright modern atmosphere, allowing visitors to feel the profound cultural heritage of Suzhou's Wu culture and history during their leisure time.

 

Panmen

As one of the eight gates of the ancient city of Suzhou, Panmen was built in 514 BC. It was named "Panmen" because of the wooden carving of a coiled dragon placed above the city gate to intimidate the Yue state. Later, due to the winding and intersecting water flow, it was renamed "Panmen." The existing city gate is a relic from the Yuan Dynasty, and the city tower was rebuilt in the summer of 1986. Panmen is one of the more typical and complete ancient city gates with both water and land access that still exist in China, consisting of two water gates, two land gates, a walled city, a city tower, and city walls on both sides. The land city gates are divided into inner and outer layers, with a "walled city" set between the two gates, which can hide soldiers and encircle enemies; the water city gate and land city gate are closely connected, also divided into inner and outer layers, with a secret passage leading to the city tower between the two gates. Both the water and land city gates are equipped with large sluice gates, which were raised or closed using a winch in ancient times, allowing control over the passage of pedestrians and boats, facilitating defense of the city.

 

The water city gate of Panmen is located to the south, while the land city gate is to the north, arranged in an alternating configuration, with a layout resembling a bent ruler. Both land gates face east; one is small and slightly to the north, while the second is large and slightly to the south. The two gates are not aligned in a straight line, so if you stand at the first gate, you cannot see the second gate, serving a concealed purpose. Between the two city gates is a square walled city. In ancient times, when the guards lured enemies into the walled city, they would simultaneously lower both gates, trapping the enemies like fish in a barrel. There is also a small "品" shaped opening on the second gate, designed by Wu Zixu to prevent enemies from using fire attacks to burn the gate, which is one of the earliest fire-fighting facilities in China. On the second gate, there is a city tower, which was used in ancient times for observing enemy movements, known as a watchtower. During the Yuan Dynasty, the Italian traveler Marco Polo mentioned in his biography that he climbed the tower to enjoy the view and compared the beauty of Suzhou to that of Venice, leading to the name "Eastern Venice." Under the eastern eaves of the Panmen city tower hangs a large plaque from Jiangsu's classical gardens, inscribed with the four characters "Water and Land Intertwined" by the famous calligrapher Gu Tinglong from Suzhou. The couplets on both sides were written by the famous calligrapher Wang Xiye: "The ancient Wu city towers over the rivers and plains, the old country has seen many wars and battles." Under the western eaves of the city tower hangs a plaque written by the famous calligrapher Wang Juchang from Beijing: "The Key to Wu." The couplets on both sides read: "Water connects the sail walls, mountains divide the purple and emerald, bridges lead to Wu's land, cities are lined with pearls and jades." These plaques and couplets describe the long history and cultural connotations of the Wu state.

 

The unique connotation of Panmen lies in water. According to historical records, the water city gate of Panmen is one of the birthplaces of Chinese naval forces. During the Spring and Autumn period, the Wu state had a large navy, and it is recorded that the navy of Wu launched attacks on other states from Panmen. The water city gate is located to the south, with two layers of city gates, and a river flowing southeast connects the city gate to the canal, helping to alleviate water flow. Between the two water gates is a rectangular water walled city, where boats entering and exiting are trapped when the two sluice gates are lowered, unable to move forward or backward. In ancient times, the guards would go down through the cave-like stone passage of the water walled city to inspect and address any issues on-site, thus serving a function similar to that of customs. The water city gate also has flood control and drainage functions, akin to modern sluice gates, making it one of the earliest water conservancy facilities in China. The water city gate of Panmen holds a high historical status in Suzhou, and the city's emblem is marked by the water city gate of Panmen.

 

In the ancient city of Suzhou, there are many waters and bridges. The Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi once wrote: "Green waves of water in all directions, red railings of three hundred and ninety bridges."

 

Wumen Bridge

Wumen Bridge, located outside Panmen, spans the Grand Canal and is majestic in appearance. It was built in the seventh year of the Northern Song Dynasty (1084) and was originally called the New Bridge. It can be seen in the Song Dynasty engraving "Pingjiang Map." The existing Wumen Bridge was rebuilt in the eleventh year of the Qing Dynasty (1872) and is a single-arch stone bridge. The total length of the bridge is 66.6 meters, with a width of 5.8 meters at the bottom and 4.8 meters in the middle. The arch spans 16 meters, and the arch top is more than 9 meters above the normal water level, making it one of the higher arches among ancient bridges in Suzhou. Each slope of the bridge has 50 steps paved with granite, allowing people to rest and enjoy the view. At the north end of the bridge, the two wings of the diamond wall are built with 0.6-meter-wide towpaths, which are remnants of the ancient practice of boatmen pulling boats across the bridge. This is rare among stone-built ancient bridges, and the entire bridge has a solemn and elegant shape, typical of large arch bridges in the water towns of Jiangnan.

 

Ruiguang Pagoda

One of the "Three Sceneries of Panmen," Ruiguang Pagoda originated as a relic tower. According to historical records, in the fourth year of the Chuwu era (241 AD), the high monk Xingkang from the Kangju Kingdom (located in Central Asia) traveled a long distance to Wu County in Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period to preach. To welcome him, Sun Quan, the Emperor of Wu, built a Pujiyuan (Universal Relief Temple) within Panmen. Six years later, in the tenth year of the Chuwu era (247 AD), a thirteen-story relic tower was built in the temple to repay his mother's kindness, which is the predecessor of Ruiguang Pagoda and one of the earliest Buddhist towers built in Suzhou's history. The existing Ruiguang Pagoda was built in the first year of the Northern Song Dynasty under Emperor Zhenzong (1004 AD) and was completed in the eighth year of Emperor Renzong's reign (1030 AD), taking more than twenty years to complete.

 

Ruiguang Pagoda is a seven-story, eight-sided brick and wood structure pagoda. The seven levels reference a saying in Buddhism: "Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda." According to the Chinese theory of the five elements and yin-yang, even numbers are yin and odd numbers are yang, with yin representing the earth and yang representing the heavens. Therefore, the floor plan of the tower should be an even number, while the number of levels should be an odd number, pointing upwards towards the heavens.

 

The Ruiguang Pagoda is a brick and wood structured pavilion-style pagoda, standing at 53.57 meters tall (with the spire measuring 9.14 meters). It holds a significant place in the history of Chinese architecture. Taking the Tiger Hill Pagoda as an example, which was built in 959 AD, it is a seven-story, eight-sided brick and wood structured pavilion-style pagoda. Due to inadequate foundation treatment during the initial construction, it was built directly on loose soil, leading to its tilt after completion. Being a brick tower, it is quite heavy, resulting in a significant tilt, making it a famous leaning tower in Suzhou. The Ruiguang Pagoda learned from the lessons of the Tiger Hill Pagoda, employing a layered lime mortar consolidation method for the foundation, and placed 24 large stones at the corners of the bottom layer, which resulted in minimal sinking and tilting after its completion. In terms of structural design, it adopted a brick and wood mixed structure, which not only reduced the weight of the tower but also enhanced its structural strength, making the Ruiguang Pagoda more towering and resplendent. After the Song Dynasty in Jiangnan, most pagodas were modeled after the Ruiguang Pagoda, as it represents the style of the Song Dynasty.

 

The original function of the pagoda was to house the relics of the Buddha and eminent monks. In 1978, by chance, many precious cultural relics were discovered on the third level of the Ruiguang Pagoda, including the blue paper sutra "Lotus Sutra," which embodies the essence of Mahayana thought and is one of the main scriptures of Buddhism. There is also the treasure of the pagoda—the Pearl Relic Stupa, which stands 122.6 cm tall and is made of over 40,000 pearls. Inside the stupa are nine relics, and on its surface are nine golden dragons, all woven from pure gold. The gold threads are very soft and fine, resembling hair divided into several strands. Ancient craftsmen, with their exquisite skills and advanced techniques, created these nine golden dragons. It is said that this gold weaving technique was lost before the Ming Dynasty, and the discovery of the Pearl Relic Stupa provides a basis for studying and promoting this exquisite craft. According to experts, the Pearl Relic Stupa is a priceless treasure and has been classified as a national treasure. In 1988, the Ruiguang Pagoda was designated as a national key cultural relic, becoming one of the main attractions in the scenic area.

 

The base of the Ruiguang Pagoda is designed in the style of a Sumeru pedestal, which is very exquisite, surrounded by arches carved from blue stone. The lower beams are fully carved with swirling clouds, symbolizing that the entire pagoda sits atop flowing clouds, showcasing clever design. The middle waist employs techniques of "stone carving" and "ground compression," with relief sculptures exhibiting typical characteristics of the Song Dynasty, such as: auspicious symbols, flowers, flowing clouds, lions, and figures. The patterns are concise and vivid, with skilled and powerful carving techniques, especially the lively lions, some playfully interacting, some standing and looking back, some running and jumping, and others being led by children, each with distinct expressions, vividly bringing the scene to life. Notably, the stone carving of a child playing with a qilin has been verified as a relic from the Song Dynasty Ruiguang Pagoda, making it a rare treasure.