It was established during the Spring and Autumn Period, turning more than 2,500 years of history into a magnificent heritage that amazes the world. Suzhou, a paradise city that everyone yearns for, has become China’s first “world heritage model city” with 26 world heritages such as the Grand Canal, Suzhou Gardens, Kunqu Opera, Guqin (a traditional Chinese seven-stringed instrument), Song Brocade, Kesi (silk tapestry) and so on. No matter when and where you are in Suzhou, you will see classical elegance that lasts for a thousand years. You can’t help but admire the exquisite, magical, and unique ancient city.
Taking a Visit to Pingjiang Map
As generations and times change, Suzhou Ancient City stands tall in the long river of time, unchanged for thousands of years. This is a miracle in the world’s urban history. Today’s Suzhou Ancient City still retains the original layout when it was first built. As time passes through the years, the ancient and the modern culture are harmoniously blended together.
Inside the Suzhou Museum of Inscribed Stone Tablets, there is a stone tablet, a Song Dynasty carving of the “Pingjiang Map”, the earliest surviving map of Suzhou city and the testament to the unchanged nature of this ancient water town in the southern Yangtze River area. Upon careful observation, you will be amazed at its details. Palaces, mansions, streets, moats, palace walls… The outline and layout of Suzhou are accurately and realistically engraved. From this map, one can also see Suzhou’s ancient double-chessboard layout of a dense grid of roads and canals. It is amazing that, to this date, one can still visit Suzhou Ancient City with this map.
Why not follow the map and take a walk in Pingjiang Historical and Cultural District? This is Suzhou’s most complete and largest historical district. It is a microcosm of Suzhou Ancient City. More than 8,000 households of original residents still live in the district, where you can experience the authentic life of original Suzhou inhabitants. Households lay scattered among the stone alleys made of black bricks or live by rivers running under bridges. The streets here are immersed in the leisurely charm of everyday life.
Ascending Panmen Amphibious Gate
“Looking north at the grandness of the Great Wall and south at the beauty of Panmen.” Panmen is one of the eight gates of Suzhou Ancient City and is the only well-preserved amphibious gate in China. It is also the most convincing witness to Suzhou’s millennial criss-cross water and land routes.
In ancient times, it was the key transportation hub and barrier for Suzhou’s water and land transport. The military defense facilities such as battlements, shooting holes, cannon holes, and sluice gates on the city wall of the land gate perfectly illustrate its strategic position. The entire Panmen composed of two water gates, three land gates, and an enceinte is regarded as a pioneering feat in the history of ancient city construction.
Today, the ancient city gate is still well preserved. Standing under this amphibious gate, you can look at the red glow of the richly painted tower that seems hovering in the air and the eaves of the corner turned upward as if to fly. Ascending Panmen, you can see the whole picture of the water gates and land gates.
As two of the three famous attractions in Panmen, Ruiguang Pagoda, and Wumen Bridge are also worth seeing. The quaint and elegant Ruiguang Pagoda was built by Sun Quan during the Three Kingdoms Period. Spanning across the Grand Canal, the Wumen Bridge was the main route for entering and leaving Panmen at that time and neatly connected with the land route to the amphibious city gate. Climbing onto the ancient bridge, you can see the winding river in a broad and beautiful scenery.
Taking a Cruise in the Grand Canal
“When you arrive in Suzhou, you will see houses built along the river.” Suzhou Ancient City is the city that has the longest river system and densest water network in China. If you want to experience the charm of this oriental water town, you must experience the trip to the Grand Canal. You can sit on a painted pleasure boat, enjoy a cup of tea, taste exquisite Suzhou-style pastries, watch the scenery on both sides of the river, and immerse yourself in classical elegance and romance. Some boats even offer Pingtan performances, which are melodious in a Suzhou accent.
As the boat moves forward, you can see the jade-like water and the rainbow-shaped stone bridges. The ancient temples, pagodas, and city walls on both sides of the river add beauty to each other. Ancient and modern times unfold like a scroll before your eyes. You will be amazed that traditional and modern beauty can complement each other so perfectly.
Exploring a Museum
How to learn the history of the ancient city of more than 2,500 years? The numerous and diverse museums can be helpful, where you may go through the past and present of Suzhou. There are more than 100 museums in Suzhou, which is truly a “city of a hundred museums”. The China Kunqu Opera Museum, Suzhou Garden Museum, Suzhou Pingtan Museum of China, Suzhou Zhuangyuan Museum, Suzhou Brick Carving Museum, Suzhou Embroidery Museum… each museum has its own unique features.
Halting there, you can learn about the diverse charm of Suzhou’s garden culture, folk culture, Zhuangyuan culture, traditional Chinese medicine culture, and chamber of commerce culture. You can also sense the exquisite life art nurtured by this land of outstanding people. Embroidery, Guqin, jade carving, wood carving, calligraphy, painting, and other arts are all the embodiment of the refined elegance of the Suzhou people’s life.
When you really come to Suzhou and stroll in the ancient city, you will discover the endless humanistic beauty of this world heritage city. You will feel the love of time and space for the people living here and will naturally develop a longing to live in Suzhou.
