Pan Men (Pan Gate)

Suzhou, China

As you walk along the north of the Panmen Scenic Area in Suzhou, China, you will see a 300 meters long and 5 meters tall city wall. It is called the Pan men (Pan Gate), which has had strategic and ecological significance since ancient times till date. It was first built during the Wu Kingdom (770BC to 476BC) and consists of a land gate plus a water gate, the tower, and the barbican, with the city wall on either side. The double set of sluice gates makes this attraction an engineering masterpiece of ancient times. On the first floor of the tower is an exhibition of ancient weapons used to protect the wall over many centuries.

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