Water City Gate or Pan Gate(Chinese: 盘门; pinyin: pánmén) is a famous historical landmark in Suzhou. It is located on the south-west corner of the Main Canal of Suzhou.
Built in 514 B.C., historians estimate it to be around 2,500 years old. Visitors can climb the stairway on the northern side of the gate wall for a panoramic view. On the wall are crenellations, battlements, loopholes, sluice gates, a capstan and a cistern (for fire prevention). When a small boat goes out of this water city, it has to pass through the water gate, before entering the Grand Canal.
It is known for the "three landmarks of Pan Gate". They are the Ruiguang Pagoda, the earliest pagoda in Suzhou built in 247 B.C., the Wu Gate Bridge, the entrance to the gate at that time over the water passage and the highest bridge in Suzhou at the time, and Pan Gate.
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