View source for Pan Gate

{{More references|date=December 2015}}
[[File:Land Gate of Pan Men.jpg|thumb|220px|Land Gate]] 
[[File:Pan Men.jpg|thumb|220px|Water Gate]] 

'''Pan Gate''', '''Pan Men''', or '''Panmen''' ({{zh|s=盘门|t=盤門|p=Pán Mén}}; [[Suzhou dialect|Suzhou Wu]]: Boe men, {{IPA|wuu|bø mən}}) is a historical landmark in [[Suzhou]], [[Jiangsu]], China.  It is located on the south-west corner of the Main Canal or encircling canal of Suzhou. Originally built during the [[Spring and Autumn period]] in the state of [[Wu (state)|Wu]], historians estimate it to be around 2,500 years old.  It is now part of the Pan Gate Scenic Area.  It is known for the "three landmarks of Pan Gate".  They are the Ruiguang Pagoda, the earliest [[pagoda]] in Suzhou built in 247, 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.  The Ruigang Pagoda is constructed of brick with wooden platforms and has simple Buddhist carvings at its base.<ref name="Witness">{{cite book|title=China|publisher=Eye Witness Travel Guides|pages=213}}</ref>

Pan Gate is part of the ancient [[Chinese city wall|city wall]] built in 514 BCE that surrounded and protected Suzhou.  Pan Gate was the only entrance to the wall that surrounded ancient Suzhou.  It is also known in China for its architecture.  It is so famous for its complex of both land and water city gates that many times, people directly refer to it as the "Land and Water Gate". In order to attract more tourists, in recent years, the city of Suzhou has renovated the old wall and built many other attractions around the original gate in the Pan Gate Scenic Area.

The present structure was built in the 11th year of the reign of [[Ukhaatu Khan|Zhizheng]] (1333-1370 AD) at the end of the [[Yuan dynasty]] (1271-1368).

==See also==
*[[City Wall of Suzhou]]

==References==
{{commons category|Pan Men}}
{{reflist}}

{{coord|31|17|21|N|120|36|43|E|source:kolossus-frwiki|display=title}}

[[Category:AAAA-rated tourist attractions]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Suzhou]]
[[Category:City walls in China]]
[[Category:Gates in China]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Suzhou]]
[[Category:Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Jiangsu]]


{{Suzhou-stub}}
{{China-struct-stub}}