[2025 Suzhou Attraction] Travel Guide for Ruiguang Tower (Updated Jul)

#historicplaces Ruiguang pagoda is a prominent historical landmark in Suzhou. The architecture consists of bricks and wooden platforms. The pagoda is part of the Pan Gate Scenic Area. The gate, built during the kingdom of Wu, surrounds Suzhou’s canal and was the only entrance to the city in the ancient times. It offered protection to Suzhou and is estimated to be 2500 years old. The scenic area also consists of a beautiful garden with a lake. You can also walk on the city wall and enjoy a view of the surroundings. It was pretty calm and pleasurable. Entrance 🎟 - 40¥ How to go - Get off at Nan Men (南门) metro station (transfer 🚇 for line 4 & 5) and walk for about 10- 13 mins to the entrance on Dong Da Street (东大街） #historicculture#historicallandmarks#historiccallandmark#ancientlandmark#ancientarchitecture#suzhou#suzhoutravel#jiangsu

❤Why I Recommend: To me, Suzhou is like an old friend. Our friendship began during my college years when I took a tour guide course on Suzhou's classical gardens. Back then, I was captivated by the grandeur of the Humble Administrator’s Garden and the elegance of the Lion Grove Garden, and I first savored the poetic line, "Outside Gusu City, the Cold Mountain Temple—midnight bell tones reach a traveler’s boat." Later, driven by my love for Jiangnan (southern China) and nostalgic sentiments, I returned to the Suzhou area (excluding Zhangjiagang and Wujiang) seven more times—whether to wander through gardens and ancient towns, enjoy Pingtan (Suzhou ballad singing), or indulge in local delicacies. I’ve always cherished its dreamy charm, like "mist veiling cold water, moonlight shrouding sand." For my eighth visit, I chose to stay with my family at Panmen for four days, slowing down to savor the world—the longest lingering encounter with Gusu since we first met... 🗓Itinerary: **Day 1: A Date with Food and Pingtan** [Heart] Arrived at Suzhou Station and took a ride straight to the Pan Pacific Suzhou Hotel to check in. After settling in, headed to Rui Noodle inside the hotel for a comforting bowl of alkaline noodles. Spent the afternoon sipping tea and chatting in the room. In the evening, strolled to Jiangnan Yachu (Taihua Mall Branch) for authentic Suzhou cuisine, accompanied by live Pingtan performances—a feast for both the palate and the soul, immersing in the charm of Jiangnan 🎵 **Day 2: The Beauty of Panmen and the Master-of-Nets Garden** [Heart] Explored Panmen Scenic Area, starting with the Ruiguang Pagoda, then the Water Gate and Land Gate. By day, Panmen is quaint and serene; by night, it’s even more enchanting. Took a night tour of the Master-of-Nets Garden—tickets plus performance and guided tour cost 120 RMB/person (bookable on the official WeChat account). A must-try experience, with surprises in the performance! [Facepalm] **Day 3: Museum Hopping Day** [Clapping][Clapping][Clapping] A paradise for museum lovers! Suzhou truly never runs short of gardens, each with its own story and charm. In the morning, walked from the hotel to visit the Stele Museum and the Education Museum (delightfully discovered it’s housed in Chai Garden [Heart][Heart][Heart]). In the afternoon, took a ride to revisit the Suzhou Museum for the third time. Remember to book in advance—it’s free but always crowded, 🔥 **Day 4: Relaxing with Biluochun Tea and Dim Sum** [Clapping][Clapping][Clapping] Slept in luxuriously at the hotel, then walked to Suzhou Tea Market for a cup of fresh Biluochun tea (it’s the new harvest!) [Heart]. Returned to the hotel for dinner at Haitian Tower, feasting on Jiangnan delicacies—crab roe and eel paste stole the show! 📝Accommodation Tips: Stay at Pan Pacific Suzhou Hotel—your room key grants free access to Panmen Scenic Area, super convenient! 🍽Dining Recommendations: 🍜Rui Noodle: The hotel’s noodle shop serves incredibly comforting Suzhou-style noodles and dim sum—a must-try. 🍲Haitian Tower Chinese Restaurant: The hotel’s in-house restaurant, offering authentic Jiangnan flavors. 🍲Jiangnan Yachu (Taihua Mall Branch): Genuine Suzhou cuisine in a lovely setting.

The garden is full of elegance and the lights are brightened with thousands of lights to light up the dreamy night of Panmen. There are eight scene check-in spots, an ancient moon-playing market, and a night of oriental aesthetics. The sense of ritual of the Mid-Autumn Festival/National Day holidays is enhanced with a special performance of the fire pot. With a shake and a wave of wine, it is like a starry sky descending to the earth. Panmen: The capital of the State of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period was built by Wu Zixu at the order of King Helü of Wu in the sixth year of King Jing of Zhou (514 BC). It is the only city in the world with two parallel water and land gates that have been well preserved on their original sites. It is the symbol and emblem of the ancient city of Suzhou. Ruiguang Pagoda: It was first built in the tenth year of Chiwu in the Three Kingdoms period (247 AD). It was built by Sun Quan to repay his mother’s kindness. It was called "Baoen Pagoda" at that time. It is the earliest Buddhist pagoda in Suzhou. *You can't climb the tower, but it's lit up at night and it's great for taking photos Wumen Bridge: It was first built in the seventh year of Yuanfeng in the Song Dynasty (1084 AD) and is the single-arch stone arch bridge with the highest "arch" among the existing ancient bridges in Suzhou. Climbing up the steps, you can see the crisscrossing water network under the bridge, boats coming and going, towering city walls, shining ancient pagodas, and the distant mountains and nearby waters all in sight. * Suitable for strolling outside before entering Panmen Scenic Area. It is more beautiful to take pictures when there is sunshine. Central courtyard: It has a unique traditional classical garden layout of "one pond and three mountains", integrating ancient buildings, water village style, mountain pools, pavilions, lakes and mountains, and looks majestic, relaxed and grand. *The Mid-Autumn Festival landscape is very beautiful! When you visit the garden, you will see the beautiful pictures of the heyday of the Tang Dynasty.

There is a Ruiguang Pagoda in Suzhou, which is said to have been built by Sun Quan, the ruler of the Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period, to repay his mother's kindness. He constructed a 13-story stupa. After the pagoda was completed, Sun Quan personally went to worship, which made this pagoda extraordinary. Not only did a person of high authority visit to worship, but the pagoda often emitted five-colored auspicious light, hence it was named Ruiguang Pagoda. ⛰【Travel Tips】 📍Detailed address: Inside Panmen in the southwest corner of Suzhou city district 🚗Transportation tips: Board at the Guangfu Town Government Station, take (Bus 63) to Taihu Xiangshan Station, transfer to to Nanmen Station, and walk 836 meters to reach; From Suzhou Railway Station (Exit 4), take to Nanmen Station (exit), and walk 935 meters to reach. 🕙Opening hours: 09:00-16:30 💰Ticket price: Free admission 🌟Highlights: 1. The Ruiguang Pagoda is a typical example of a brick and wood structured tower pavilion. It uses a high proportion of wooden structures, not only the protruding dougong and waist eaves are all wooden, but there are also many wooden structural materials inside the brick tower, such as bricks with wooden pegs, inner dougong, moon beams, corridor beams, and beams above the pot gate, etc. 2. The dougong on the outer wall of the Ruiguang Pagoda: Divided into waist eaves dougong and flat seat brackets, the waist eaves dougong has two types of supplementary paving and corner paving, the supplementary paving is a five-paving single dougong with a heart scroll head, among which the supporting wall dougong is brick carved, one layer of supporting wall dougong is carved as heavy dougong, that is, mud road dougong, slow dougong. The corner paving uses round bricks for dougong, with three seams of splendid dougong on top, the front and side seams are the same as the supplementary paving, plus one seam of corner splendid dougong. On top of the second jump corner splendid dougong, a yu'ang and a treasure vase are applied to support the corner beam. The secondary step dougong is a four-paving scroll head structure. 3. Most of the colored paintings inside the Ruiguang Pagoda are from later restorations, only on the wooden railings are there remnants of seven red and eight white colored paintings, the white square parts are slightly recessed, and the number of squares varies, with six blocks on the long railings, and four or two blocks on the short railings.

⏰️Time: Until 2.24, 08:30-22:00 🎫Tickets: 19.9 yuan before 17:00, 39.9 yuan after 17:00 🗺Address: Panmen Scenic Area (No. 49, East Street, Gusu District, Suzhou City) 🚎Transportation: Metro Line 4, 5, Nanmen Station Exit 7, walk 700 meters, self-driving: There are parking spaces at the door, but it is very tight, it is recommended to take public transportation or taxi 🚗Parking recommendation: Parking at the Lantern Festival in Suzhou Panmen Scenic Area First of all, don’t count on the parking lot in Panmen Scenic Area! It’s not very big but there are so many cars😫Last year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, I went to the Panmen Lantern Festival. I went in around 5pm and came out around 7pm. There were still many cars queuing. The road outside was blocked for at least 3 kilometers😭 If you want to park in the scenic spot parking lot, you have to park your car early in the morning to reserve a spot, then walk around and wait for the lights. When the light-watching team arrives at around 4 or 5 in the afternoon, there will definitely be no spots left🙅‍♀️ 🫶There are several recommended parking lots within walking distance: 👉Sulunchang underground parking lot 10 yuan/trip, South Renminqiao subway station, walk 1.4 kilometers to Panmen after parking. I usually go to Guanqian during the day and Panmen at night, so I always park at Sulun Station 👉Gemdale Plaza A friend went there and said there was free parking and it was 500 meters walk to Panmen. meters, South Gate subway entrance, 600 parking spaces 👉Taihua Shopping Mall parking lot 8 yuan/hour, 500 meters walk to Panmen, parking space is a bit tight 👉Workers Cultural Palace parking lot Walk 800-900 meters to Panmen. Parking spaces are a bit tight, but there is a movie theater. If you can arrive early and want to watch a movie before going to Panmen, you can consider this place. Tour route: Ruiguang Pagoda→Sirui Hall→Penglai on the Water→Water and Land Ancient City Gate→Wu Xiang Temple→Yuanmeng Market ▲ Ruiguang Pagoda Ruiguang Pagoda is a thousand-year-old pagoda from the Northern Song Dynasty. It is about 43 meters high and has 7 floors and 8 sides. It is the tallest building in Panmen Scenic Area. You can climb to the top to overlook the entire Panmen. Penglai on the Water Three thousand bright lanterns illuminate the night, and countless water lanterns sway on the water, as if they are carrying people's many good wishes. The 49.9 yuan ticket includes a water lantern. You can pick it up on the right hand side of the lantern after entering the gate. You can buy one on the spot for 18 yuan. The best place to place the water lamps is on the lake on the left side of the entrance. This lawn allows you to get close to the lake and take pictures. ▲Yuanmeng Market: There are a series of small shops related to Chinese style, such as paper cutting, lanterns, tea making, Hanfu, sugar figurines, etc., and of course there are many delicious snacks. ▲ Lugu City Gate Because there was a wooden dragon hanging on the door to deter the Yue State, and because it is "half land and half water, with winding paths" it got its name. It is one of the eight city gates of the capital of the State of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period built by Wu Zixu. It is the only ancient city gate in the country that has been preserved intact, both on land and on water. 👏Summary: The lantern show is very beautiful and worth seeing. This group of photos were taken with mobile phones. The photos are very good. The water lanterns are really romantic. 💁‍♀️There were indeed a lot of people at the scene, but they were not crowded, so it was still lively overall 👫Look at the photos, pray for the New Year with your family and loved ones, and feel happy

Location of Panmen Scenic Area No. 49, East Street, Gusu District, Suzhou City Tour route: Ruiguang Tower Sirui Hall Penglai on the Water Yuanmeng Market Water and Land Ancient City Gate Wu Xiang Temple 5 check-in spots 1. Penglai on the Water Countless lanterns like Kongming lanterns rise above the water, as if carrying people’s many beautiful wishes. Three thousand bright lanterns illuminate the night. 2. Water and Land Ancient City Gate It got its name because there was a wooden coiled dragon hung on the door to intimidate the State of Yue, and because it is "half land and half water, with a winding path". It is one of the eight city gates of the capital of the State of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period built by Wu Zixu. It is the only ancient city gate in the country that has been completely preserved with both land and water. Climbing up the Panmen Tower, you can overlook the scenery around Panmen. 3. Yuanmeng Market There are a series of small shops related to traditional Chinese style, such as paper-cutting, lanterns, tea making, Hanfu, sugar figurines, etc., and of course there are many delicious snacks. You don’t have to worry about not having a meal when you get tired or hungry while shopping in Panmen. 4. Ruiguang Pagoda Ruiguang Pagoda is a thousand-year-old pagoda from the Northern Song Dynasty. It is about 43 meters high and is a 7-story, 8-sided pavilion-style tower. It is the tallest building in the Panmen Scenic Area. Visitors can climb to the top and overlook the entire Panmen. 5. Wu Xiang Temple Wu Xiang Temple is very small, but there are free guzheng performances inside at night, and the girl plays it very beautifully! Travel and Transportation Guide Self-driving Navigation disk gate, there is a parking lot in the scenic area subway Take Line 4 or 5 to Exit 2 of Nanmen Station, cross the road and walk about 1 km towards Taihua West Building. ga bus You can take bus No. 970, 39, 305, 47, 935, 949, You 2, You 5 and get off at Panmen Station to reach the scenic spot. Tips: Although the activity of writing poems based on names in Wu Xiang Temple is free, and the poems are indeed very good, there is a charge for mounting the calligraphy and painting scrolls, and you can take the poems away only after mounting, so if you don’t want to spend more money, it is recommended that you don’t participate in this activity. The Panmen Lantern Festival is a great place to wear Hanfu and take photos, but Suzhou is also quite cold in winter, so if you go there wearing Hanfu, you must remember to keep warm. Panmen

🌸Opening: Are you tired of the hustle and bustle of the city, longing to find a pure land of the soul? Suzhou Panmen Scenic Area is that dreamy paradise. 🏰Overview of Panmen Scenic Area: Panmen, as the ancient gateway of Suzhou, carries countless stories and history. Every brick and tile here seems to be telling ancient love words. 🌸Recommended attractions: Ruiguang Tower: The Ruiguang Tower soars into the sky, and there is a different scenery on each floor. The Buddha's light in the tower is shining, making people feel peaceful. Standing on the top of the tower, you can see the whole Suzhou city, which is beautiful. Panmen City Wall: Walking along the city wall, it seems to have traveled to ancient times. Each brick is engraved with the mark of history, which makes people fall into thought. Wumen Bridge: The Wumen Bridge spans over the ancient city river, and the green waves under the bridge are rippling. Standing on the bridge and watching the sunset, the picture is simply beautiful to tears. 🍲Recommended local food: Coming to Suzhou, how can you not taste the authentic Su cuisine? Fish soup, squirrel mandarin fish, steamed bass, each dish is a feast on the tip of the tongue. 📸Photo shooting tips: In the Panmen Scenic Area, every place is an excellent background. It is recommended to use the ancient style filter, which perfectly blends with the scenery here. Stand under the Ruiguang Tower and take a long-legged photo, it will definitely blow up your friends circle! 🚌Traffic guide: Take the subway line 4 from Suzhou city area, and get off at Nanmen station to arrive. There are also several bus lines near the scenic area, making travel very convenient. Conclusion: In the Panmen Scenic Area, every breath seems to blend with history. There is not only beautiful scenery here, but also profound cultural heritage. Come to Suzhou, don't miss this romantic place for a thousand years!🌹