Suzhou Planning Exhibition Hall

Suzhou Planning Exhibition Hall

The Suzhou Planning Exhibition Hall is situated on the eastern side of Changxu Road, adjacent to Wannian Bridge to the east, bordering Xujiang River to the south, and facing the city moat to the east. It comprises three sections: the Modern Pavilion, the Ancient Pavilion, and auxiliary riverside buildings. The site covers a total land area of 34,779 square meters, with a total building area of 19,868 square meters (including the civil air defense basement), and a total exhibition area of 6,650 square meters (of which the Modern Pavilion accounts for 5,433 square meters and the Ancient Pavilion for 1,217 square meters). The green coverage rate is 50.2%. Construction began in January 2003, and the 28th session of the World Heritage Committee was held here in June 2004. The hall officially opened to the public in May 2005.

The Suzhou Planning Exhibition Hall serves four main functions: exhibition and display, consultation and exchange, public education, and leisure tourism. It acts as a window for Suzhou to expand its international influence, communicate with the world, and showcase the city's culture and urban planning.

The ancient section mainly includes four parts: the city’s establishment during the Spring and Autumn Period, its prosperity in the Tang and Song Dynasties, its flourishing era in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and highlights of urban changes. Through exhibits such as the Pingjiang Map, the Prosperous Suzhou Painting, Shantang, Tiger Hill, traditional residences, historic and cultural towns, as well as bridges, pagodas, memorial archways, windows, halls, towers, stones, and plaques, it reflects Suzhou’s historical evolution and the unique features of an Eastern water town.

The modern and future sections primarily showcase the overall urban planning of Suzhou, as well as planning proposals for future urban development projects.

The exhibition mainly includes: the Introductory Hall, the Overall Planning Hall (main venue of the 28th World Heritage Committee), the District Planning Hall, the Specialized Planning Hall, the County (City) Planning Hall, the Planning Exhibition Hall, the Hall of Planning Milestones, the Planning Information Inquiry Center, the Dynamic Cinema, and a café. The planning exhibition covers the entire Suzhou administrative region (8,488 square kilometers), with a focus on the central urban area spanning 1,650 square kilometers. Building on traditional exhibition methods, the museum adopts innovative display modes, utilizing dynamic visual equipment, convenient guidance systems, multimedia high-tech tools, along with graphics, photos, and models. It vividly presents ancient Suzhou as the capital of the Spring and Autumn Period, a renowned city of the Tang and Song Dynasties, a commercial hub of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and an Eastern water town—displaying its urban planning, historical changes, and cityscape. It also comprehensively showcases contemporary Suzhou’s major achievements in protecting the ancient city, developing new districts, and constructing industrial parks, as well as the planning and construction outcomes of its five counties and cities, along with the ambitious blueprint for Suzhou’s future planning and development.

Transportation Guide

Address: No. 32 Changxu Road, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province (at the intersection with Sanxiang Road)

Transportation: Within Suzhou, take bus routes 7, 51, 70, 200, 300, 522, 921, or Night Route 5, and get off at Xumen Station.