The Gate to the East, also known as the Gate of the Orient, () is the second tallest building in
Suzhou
Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trade ...
,
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
behind
Suzhou IFS. It is intended to be a symbol of a gateway to the city which emphasizes the city's continuing significance in modern China. With a height of , the building is located in the heart of Suzhou's
China–Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park
The China–Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park (), or Suzhou Industrial Park for short, abbreviated as SIP, is a county-level administrative area located in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. The industrial park was established in February 1994, as part of th ...
(SIP) district. Construction began in 2004 and was completed in 2016 at a cost of $700 million
USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
. Its location precisely indicates the intersection of the historical east-west-axis of Suzhou Old Town with the west bank of
Jinji Lake
Jinji Lake (, literally Golden Rooster Lake) is a fresh water lake located in the central part of Suzhou Industrial Park, Jiangsu, China. It occupies an area of and its average depth is about . There are two man-made islands in the lake.
Touri ...
.
Criticism
Though its design was intended to evoke a gateway, the Gate to the East has been subjected to mockery by many Chinese netizens and western mass media as well, as "resembling a pair of trousers".
The landmark has thus led to a slew of internet parodies.
Transport
*
Suzhou Rail Transit
Suzhou Rail Transit, also known as Suzhou Metro, is a rapid transit system serving the city of Suzhou, in Jiangsu Province, China. Line 1 began operation on April 28, 2012. Line 2 opened on December 28, 2013. A further three lines, and an extensi ...
: at
Dongfangzhimen Station
Dongfangzhimen Station (, literally Gate to the East Station) is a station of Line 1 and Line 3 of Suzhou Rail Transit. The station is located in Suzhou Industrial Park of Suzhou
Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), ...
See also
*
Architecture of China
*
List of tallest buildings in China
China has the largest number of tall buildings in the world, surpassing that of the top eleven largest, the United States (850+), United Arab Emirates (310+), South Korea (270+), Japan (270+), Malaysia (260+), India (220+), Australia (140+), Indo ...
*
Suzhou Zhongnan Center
*
CCTV Headquarters
The CCTV Headquarters serves as the headquarters for China Central Television (CCTV) formerly located at the old China Central Television Building some to the west. Feted by architecture critics as perhaps "the greatest work of architectu ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gate to the East
Buildings and structures completed in 2014
Landmarks in China
Skyscrapers in Suzhou
Suzhou Industrial Park
Towers in China
Skyscraper office buildings in China