Gate to the East, Postmodern skyscraper in Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou, China
Gate to the East is a postmodern skyscraper in Suzhou rising 302 meters high with 68 floors above ground and 5 basement levels beneath. The building holds extensive commercial space and features modern elevator systems connecting different sections of this high-rise structure.
Construction began in 2004, but work was delayed until 2008; completion was first expected in 2013, then pushed to 2015 because the domed top was hard to build, and the building was finished in 2016 at a cost of $700 million. Developer Qianning Real Estate later sold 51% of its shares to Golden Eagle Retail Group for 1.286 billion yuan.
The building's shape, two legs joined by a curved top, has been mocked by Chinese netizens and Western media as resembling a pair of trousers, prompting many internet parodies. Its name, Gate to the East, states the gateway role its designers intended for Suzhou's modern district.
The building stands where the old city's east-west axis meets the west bank of Jinji Lake, in the China–Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park. Suzhou Metro Line 1 and Line 3 run beneath it, with Dongfangzhimen Station and its exits beside the towers. The top-floor garden and observation deck were still unopened as of 2018, and the mall was still seeking tenants at the end of that year.
The two legs rise straight and join at the top in a curved section, leaving a pointed-arch opening through the middle; Chinese netizens and Western media have mocked the shape as a pair of trousers, prompting many internet parodies. The developer later sold 51% of the equity to Golden Eagle Retail Group for 1.286 billion yuan.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,904 contributors worldwide.
