As one of the first 24 national historical and cultural cities, Suzhou is home to 884 cultural relic protection sites, among which 61 are at the national level and 128 are at the provincial level. The ancient city area boasts five historical neighborhoods including Changmen, Garden of Harmony,Pingjiang Road, Humble Administrator's Garden and Shantang, and a number of scenic spots and historic sites.
Pingjiang Historical Neighborhood and Shantang Historical Neighborhood are awarded Chinese Historical Cultural Street and the Most Popular Street of Tourism, History and Culture in China respectively.
Suzhou finished the compilation of the special plan for the protection of famous historical and cultural cities (2035). Concrete measures have been taken in protecting the ancient city proper such as the demonstration project in the Pingjiang neighborhood.
