As one of the first 24 national historical and cultural cities, Suzhou is home to 881 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 Pingjiang, Humble Administrator's Garden, Garden of Harmony, Shantang and Changmen, and a number of scenic spots and historic sites.
Pingjiang Historical Neighborhood and Shantang Historical Neighborhood are awarded Chinese Historical Cultural Street and the and the Most Popular Street of Tourism, History and Culture in China respectively.
A special protection plan of historical and cultural cities (2035) has been compiled. Old city protection projects including Pingjiang historical neighborhood, etc. have been in progress.
In 2018, Suzhou won the title of World Heritage Model City by the organization of World Heritage Cities
