A number of projects were launched in SIP on January 3, and among the projects, four are in the Jinji Lake Right Bank Zone (Cultural Corridor by the Water), a zone with a land area of 635,000 square meters along the about 3,860-meter shore of Jinji Lake.

The zone consists of the northern part, featuring fashion and culture; the central part with a number of landmark projects; and the southern part for leisure and recreation.

The Suzhou Central Plaza will be built by Sungent Group, an SIP-based multi-business conglomerate, and Hongkong Land, a property investment, management and development group with commercial and residential property interests across Asia.

The commercial complex will cover a land area of 48,000 square meters, and the total floor area will be 190,000 square meters. After it comes into operation in mid-2026, it will be home to a host of luxury brands and high-end retail stores.

A Mandarin Oriental hotel will be set up by Sungent and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, a member of Jardine Matheson, a Fortune 500 company. With a total floor area of 48,000 square meters, it is being positioned as a “small but exquisite high-end deluxe hotel”. The project is set to be completed in 2025.

The Suzhou Contemporary Art Museum, with a land area of 49,000 square meters, will be built by Sungent Harmony, a real estate and investment arm of Sungent Group, and managed by the SIP Culture, Sports and Tourism Office. Its design will borrow elements from Suzhou’s classical gardens, and it will serve as the permanent venue of the Suzhou Jinji Lake Biennale after its completion in 2024.

The fourth project is to renovate the Ferris wheel at Jinji Lake. It will be 128 meters tall, and equipped with 28 rotary capsules. The project is expected to be completed in December 2024.