Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre(Moon Harbour)

One of Suzhou's major cultural landmarks, the Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre is a huge lakeside complex bringing together theatre, music, cinema and visual arts. Designed by renowned French architect Paul Andreu, its striking architecture draws inspiration from Suzhou's silk, pearls and classical gardens, with its sweeping metallic exterior becoming a distinctive feature of the Jinji Lake skyline.

Inside are the Grand Theatre, Jinji Lake Concert Hall, Suzhou Avenue Comedy Theatre, Suyi Cinema and Jinji Lake Art Museum, alongside smaller performance, exhibition and arts-education spaces. The centre is also home to the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra and Suzhou Ballet Theatre, with a programme ranging from international and Chinese touring theatre, musicals and ballet to orchestral concerts, comedy, exhibitions and film.

The centre also has a notable place in Chinese cinema history. Shortly after opening in 2007, it was a major venue for the China Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival, home of the Golden Rooster Awards — often described as China's equivalent of the Oscars. Its cinema subsequently became a permanent appraisal base for the Golden Rooster Awards. The complex continues to host major national cultural events, including the China Folk Literature and Art Shanhua Awards ceremony in 2026.