Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre and Yi'oulai Suzhou Village, two iconic buildings in SIP, were bathed in green lights on Mar 17 as one of tens of landmark buildings across the world joining Tourism Ireland's "Global Greening" initiative on St Patrick's Day that is celebrated annually on the day.

Beginning in Ireland as a religious feast day in the 17th century, St Patrick's Day has evolved into a variety of festivals across the globe to celebrate Irish culture. The "Global Greening" initiative, one of the festivities on the day, was launched 10 years ago by Tourism Ireland, the destination marketing body of Ireland, as a promotional drive to grow overseas tourism.

Among other landmarks that turned green for the day are the London Eye in the United Kingdom, the Empire State Building in the United States, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, and in China, the Canton Tower in Guangzhou, the Zhongyuan Tower in Zhengzhou, the Mercedes-benz Arena in Shanghai and the Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower in Hong Kong.