Tiger Hill [Suzhou]

Tiger Hill is a hill and a temple and a tomb. It is where Suzhou's history come from. It is an important place for suzhou and the end of 10 miles Shangtang street. It is the tomb for the great king GouJian of Wu whose captial was Suzhou. The place is full of legends and you should know the story before you go there. The old Wu kindom (Suzhou) and the old Yue kindom (Zhejiang) were emenies. Goujian is a very strong king and he beat Yue kindom badly. But Yue king sent a very beautiful woman (maybe the most beautiful women in history) to him and GouJian loved the woman so much and lost his interests in the kingdom. Finally, he was beaten by Yue king and got killed. Nevertheless, he is still considered the greatest king of Wu and the beautiful woman is still honored and admired by Suzhouness although she is the cause of the fallen of Wu kingdom. Hu Qiu is most famous for its tower. The tower has a different shape to all the other Chinese towers. It is probably because the tower is thousand of years old. It is said that the great king burried his father under the tower. Since the king is regarded almost like the father of Suzhou, the tower is really the symbol of Suzhou.What's more interesting is that the tower is leaning just as Pizza tower in Italy which makes it more special.

A famous Song Dynasty poet, Su Shi said, 'It is a lifelong pity if having visited Suzhou you did not visit Tiger Hill.' Tiger Hill, known also as Surging Sea Hill, is a large hillock covering some14100 square metres and is 36 metres in height. Climbing the hill, there are historical sites some of which can be traced back over 2500 years to the founding of Suzhou. Tiger Hill Pagoda stands on the hill's summit and is the Pagoda of the Yunyan Temple. As the oldest pagoda in the vicinity of Suzhou it has come to be a symbol of the city and has the distinction of being China's Leaning Tower. Built during the Northern Song Dynasty (959-961) it is a seven-storey octahedron after the style of the timber pagodas built during the early Tang period. It is 48 metres high and for the past four hundred years has leant to the northwest.

Tiger Hill, known also as Surging Sea Hill, is a large hillock covering some14100 square metres (over three acres) and is 36 metres (118 feet) in height. Climbing the hill, you will find a number of historical sites some of which can be traced back over 2500 years to the founding of Suzhou. Although the hill is relatively small it has rich history with a leaning pagoda. This pagoda stands on the hill's summit and is the Pagoda of the Yunyan Temple. As the oldest pagoda in the vicinity of Suzhou it has come to be a symbol of the city and has the distinction of being China's Leaning Tower. Built during the Northern Song Dynasty (959-961) it is a seven-storey octahedron after the style of the timber pagodas built during the early Tang period. It is 48 metres high (158 feet) and for the past four hundred years has leant 3°59’ to the northwest.

It has an ancient history of more than 2,400 years. The surroundings is planted with trees & flowers & crystal clear rivers flowing between. A place with many hidden secrets & legends. Do not forget to explore the many historical spots or monuments here. Ask your tour guide for a detailed explanation & you will be fascinated by its stories. There's a raised platform at the side staircase of the pagoda, which provides you the perfect vantage point to capture the complete view of The Tiger Hill Pagoda. Ideal as your photo backdrop too. Look out for it ! In October, it is the Golden Autumn Tourist Month. There are local celebrations & fair in Tiger Hill. Entrance ticket priced at RMB30.

This a very popular tourist destination, a few km outside of downtown Suzhou on a hill slope. There are cultural procession and performances and so if you stay long enough you will be able to enjoy them as they are repeated throughout the day. Their music and colorful costumes and the enthusiasm of the performers add color to this "tomb". Apparently, there is no attempt yet to open the tomb for fear that there is a bobby trap that will result in the collapse of the entire hill. Legend has it that the architect and all the builders of the tomb were given a feast after completion and poisoned so that their secrets of the tomb would never be known. ' So it was a nice climb up the hill but a bit ghastly after hearing that many innocent people have been killed by the King who built it.