Tiger Hill

虎丘

“The Foremost Scenic Spot in Wuzhong,” with a thousand-year-old leaning pagoda, the Cloud Rock Temple Pagoda, Sword Pond and the Thousand-Person Rock. Su Dongpo said that “not visiting Tiger Hill when in Suzhou is a true regret.”

Tiger Hill lies about 3.5 km northwest of the Old Town of Suzhou. It stands just 34 m high but has a history of 2,500 years. Legend says that King Fuchai of Wu buried his father, King Helü, here, and that a white tiger was seen crouching on the hill three days after the burial, which gave the hill its name. It is known as “the Foremost Scenic Spot in Wuzhong.” Highlights include the Yunyan Temple Pagoda at the summit, built in the Later Zhou dynasty of the Five Dynasties period (959–961). This seven-story octagonal brick pagoda has leaned since the Ming dynasty because of uneven foundations. Its top is 2.3 m off center. It is China's earliest leaning pagoda and was built 200 years before the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It is a National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit. Sword Pond is enclosed by cliffs that look as if they were cut with a blade. Legend says King Helü's tomb and three thousand swords are hidden beneath the pond. Inscriptions on the cliff walls read “Tiger Hill Sword Pond” and “Wind Gorge, Cloud Spring.” Thousand-Person Rock is where the Jin-dynasty monk Zhu Daosheng lectured on Buddhist scriptures. Other sites include Hanhan Spring, Sword-Testing Stone, Zhen Niang's Tomb, Erxian Pavilion, Yongcui Villa (a garden built into the hillside) and the Suzhou-style bonsai garden at Wanjing Villa. Every spring the Tiger Hill Flower Fair is held, and in autumn (September–October) the Tiger Hill Temple Fair features folk performances. Tickets cost 70 yuan in peak season and 60 yuan off-season. Book through the official WeChat account. Electric shuttle buses and guided tours are available. Getting there: take Metro Line 2 to Shantang Street Station, then transfer to Bus No. 1 to the hill. Alternatively, take a boat from Shantang Street to Tiger Hill (about 1 hour, extra fee). A taxi from the Old Town takes about 20 minutes. Allow 2 hours in the morning, then return to the Old Town along the Seven-Li Shantang Street. Note: the mountain paths are paved with many stone steps that get slippery when wet. The leaning pagoda cannot be climbed.

Tiger Hill

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