Tiger Hill

Tiger Hill (Hu Qiu) is the most famous sight of Suzhou, with old trees and cultural relics everywhere-- the Sword Testing Stone, the Broken Beam Hall, the Thousand Men Rock, the Sword Pond, etc. The millennium-old Yunyan Pagoda, also known as the Leaning Tower, stands on top of the hill and is regarded as the symbol of Suzhou. "It's a pity of a lifetime if you have been to Suzhou but missed the Tiger Hill," said Su Shi, the Song Poet.

This is the smallest garden in Suzhou, only one tenth the size of Zhouzheng Yuan. It is so small, you might think that Tiger Hill is actually an artificial hill. It is 36 meters high and is set in a 20-hectare park. Near the top of the hill is the burial place of the founding father of Suzhou, King He Lu, who died in 600 B.C. It was said that a white tiger occasionally appeared to guard the tomb; hence the name for the hill.

The sword-testing stone is of great interest. It has a split within it, said to be cracked by He Lu, who tested all his swords on the stone. According to legend, the king was buried with 3,000 swords; 1,000 builders were killed after building the tomb so that the secret of the swords would not be revealed.

Another landmark is the Tiger Hill Pagoda. It has been leaning since its completion in 961 A.D. In the 20th century, it finally split and had to be re-stabilized. The tilt has now reached over two meters. Concrete piles have been driven into the ground around the pagoda in order to reinforce the foundation.

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