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Tiger Hill
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 Tiger Hill(Huqiu), lies in the 3.5 kilometers northwest of Suzhou, the "first scenic spot in the State of Wu". This is where the King of Wu, He Lu (? - 496 B.C.), enjoyed himself during his lifetime and was buried after his death. A legend said that three days after He Lu was buried, people saw a white tiger crouching on his tomb, so the hill was named Tiger Hill. Only over thirty meters high, the small hill is outstanding, with towering ancient trees and a thousand-year-old pagoda. Sites include Broken Beam Hall (Duanliangdian), Leisurely Spring (Hanhanquan), Testing Sword Rock (Shijianshi), and Cloud Rock Temple Pagoda (Yunyansita) (also called Huqiu Pagoda). Competed in 961, the seven-storied octagonal pagoda is fifty-four meters and built entirely of bricks. Its architectural style is similar wiht the Leifeng Pagoda in Hangzhou. The Wanjing Villa (Wanjing Shanzhuang) is one of Huqiu's best attractions. Wanjing Villa is a garden of potted landscapes and "bonzai-style" shrubs, covering an area of about 1700 square meters. Some are the potted landscapes are veyr small and some are not potted at all, but are small displays set up like miniature Suzhou gardens. All are intended to evoke images of marvelous mountain and forest scenery in the viewer's mind. |
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