The Tiger Hill lies about 3.5
kilometers to the northwest of Changmen Gate, Suzhou City. Known as the best
view of southern Jiangsu Province and northern Zhejiang Province, it was
originally called Haiyong (sea surge) Mountain, 36 meters high and covering some
20 hectares. The grave of He L¨¹, one of the five greatest kings during the Spring and Autumn Period
(770-476BC) is in the Tiger Hill; Qin Emperor Shihuang (249-210BC), the first
emperor of China, used to climb up onto the mountain for watching its fantastic
views; Xiang Yu (232-202BC), the ruler of west Chu state, gathered together his
troops to rebel against the Qin Dynasty (221-206BC) in the Tiger Hill; when Bai
Juyi (772-846), the famous poet of the Tang dynasty (618-907), once acted as the
prefecture governor of Suzhou City, he organized people to draw water through
the mountain and build a causeway so that the Tiger Hill became even more
beautiful. Ancient people believed the Tiger Hill had nine great scenes: moon,
snow, rain, fog, early spring, summer, fall, falling leaves, and sunset.
-- Duanliang Palace
The Duanliang Palace in the Tiger Hill has a
history of more than 600 years. It is characterized by the beam across the
middle roof, which is made of two unconnected wooden rods. That is the reason
the palace is called Duanliang (broken beam). Not a single nail can be found in
the construction of the palace, which is joined together all through
tenons.
-- Hanhan Spring
The spring is still clear and sweet after
over 1,000 years. It is said the spring water can cure eye illness.
-- Tiger Hill Tower
The tower has a history of more than 1,000
years, and now becomes a symbol of the ancient Suzhou City.
-- Shijian Stone
Shijian (sword testing) Stone is a huge
stone with a deep and long crack running through it. The neat crack looks like
being cut by a sharp sword. It is said that Gan Jiang (the husband) and Mo Ye
(the wife) who lived in the Wu state during the Spring and Autumn Period
(770-476BC) tested the male-female sword, which they later presented to He
L¨¹ (the King of Wu
State), on this stone, and cut the stone into two halves.
-- Sword Pool
The Sword Pool is the most
interesting place in the Tiger Hill. According to the records, King He
L¨¹ was buried under
the pool. It is called the Sword Pool because He L¨¹'s favorite golden sword was
buried together with him under the pool.
-- Yongcui Villa
It is a small park in the mountain, built in
the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Though it is not large, it is very elegant
and pretty.
-- Wanjing Villa
It is a park of bonsais, covering an area of
1.7 hectares with a construction area of 1,400 square meters. Bonsais here are
exquisite and delicate, and the rockery sheer and steepy. There are pine trees
and vines, partly covering those nice buildings. Water lilies are floating on a
pool of clear water while waterfalls can be heard singing graceful songs.