Tiger Hill Pagoda: Suzhou’s Top Scenic Spot

Tiger Hill is known as the number one scenic spot in Suzhou. In the Spring and Autumn period it was once the country retreat of King Helü of Wu. Later, during the war between Wu and Yue, Helü was badly wounded and died. His son Fu Chai buried him here. Three days after the burial people saw a white tiger crouching nearby, so the place was named Tiger Hill.

By the Tang and Song dynasties the name was changed to Wu Hill in order to avoid using the given name of Li Hu, the grandfather of Emperor Gaozu of Tang. In 845 during the Huichang Suppression of Buddhism the two temples on the east and west sides of Tiger Hill were heavily damaged. When Buddhism was later restored the two temples were merged into one and moved from the foot of the hill to the top. Suzhou is really quite similar to Hangzhou. The poet Bai Juyi also served as a local governor in Suzhou. Before you even reach the visitor center you already see a river. This is Shantang River. From the pier here you can take a boat straight to Shantang Street with many boatmen waiting for passengers.

Walk a little further and you arrive at the first main gate of the hill. From emperors Kangxi and Qianlong in the Qing dynasty to modern leaders like Deng Xiaoping, Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin many important figures have been here. Su Dongpo once wrote that if you come to Suzhou and do not visit Tiger Hill or pay respect at King Helü’s tomb you have missed two essential things. Look up and you see the red plaque with gold characters inscribed by Emperor Kangxi that reads Tiger Hill Chan Temple.

On the left side of the gate there is a stone tablet called The Imperial Ban on Dye Works at Tiger Hill. It is considered the earliest local regulation in China on protecting water quality. In the Qianlong era the textile industry in the area polluted the river. The local governor then issued an order banning dye works nearby to protect the waterways. This is the earliest known local law on water protection in China. The second gate is the Broken Beam Hall a wooden structure from the Yuan dynasty and one of the first sites in China to be listed as a key national cultural relic. It was built using traditional dougong brackets and cantilever beams. The main beam is actually made of two pieces of wood joined together and the entire hall uses no metal fasteners at all. It is a masterpiece of practical structural engineering.

Go higher and you come to Yongcui Mountain Villa which was initiated by Hong Jun a top scholar from Suzhou and one of China’s earliest diplomats. This is one of the few classical gardens in Suzhou without water. Not far away is Hanhan Spring. According to legend in the Liang dynasty there was a young monk with poor eyesight whose daily task was to fetch water. One day he was so tired he fell asleep here. In his dream an eminent monk told him there was a spring nearby. When he woke up he dug and dug and sure enough he found a spring. The water later cured his eyes.

There is a saying in China that above is heaven and below are Suzhou and Hangzhou. Hangzhou has the tomb of Su Xiaoxiao and here on Tiger Hill you find the tomb of Zhenniang. Both were famous courtesans. Zhenniang was praised as a fragrant soul and a great beauty. She only performed arts and refused to sell her body. A local bully kept harassing her and bribed the madam to force her. To preserve her chastity she chose death. It is a sad and all too familiar story and you can only hope that in another life she finds peace and happiness.