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Tiger Hill

Tiger Hill Park is simply one of Suzhou's greatest attractions! Within the park walls, there are lots of great sights, filled with history and legend. All in all, this is great place for a picnic or an afternoon of exploring.

Tiger Hill (Huqiu) is the final resting place of the ruler of ancient Suzhou, He Lu. The area was named Tiger Hill after a tiger was seen lying on He Lu's tomb. One of Tiger Hill's most famous spots is Sword Pond (Jianchi). He Lu was a famous warrior and sword collector and the Sword Pond is said to hold He Lu's treasured swords in its watery depths.

Tiger Hill also houses the Yunyan Pagoda, that has been leaning since the before the Qing Dynasty. Today this 1000-year-old (from the Sui Dynasty) pagoda has become a symbol of Suzhou.

Last, but certainly not least, the Wanjing Villa (Wanjing Shanzhuang) is simply 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 quite 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.

It's best to take a full afternoon to explore this wonderful historic park.