Jiangsu Province 江 苏 省 简 介 - Suzhou 苏州市 - Tiger Hill 虎丘

Outside Suzhou at Tiger Hill an ancient king of Wu Kingdom named He Lu阖闾in the late years of the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC) is said to have been buried some 2,500 years ago with his treasures such as three thousand famous swords, stores of gold and jade. One hundred thousand civilians were involved in the construction of the tomb. Elephants were used for transporting stones and earth. It took three years to complete the tomb. The tomb was built in secret and its entrance is still undiscovered. Legend relates that Emperor Qinshihuang and Sun Quan of Eastern Wu dispatched personnel to the Tiger Hill and chiseled to search for the tomb and its buried treasures but nothing was found. Later the place for chiseling became a deep pool, hence the name of Sword Pool.

The most famous scenic spot is Huqiu Pagoda, which was built on the top of the Tiger Hill over a thousand years ago. Construction of the pagoda began in 959 and was completed in 961. From the Southern Song Dynasty to1860 the pagoda caught fire on seven occasions. The top of the pagoda and eaves of the pagoda’s each storey were destroyed, only the brick structure remains. The 47-meter-high pagoda is tilting now at an angle of 2.48 degrees. It has become a kind of trademark of Suzhou. People can find its image on food packages, tickets and on local T-shirts. If the tourist stands on the hill and looks down at Jianchi (Sword Pond), s /he may feel a little frightened, though it is not very deep. The king’s tomb is at the bottom of the pond as well as two of his favourite swords, because the king was a sword collector when he was living. Romantic local people seem to have attached a legend to everything in Huqiu. Legend has it that the huge stone has been cut by a sword, another stone is said to be able to understand people reading Buddhist scriptures, and water from the hill seems to cure eye trouble.

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