A solo trip - Suzhou 4 (Tiger Hill)

Probably because of the uneventful visit to the Humble Administrator’s Garden the day before, I didn’t have much interest in the trip to Suzhou. After getting up in the morning, I took the bus directly to Huqiu without eating breakfast. The transportation in Suzhou is relatively developed. Basically, I have a seat whenever I take the bus within two days. The "Wu Nong's soft words" when announcing the station are very nice! When I took the subway to Jinji Lake, it was rare to experience the comfortable feeling of an empty subway car, which was not crowded at all (maybe the time I took was not during rush hour).

It wasn’t until I left Tiger Hill that I regretted why I came to visit without breakfast. One battery in the camera was enough for a day in the Humble Administrator's Garden. I didn't expect there to be so many beautiful scenery in Tiger Hill. I almost ran out of two camera batteries before I remembered that I hadn't gone to Jinshan Temple yet.

Tiger Hill is known as the first scenic spot and the first mountain in Wuzhong. The great writer Su Dongpo once said: It would be a pity not to visit Tiger Hill in Suzhou! This sentence has almost become the best promotional slogan for Huqiu. I have to say that Tiger Hill is my favorite place during my two-day trip to Suzhou.

It is said in Huqiu Mountain that King Wu Fu Chai buried his father Helu here. Three days after the burial, a white tiger sat on it, so it was named Huqiu Mountain.

There is a free audio guide in Huqiu. If you want to know more about history, you may want to give it a try. Although there are still many tourists after the Golden Week, this situation has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that you can follow the tour group and listen to the tour guide's passionate tour speech. The disadvantage is that when there are many people, it is difficult to take a panoramic photo of the uninhabited scenery.

Many views require waiting. If you encounter a place where tourist groups gather, it is better to go around it first. Either the waiting time will be long or the photos will show that it is full of people.

The most suitable camera for me is a point-and-shoot camera. The camera I have is a Fuji F60 I bought in 2009. It has long been out of date. The wide-angle focusing and photometry all drive me crazy, but the overall quality is still the same. Better than the crappy pixel phone I have. All photos are original and have not been restored.

The first time I saw the appearance of the Duanliang Hall, I felt an inexplicable sense of joy. The tourists nearby were also shouting: Is this the small temple where Sun Wukong became in Journey to the West? Everyone agreed: Yes, yes...

According to reports, Yongcui Villa is the only waterless garden in Suzhou (but why can’t I feel the smell of the garden?) The four blue stone characters at the door read "Dragon" , tiger, leopard, bear”. Almost no one goes to this attraction, in fact it is right next to the main tourist route. This is one of the disadvantages of group tours. In scenic spots, tour guides will only lead tourists to see popular and mainstream attractions, while tour guides will not go to some remote and smaller places. Even if there is free time, tourists do not dare to leave too far for fear of passing the gathering time. Therefore, it is beneficial for me to choose to take charge of my two-day itinerary in Suzhou. In the Humble Administrator's Garden and Tiger Hill, I often go to some inaccessible places, where I can watch and take photos quietly without being disturbed.

The sword test stone is said to be the place where the general Mo Xie tried his sword.

Xianghun is the tomb of Gu Zhenniang, who is said to be a brothel girl as famous as the famous prostitute Su Xiaoxiao.

Almost no tourists gathered here. When I stepped into the palace gate, I felt like I had entered a place where martial arts competitions were held in the martial arts world. It was antique.

This is one of the most crowded places in the scenic spot. Behind it is Jianchi, and you need to queue up if you want to take pictures. The words "Huqiu" and "Jianchi" were not written by the same person, and the difference can be clearly seen. The original four characters "Huqiu Jianchi" were written by Yan Zhenqing, a calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. Later, the word "Huqiu" gradually became blurred over time. It was copied and carved by Zhang Zhongyu, a stone engraver of the Ming Dynasty, but it no longer retains its original style.

Below the word "Jianchi" is the pool of water. I originally wanted to take a panoramic picture, but looking at the crowd of tourists, I decided not to fit in this small place. It is said that the Jianchi does not dry out all year round and is so clear that you can drink from it. But that was in the past, I believe it. Nowadays, people have witnessed the destruction of environmental resources. Even household water is unsafe. The water of this small natural sword pool has no chance of being clear.

It is not far from the entrance and has scheduled performances every day. If you come here at the right time, you might as well stop for a while. I feel that the stage performance at the training ground is not as good as the temple fair parade around ten o'clock. The two times are about the same, so the time to arrive at Tiger Hill for the tour is around 9:30 in the morning. If you arrive early, you won’t want to walk back when you reach the back mountain.

Wanjing Villa is an antique architectural garden built in 1982 on the site of the original Dongshan Temple. It brings together the essence of Supai bonsai. There are few tourists here, so friends who like bonsai can feast their eyes here.

The deep green moss is growing higher and higher, and under the slowly rising eaves is a stone staircase. There are no tourists from tour groups here, and it is also a quiet place. When I went up to the main hall, there was a side door. I was wondering if there was a young monk who slipped down the mountain from here in the middle of the night?

The legend of the Door of Liberation is that all troubles that pass through this door will be liberated and disappear. Of course no one believes this.

One of the most beautiful scenery in Tiger Hill is the lotus in the water, the small pavilion next to it and the green trees.

Walking along the winding stone road on the water into this elegant courtyard, you should feel extremely comfortable staying here for a few days, right?

The green water plants in the courtyard contrast with the white courtyard walls.

Not far away is the stone bench in the pavilion. It is a great joy in life for three or five friends to make a pot of fragrant tea, chant poems and write poems to each other here!

As the carriage drove slowly along this beautiful path, I seemed to see in my mind the interesting stories of the ancient princes and bookboys who came to Beijing to take exams...

I don’t know what this is. Are the green tiles on the wall a characteristic of Jiangnan? This simple color combination makes people abandon worldly worries in an instant and immerse themselves in the old time...

The Tiger Hill Pagoda is also known as the Yunyan Temple Pagoda. It is the second leaning tower in the world. Since the Ming Dynasty, due to geological reasons, the tower has tilted to the northwest. The center of the tower's top is 2.3 meters away from the bottom, and it is now known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the East.

In 1956, ancient architectural experts used iron hoop grouting to strengthen and repair the building before it was preserved.

Zhishuang Pavilion is the tallest building in Huqiu Mountain. Just by looking at the name, you can tell how refreshing it would be to sit in the pavilion at this height and face the breeze blowing from the mountain!

After spending half a day in Huqiu, I still feel that I still don’t have enough time. In fact, if you have enough travel time, find a scenic tour guide with a radio headset. Under the professional explanation of the tour guide, you can experience the history and time zone of each place in detail. It is a memory worth having for modern people to think about...

After leaving Huqiu, there is Shantang Street. In the afternoon, I will go to the last stop in Suzhou - Hanshan Temple.

The song "Night Mooring at Maple Bridge" has touched the hearts of many people. Seeing it is better than hearing it a hundred times. What is Hanshan Temple like?