Tiger Hill Suzhou China
The entrance to the park. Suzhou is filled with little canals and traditional-style boats.
Suzhou is one of the tourist hot spots in all of China and one of my favorite cities to walk around in and have some fun. Today, I went to visit Tiger Hill with its extremely old leaning pagoda, AKA the Chinese Leaning Tower of Pisa. Like all the parks in Suzhou, this park is a 10-minute taxi ride from the train station and is hugely popular with tourists. If you want to walk around without hundreds of people being there, you have to get there early.
Anytime you go somewhere in China, always expect that there will be a lot of people. There are no quiet days in China.
Most parks in Suzhou are really small, but this park is huge. I spent a few hours walking around here, just enjoying the fresh air. There is a lot to see in this park, with many ancient buildings, pagodas, and even some live performers. I really enjoyed the time I spent walking around here.
Traditional Chinese music is performed from this building in the park at different times of the day.
Traditional flute playing
This is the first park where I have seen traditional music played live, but I guess they only do this on weekends. There were fresh flowers everywhere, which I imagine takes a lot of effort for the park workers to set up each morning.
This was early in the morning, around about 8:30. Within another hour, this place was packed.
I love how they have not rebuilt the old structures. Older and broken is much better than rebuilt to look old.
The park is bigger than all the other parks in Suzhou combined.
I wish the weather was better while I was in the park but the Chinese grey smog was covering the sky all day. Shooting in weather like this never great for good photos but you cannot control the weather.
Nearing the top of the park is a temple. It was closed that day for renovation but it should be open soon again.
I have been in China for nearly 10 years now, but I still love ancient Chinese architecture.
The doorway to the pagoda.
Leading through this doorway is the main pagoda, which is the key attraction of this park. I had heard that the pagoda was ancient, but I honestly thought it was going to be another rebuilt pagoda made to look ancient. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong.
Chinese leaning pagoda
The pagoda is hugely popular, with people all around it. To get a good clean shot of the pagoda means being very patient and waiting for the tour groups to leave. I love the look of the pagoda. It looks old, feels old, and even smells old. It’s hard to describe what old smells like, but it has that distinctive scent. Unfortunately, no one can go up the pagoda anymore because it has started to lean a little too much, and it is no longer safe for people to go up.
Behind the pagoda is the beginning of another section of the park.
Behind the pagoda is a small tea farm surrounded by some small pavilions and gardens. This part of the park was much quieter, as most people come to see the pagoda and then leave to rush off to the next park. Trying to see everything in Suzhou in one day is crazy. You really should take your time and enjoy the sights.
Local tea farmers.
Small little waterfall inside the park. I wish I had an ND filter with me so I could shoot at a slower shutter speed though.
It was so peaceful here, I was so tempted to just pull out a book and read here all day.
I am always surprised when I find square or rectangular doorway in China.
After resting for a while at the back of the park, I decided it was time to go home. On my way out, I found a small museum and a little bonsai garden. I am not sure what the Chinese name for a bonsai garden is, but I am sure my Chinese friends will not like the fact that I am using the Japanese name for it.
Bonsai garden, does anyone know what this is called in Chinese?
Just in front of the museum
The entrance to the museum
The museum was small but had some interesting artifacts to see. But the lighting was terrible inside. I had no flash with me so I did not even shoot any shots.
The exit is also really pretty at this park. As you leave, you got to walk past this nice little water fall
small little waterfall next to the exit.
The last shot in the park.
I really enjoyed this park. It is very big, has so much to see, and once you get past the pagoda, it is very peaceful. If you come to Suzhou one day, this is one park that you cannot skip.
Shaun.