Photo adjustments
Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.
Explore the region
About Tiger Hill
The leaning Yunyan Temple Pagoda and Sword Pond are its defining features.
The pagoda dates to the Later Zhou period. Sword Pond is linked with traditions about King Helü, which should be read as the site’s historical legend rather than a demonstrated identification of the tomb. A visit works well when the architecture and landscape are given equal attention.
Tiger Hill takes its name from the Spring and Autumn period, when King Helü of Wu (阖闾) built a palace and was buried on the hill by his son Fuchai after dying of wounds in 496 BC. The Records of the Grand Historian (史记) states that about 100,000 laborers built the tomb and buried Helü with a bronze outer coffin and three thousand swords. According to local tradition, a white tiger appeared on the mound three days later, giving the hill its name.
In 327 the officials Wang Xun (王珣) and Wang Min (王珉) donated their villas to form Huqiu Shan Temple, divided into an East Temple (东寺) and a West Temple (西寺); a Buddhist pagoda was first built on the hill during the Southern and Northern Dynasties and was rebuilt twice more, in the Sui dynasty and late Five Dynasties. In 825 the governor Bai Juyi (白居易) cut the seven-li Shantang Canal (山塘河) from the hill to Changmen gate, lined with peach and plum trees.
The temple was destroyed by fire in 1860 during the Taiping Rebellion, and its halls were only partially restored from 1871, with further repairs on a reduced scale. Tiger Hill was named a provincial-level scenic area in 1996, a national AAAA-level tourist attraction in 2002, and a national 5A tourist attraction (国家5A级旅游景区) in 2010.
What to look for
- The leaning Yunyan Temple Pagoda is the hill’s principal architectural landmark.
- Sword Pond combines a dramatic rock setting with traditions about King Helü.
The surrounding area
A provincial city base for classical gardens, canals and soup-noodle breakfasts; do not confuse its old city with the distant North railway station.
Location & getting there
Getting to Tiger Hill
Approach the Tiger Hill scenic area in Suzhou’s Gusu district and follow the managed hill route to the pagoda and Sword Pond.
- Confirm the selected entrance and current internal access before departure.
Combine your visit
A suggested sequence through the source-confirmed features.
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Sword Pond
Explore the rock-and-water feature linked with traditions about King Helü.
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Yunyan Temple Pagoda
Compare the leaning historic tower with the lower landscape features.
The sequence is editorial. Check local access and connections between sectors; no walking time or same-ticket access is promised.
Find Tiger Hill
虎丘 · 苏州市
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
Lingering Garden留园
3 km awayThe Lingering Garden is divided into four themed sections linked by covered walkways. Its central garden gathers buildings around a pond and a yellow-stone grotto, while the eastern section focuses attention on a major viewing…
View guide →Hanshan Temple寒山寺
3 km awayHanshan Temple stands at Fengqiao west of Suzhou’s old city. Its association with Zhang Ji’s poem about a night mooring has made the temple bell and canal-side setting central to its identity.
View guide →The Garden of Cultivation艺圃
4 km awayThe Garden of Cultivation, or Yipu, places a central pond between northern buildings and a southern rock-and-tree landscape. Its relatively direct composition preserves the character of a scholar’s residential garden.
View guide →Sources & visit information
The sources below support the place-specific description and arrival information. Suggested combinations are editorial planning ideas; confirm current opening, entry arrangements and transport services for your date.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors, “虎丘” · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 83550411.
Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "虎丘", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 83550411.