In the Spring and Autumn Period this area was ruled by the king of the state of WU. As the state grew in power, it moved its capital to the present site of Suzhou in560 BC known as the city of Wu. When prince HeLu succeeded to the thorn and became king of Wu, he ordered his Prime Minister WuZiXu to build an influential city for him to serve as his capital.
Then a large city was constructed which embraced the original old town in the middle of it .The fortified city had 16 gates 8water gates and 8 land gates with a double moat linked with the canals inside the city the streets were laid in parallel lines.
This huge project was completed about 516 BC and was then called the Great City of HeLu.
Although the city has gone through tremendous changes since then its boundaries have always remained the same and the remnants of the city walls now stand practically on the same foundations as built 2500 years ago . Because of this monumental work the king was remembered as the undisputed founder of Suzhou.After the death of king HeLu, his son king FuCai buried him on the hill which was previously his pleasant resort. A legend says that three days after the burial of king hello a fierce white tiger appeared crouching on the hill supposedly to guard the king’s final resting place.
Of course even in those days people didn’t quite believe a tiger hanging around. But anyway that is how the hill was first given the name of tiger hill.
In the late dynasties when more buildings were added to the hill and especially when the hill became the site of a monastery with a pagoda on the top of the hill, people began to compare the shape of the hill to that of a tiger.
They said that the first entrance building of the temple facing the canal looked like the head of a tiger with the two wells in front of it resembling the eyes, and the gentle slop of the hill was the back of the crouching animal and the pagoda on the hilltop the tiger `s tail sticking straight up.
Nowadays some people say the second temple entrance looks more like tiger’s head, the door is the mouth and the two circular windows are the eyes and the curve eaves are just like the ears.
As the burial place of the King of Wu tiger hill is associated with many stories and legends about the king. And with the elapse of time more stories grew up in the hill. There has been a lot of mention of the hill in the works of writer’s poets and celebrities of different times .The glories of its ancient history have made the hill an absolute must for all visitors to Suzhou
The great song dynasty poet SuDongPu once remarked to visitor Suzhou without seeing tiger hill would be a thing for regret.
In the opinion of many people to miss tiger hill is just as bad as missing Suzhou itself.
As the burial place of the King of Wu tiger hill is associated with many stories and legends about the king. And with the elapse of time more stories grew up in the hill. There has been a lot of mention of the hill in the works of writer’s poets and celebrities of different times .The glories of its ancient history have made the hill an absolute must for all visitors to Suzhou.
