Tiger Hill Suzhou China
Entrance to the park. Suzhou is filled with little canals and traditional styled 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 pogoda, 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, so if you want to walk around with out hundreds of people being there, you got 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, many ancient buildings, pagodas and even some live performers. I really did enjoy the time that I got to walk around here.
Tradition Chinese music gets performance from this building in the park during different times of the day.
Traditional flute playing
This is the first park that I have seen traditional music played live, but I will guess they will only do this on the weekend. There were fresh flowers every where, which I guess takes a lot of effort for the park workers to setup each morning.
This was early in the morning, round about 8:30. With in 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 door way to the pagoda.
Leading though this door way is the main pagoda that is the key attraction to this park. I had heard that the pogada was ancient but I honestly though it was going to be another rebuilt to look ancient pagoda, but I was so 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 smells old. Hard to describe what old smells like, but it has that smell. Unfortunately, no one can go up the pagoda anymore. The pagoda has started to learn 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 little tea farm surrounded but some small pavilions and gardens. This part of the park was much quieter as most people come to see the pagoda and then they leave and 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 sites.
Local tea farmers.
Small little water fall inside the park. I wish I had a 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 door way 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 is the Chinese name for a bonsai garden 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 passed the pagoda, it is very peaceful. If you come to Suzhou one day, this is one park that you cannot skip.
Shaun.