S uzhou is located in the south of Jiangsu province, some 50 miles west of Shanghai, along the old Grand Canal. The city has been famous for its gardens for many centuries. According to a Chinese proverb says:I n heaven there is paradise. On earth there are Suzhou and Hangzhou . Suzhou has also long been noted for its beautiful women. The city is dotted with lakes and ponds connected by a spider's web of canals . And all the canals are lined with whitewashed houses with gray-tiled roofs.
Tiger Hill, or Hu Qiu, a few miles northwest of the town, is very popular among visitors. It is supposedly the burial place of the King of Wu.
Two different reasons are given for the name of the hill. One is that the entrance gate resembles the mouth of a tiger, and the pagoda on the top of the hill its tail. The other is that when the King of Wu was buried on top of the hill, a tiger is said to have appeared there.
On top of the hill is an imposing structure--the pagoda of the Yun Yan (Cloud Rock) Temple built in 961. It is listed as one of the special historical sites under State protection. The temple courtyard is the highest point on the hill and commands a g rand view.
The Humble Administrator's garden is widely recognized as one of the finest classical gardens, not only in Suzhou, but in all of China. Much larger than many other gardens, it creates a beautiful and fascinating world inside its arrangements of pavilions, islands, bridges and walkways, all accentuated with appropriate trees and flowers. The garden's original builder had somewhat high aesthetic standards than ethical ones - his career in the imperial administration came to an early end after he was convicted of corruption. The name of the garden echoes a line of a classic poem to express that he is no longer manages government affairs, but the plants and flowers of a small garden. The self-deprecating name is a marked contrast with the garden's size, complexity, and elegance. Like most gardens, it includes a series of buildings which were once the mansion of the owner, and which have now been converted into a museum of the development and style of Jiangsu gardens.
But the real highlight of the garden is area around the main lake, and the array of pavilions and bridges and islands that interlace it.