The Leaning Pagoda of Suzhou

Last weekend we saw some of the sites of Suzhou. First we headed to Tiger Hill.  According to legend this is the burial site of King He Lu of the Wu Kingdom. King He Lu is regarded as the founder of Suzhou.  At the top Tiger Hill is the Yunyansi Temple, built in 961 A.D.  This temple is made entirely of brick and it is leaning about 3 degrees because two of its support columns are cracked. This temple is often called the leaning tower of China.

Here are a few pictures from our time at Tiger Hill.

The grounds of Tiger Hill were very pretty. There was a bonsai garden and a bamboo forest as well as some other out buildings before getting up to the temple.  There was also an option to ride a horse drawn carriage or a large golf cart up the hill for an extra fee.

 

Chinese people get rather excited when they see Baby O. It is not uncommon to be stared at or stopped so people can take pictures of him.  Our time at Tiger Hill was no different.  We saw this couple on the other side of the temple just before J took the picture of Baby O and I with the temple above.  They decided to follow us a little bit and then gestured that they wanted to take a picture with Baby O and I. What you can't see in this picture is that the Chinese baby doesn't have any pants on (this is a normal thing here). 

After Tiger Hill we headed to North Temple Pagoda (Beisi Pagoda).  This is a nine story pagoda that you are able to go in. There is a pretty good view, it would have been better if it had been a clearer day. The current pagoda was build during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it is on a historical site dating back 1,700 years. The pagoda was originally eleven stories tall, but had to be shortened because of damage to the top floors.

Here are a few pictures from our time at North Temple Pagoda.

(Our place is near the building above that looks like a pair of pants.)

(The leaning pagoda of Suzhou is in the center of this picture.)