It may take you days or weeks to visit all scenic spots in Suzhou full of Chinese traditional cultures. You should choose some of them if your time, energy, or money is limited.

Located on the Yuelun Hill besides Qiantang River, Six Harnonies Pagoda was built by King of Wuyu to ward off Qiantang bore. As high as 59.89 meters, this grand pagoda has 7 sides and 8 stories. Looked down from the top, all Qiantang River beauty is birdviewed. Now near Six Harnonies Pagoda, a Garden of Chines Ancient Pagodas with more than 100 pagodas and towers in various dynasties has been constructed to display Chines pagida culture integratedly.

Located in Dinghui Temple on Dacishan on the south side of the West Lake, Tiger Spring is spring-oriented scenic spot, whose themes are“spring”-to view, to listen, to taste, and to try the spring. It is also a humanity attraction that features the legends of Xingkong, Jigong, and Hongyi rabbi. The folk legend says that the master Xingkong of Tang Dynasty once traveled here. He found the scenery here very beautiful but there was no springs, so he decided to leave. And then an immortal told him that in no time two tigers would dig a spring here. The next day, it was true that two tigers dug a spring whose water was clean and sweet. From then on, Dragon Well Tea and Tiger Spring are termed as Two Best Items of the West Lake.

Viewing Fish in the Flowery Pond is on a small peninsula between Xilihu and Xiaonanhu on the west side of southern section of Su Causeway. It is a large scale park occupay a total area of more than 20 hectares and is divided into the five scenery zones of Red Fish Pond, Peony Garden, Flowery Pond, Grand Meadow and Dense Forest. The Red Fish Pond, in the center( slightly in the south), is the focal area for sightseeing. On its west side is the Poeny Garden built with peculiar craftsmanship with uplifted lands. The highest land is where the Peony Pavilion is standing. Hundreds of peonies, divided into more than ten sections, are growing around this pavilion.

On the south of Longjing (Dragon Well) and 10 kilometers away from the West Lake, Nine Creeks and Eighteen Gullies is a beautiful and quiet scene of waters in mountains with creeks as the theme and mountains and trees as the background. It originates from Yangjiawu of Yangmeiling Mountain and the successively integrates the streamlets from Qingwan, Hongfa, Fangjia, Baizhang, Tangjia, Foshi, Yunxi, Zhutou and Xiaokang into creeks and flow into Qiantang River through Xucun.

Occupying a total area of 21 hectares, Park of Orioles Singing in the Willows is on the southeast lakeside. After 40 years’constant development and construction, the previous imperial garden now turns out to be a fairyland for common people. What is unchanged is its keynote set by green willows and pleasant orioles singing. In the center of the park stands Listening to Orioles Hall and near this hall, a huge net cage or Hundred Birds Paradise is established. On the east of this hall, lawns and dense forests constitute Friendship Garden scenery area. On the west of this hall is a grand lawn that came into being with marshes were filled up with soil during the reconstruction of this scenic spot.

Also called Lingshan Hill Cave, this scenic spot has a history of more than 1,500 years. Unlike other caves, this cave of 4,000 square meters is silo-styled, with a distance of 109 meters from the top to the bottom. It has five sections: Kylin Welcoming Guests, World at Cave Water Bottom, Comparable to Kunlun, Heavenly Poles Hall and Huge Clouds Basin. The stalactites hold thousands of shapes: they look very like flowers, fruits, birds, beasts, a celestial being lying on his stomach, running tigers or hares. The most spectacular are the scenes of Beautiful Silk and Satin, Opening Place, and Swift Waterfall of Jade Lotus.

Three Caves at Rosy Cloud- Stone House Cave, namely, Water Music Cave and Rosy Cloud Cave, are located on Rosy Cloud Hill below Southern Peak. Next to the main cave is another cave called Strange Stone Courtyard. Wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, this cave is shaped like a floating conch. Hence the name of Floating Conch on the Sea. 500 meters in front of Stone House Cave is Water Music Cave, 60 meters deep. The gurgling stream that meanders at the entrance produces pleasant music. 500 meters away from Water Music Cave is Rosy Cloud Cave whose inside walls are carved with sculptures dating back into Five Dynasties Period. These sculptures bear vivid and expressive images.

Nanping Hill lies along the south bank of West Lake. It is no more than 100 meters high, but it stretches as long as over 1,000 meters. The hill stones bear strange shapes, yet very pleasant to see together with the green trees. Jingci Temple, Xingjiao Temple, and other medium-sized and small temples nearby constitute another Buddhist temple community above the Lake besides Lingyin and Tianzhu. With its bell ringing in mornings and evenings, Buddhist scripture reading, incense burning, and red candle lighting, Nanping Hill gets another name of Hill of Buddhist Kingdom.

12 meters long and 9 meters wide, Jade Spring has no definite source from which it issues out. Hundreds of fishes thrive on the spring and their length is several chi and weight tens of jin. As one of the three famous springs of the West Lake, Jade Spring has been a place of interest for drinking tea and viewing scenery. Upon entrance into the newly rebuilt spot, we can see a huge window frame. A huge lake stone and many bamboos can be seen in the courtyard behind the frame. Hence, a natural painting of bamboos and stone. The courtyards are connected by winding corridors and separated by painted walls.

This islet, also called Lesser Yingzhou, together with Mid-Lake Pavilion and Ruan Gong Islet, are referred as Three Islets in Lake. The three islets including the water areas in between occupy a total area of 7 hectares. Three small gourd-shaped stone pagodas (three pools) were constructed in Outer Lake. In early Qing Dynasty, more construction was made on this islet: winding bridges and halls. Hibiscus were planted along the inner side. Peng Yulin, a retired general during Guangxu’s rule in Qing Dynasty, built his private mansion. Thereafter, Lesser Yingzhou first took its shape and splendor. 

Feilaifeng, or Peak Flying from Afar, is a must-go scenic spot in the beutiful city, Hangzhou. The front hall of Linglin Temple is called Heavenly Guardian Hall and outside it is Cool Spring. The Grotto Carvings of Peak Flying from Afar is an ancient grotto art treasure, rarely seen in Yangtze South, and it can compete with Dazu Stone Carvings in Sichuan Province. Legends say 1600 years ago, an Indian monk came to Hangzhou and found the hills and peaks enchanting and thought it would be a perfect retreat of the soul. So he built a temple here and named it Monastery of the Soul’s Retreat (Linyin).

Solitary Hill stands alone at the northwest of West Lake, surrounded by water on its four sides. It is not high, but still the best place to view West Lake. It itself is both a scenic spot and integration of culture. Wen Lan Ge, West Lake's Scenery under Heaven, Zhejiang Provincial Museum, and Zhongshan Park are on its southern side; Xiling Seal-engravers’Society on its west top; Qiu Jin’s Tomb on its west side; Crane Pavilion on its northeast side.

Located on the northwest side of Yuehu Lake, Yue Fei’s Temple was first built in 1221 to commemorate Yue Fei, the national hero in Southern Song Dynasty. It includes King Yue’s Temple, Loyalty Temple and Yue Fei’s Mausoleum inside. The stature of Yue Fei is inside King Yue’s Temple, and right above the statue hangs a plaque inscribed in Yue’s calligraphy“Recover Our Lost Territories”.

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