英语导游讲苏州虎丘塔，附最佳拍照打卡机位

• Two thousand years ago, the ancient Wu Kingdom produced remarkable swords.
• A monk named Han Han discovered a spring through perseverance.
• The Tiger Hill Pagoda is a famous leaning tower, older than the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
• Restoration efforts have stabilized this historical tower.
• Unique photo opportunities await visitors to the pagoda.
• Experience Suzhou firsthand for an unforgettable journey.

Two thousand years ago, the ancient Wu Kingdom was already able to produce swords that could slice through rocks like hot knives through butter. Seriously? Keep watching to find out.

But let's first start with this rock and also the well next to it: the Han Han spring. So around 1500 years ago, a monk named Han Han discovered moss here. He thought there must be water underground. And thus he started to dig and dig and dig. But this being a rocky hill, no one believed there was any water around. The locals even mocked him by saying, “You really are a Han Han if you can find water here, alternate cold and safeguard your spring forever.”

And just as he said that, the ground starts gurgling. Water spewed from the hole and it turned into this toad-like stone. Who's the Hind Han now? The moral of the story is to think twice next time you want to mock someone.

There's another pretty cool rock up there. Let's go take a look. See that slit in the sword-testing rock? Legend has it that the cleft was left when Koli swung a sword at the rock to test the blade's sharpness. It must have felt like running hot knife through butter.

Who forged such an incredible sword? Two swordsmiths, Ganjiang and Moye, who were commissioned by He Liu. The millennia-old edifice has been leaning for half a million years. Even its counterpart, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, has to give it two thumbs up. And maybe you should too.

The Suzhou landmark Tiger Hill Pagoda is China's number one and the world's number two leaning tower. Though not as tall nor leaning as much as the world's number one Leaning Tower of Pisa, it is more than two centuries older. Construction started in 959 and was completed by 961.

The seven-storey Tiger Hill Pagoda leans as much as 3.59 degrees away from the central axis, and its tip is 2.34 meters away from the central line. Corrective efforts have been difficult to implement because the tower was built on the apex of a hill.

In the Ming dynasty, the top level was reconstructed with an intentional lean to the other side to try to correct the overall tilt of the structure. However, that actually strained the structure, and large gaps had appeared.

In 1956, steel brackets were installed to close the gaps and restore structural integrity. That was also the period when treasures were found inside, including a sewera and a one-of-a-kind porcelain boat. But more about that when we go to the Suzhou Museum.

In the 70s and 80s, holes were drilled beneath the base, and concrete was ejected, which finally solidified the foundation and stabilized the whole structure. Stable but slanting. Pretty spectacular sight.

So don't forget to have a picture taken with the Tiger Hill pagoda. The following two spots are perfect for your photos. The first one is at the top of the staircase. To reach the pagoda, just lift your hand like this, and from the right angle, it looks like you're holding the pagoda in your hand.

The second position is here. Hold your hands out like this and have the photographer shoot from an upward angle, and it looks like you're pushing the pagoda straight. However, no video nor photo can replace an on-site first-person experience.

So please come to Suzhou. And if you do, please let me know so I can show you the best places around.