The East Hill
During the long course of history, the emperors, the generals and ministers and men of letters visited here, leaving a large number of places of historic interest and scenic beauty. In the town of East Hill, there is still an old slabstone-paved street that extends nearly a thousand meters and is lined with another 34 lanes, a well-preserved pseudo-classic carved building, the Xi Family Garden built at the foot of hills and by the lake, the Camphor Tree Hall built for housing in Ming dynasty, etc. Scenic spots abound around the old town, such as the colored statues of Arhats in the Purple Gold Nunnery, the quaint buildings of Ming&Qing dynasties along Lu Lane , the Ling-yuan Temple below Biluo Peak , etc. Known as “the land of fish and rice”, “the mountain of flowers and fruits”, the East Hill Township produces more than 50 kinds of famous products such as loquat, Biluochun Tea, one of the ten most famed in China, as well as tangerines, Taihu Lake water shield, etc. The hills themselves also present picturesque scenery, in spring, the flowers bloom luxuriously, exhibiting a blaze of colors and the tea buds boast jade green, around the Dragon Boat Festival, the ripe loquats among the green leaves, the exuberant red babassu trees and the lush-and –green orange orchards, all show a scenery more beautiful than in the spring, when autumn comes, the hills are teemed with groves of oranges, watched from far away, there is a vast expanse of verdure tinged with some redness, while observed nearby, clusters of fruit hang heavy. The Township of East Hill, it is really a wonderful resort for tourism and for recuperation as well. |
Lying 40 kilometers to the southwest of Suzhou, the East Hill is a peninsular extending into Taihu Lake. Bus No. 20 goes directly there. The peninsular is surrounded by water on three sides. The vast expanse of water, reflecting the sail and the gulls together with the 72 peaks including West Hill, Guangfu Hill, Dengwei Hill, etc, forms the picturesque Taihu Lake Scenic Area. In an area of about 70 square kilometers, there are 23 undulating peaks and 31 ravines. Anyone who go boating on the lakes among the dense forest and steep slopes would linger around in great pleasure.