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Must See Attractions
Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum 中山陵
Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum, located in the Zhong Mountain Scenic Area in the east Nanjing city suburbs, covers an area of 80,000 square meters (about 20 acres). Dr. Sun Yat-sen, is regarded as the father of the modern China and thus, his Mausoleum is a gathering place for Chinese tourists to pay their respects. The mausoleum offers beautiful scenery and architecture with an air of historical importance.
Dr. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), a great forerunner of the Chinese democratic revolution, led the overthrow of the Qing dynasty(1644-1911) ending 2,000 years of Feudal monarchy. Even though Dr. Sun died in Beijing in 1925, his remains were not brought to Nanjing until 1929 after his mausoleum was complete. In 1912, Dr. Sun expressed his wish to be buried here to his friends while hunting in Zijin Shan.
Confucius Temple (Fuzimiao) 夫子庙
The Confucius Temple, located on the north bank of the Qinhuai River, was originally erected during the Song Dynasty. All around the temple there are numerous souvenir shops, snack bars, restaurants and entertainment venues housed in Ming and Qing dynasty architecture.
The temple is not very unique but the specially designed leisure area nearby is a lot of fun and a great way to spend a few hours. In the evenings, it is even more exciting with street vendors selling bargain goods.
Tiger Hill 虎丘
Tiger Hill, located outside the Lumen Gate to the northwest of Suzhou, is a 36 meter tall hill famous because of a legend. It is believed that this is where the King of the state of Wu, Fu Chai, buried his father, Helu with 3,000 swords. The legend says that on the third day after the burial, a white tiger appeared to guard the tomb giving the hill its current name. The Qianren (thousand men) Rock, found half way up the hill, lies next to the rectangular shaped Sword pond surrounded by cliffs and filled with water clear as glass. History says that both Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.) and Sun Quan of the Three Kingdoms (220-280) sent people to dig the hill to look for the swords. The Sword pond is believed to result from the digging.
Lion Grove Garden 狮子林
Lion Grove Garden (Shizilin), located on 23 Yuanlin Road in the northeast of Suzhou, is one of the four most famous ancient classical styled gardens in Suzhou. It was built during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) by Monk Tian Ru as a memorial to his teacher, Monk Zhong Feng. The Garden has rocks that look like lions, hence the name.
Covering an area of about 10,000 square meters (2.5 acres), Lion Grove Garden is ideal for sightseeing with its ornately-decorated pavilions and towers of various styles; each with a unique history. True Delight Pavilion (Zhenquting) is said to be the most magnificent in Lion Grove Garden due to its royal design and plaque written by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty who visited the gardens six times. The Standing-in-Snow Hall (Lixuetang) is named after a Buddhist story about a kind-hearted Zen who stood in snow all night to worship his master. Pavilion for Greeting the Plum Blossoms (Wenmeige) was a place where painters and poets gathered. In addition to the plum trees around the pavilion, all the furniture and utensils inside are decorated or carved with beautiful plum blossom designs. This garden is also home to many rare and precious paintings or tablets including precious artwork 'Panoramic View of' by Ni Yunlin, also called Ni Zan, and the 'Twelve Scenic Spots in Lion Grove Garden' by Xu Ben, both renowned works of the Ming Dynasty.
However, the garden is representative of the Yuan Dynasty because of its greatest attraction, the Labyrinth Rockery, which was mostly made of the limestone from Taihu Lake in Wuxi City. Also dubbed the 'Kingdom of Rockery', the rocks were piled skillfully and made to look like lions in different postures and verves: playing, roaring, fighting, sleeping, or even dancing. It is said that looking north from Small Square Hall (Xiaofangting), one can see nine stone lions standing in a row and that is the Nine-Lion Peak. Due to weathering over time, the structure bears little resemblance to this now.
Hanshan Temple 寒山寺
Located right on the Grand Canal, is Suzhou's most significant landmark. It was built from 502 to 519 and named after Han Shan, a monk who lived here during the Tang dynasty. Through the centuries, the temple had been destroyed and renovated several times. The last restoration was done during the late Qing dynasty and thus, the temple is a good representation of the dynasty's architecture.
Zhangji, a famous Tang dynasty poet, wrote about this temple in his renowned poem “Anchorage by the Maple Bridge”. If you visit the temple, you can see the Maple bridge, described by Zhangji, with the poem inscribed in stone. Unfortunately, you will not be able to see the huge bell from the poem because it was seized by the Japanese, but there is a bell in its place. You can, for a small donation, strike the bell for good luck.
Lingshan Grand Buddha 灵山大佛
The Lingshan Grand Buddha is located 10 kilometers southwest of Wuxi near the shores of Lake Tai. It stands 88 meters tall and boasts the tallest standing Buddha in the world. It was built in October 1994 on the original site of Xiangfo Temple, and more than 700 tons of copper was used in casting it.
The statue represents Sakyamuni, founder of Buddhism, and was based on records from the Buddhist scriptures. It is a national art treasure that integrates culture, art, and religion. The Grand Buddha is merciful and looks upon all living creatures with a blessing and a smile. The gesture of the Buddha's right hand represents the banishment of pain and suffering and the gesture of his left hand respresents the act of rendering happiness.
 Turtle Head Island (Taihu Lake) 太湖
The Taihu Lake, located in southern Yangtze River delta, is the third largest freshwater lake in China with an area of 2,338 sq. km. (about 902 sq. miles) and an average depth of 2 m (7ft). Taihu Lake is nationally known for its scenery. On any given day, you can look out over Taihu Lake to see it dotted with islands, fishing boats and little row boats. Taihu lake also has many uniquedly shaped limestones at its bed which are used today in many classic Chinese gardens. In fact, legend has it that the emperor of the Song dynasty, Huizong, nearly bankrupted the country trying to find the most strangely shaped Taihu rocks!
Slender West Lake(Shouxihu)瘦西湖
The Slender West Lake, located southwest of Yangzhou, is a man-made lake with beautiful scenes and long rich history. This state-level scenic resort got its name from its shape, which resembles a slender, young girl.
The resort is an elegant example of a Chinese lakeside garden. Here, you will see a wide display of architectural styles along the lake shore or even over the lake. Most of the architecture is from the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Each is uniquely beautiful and contributes to the area's rich literary culture of being written about by many famous writers and poets.
The lake has 24 scenic attractions including the White Pagoda, the Five Pavilion Bridge, Xiaojin Hill, Fuzhuang and 24 Bridge.
Daming Temple 大明寺
Daming Temple, located in the northwestern suburb of Yangzhou, is one of the oldest temples in the City dating back over 1,500 years ago!
The temple's main hall, Mahavira Hall, contains three Buddhist images; Yamuni in the center, the Master of the Medicine in the East and Amitabha in the West. An ancient decorated archway at the front of Daming Temple stands prominently amidst old towering trees. The archway bears the inscription “Ruins of Xiling”. During the Sui dynasty in 601 AD, a nine-story Xi1ing Tower was built in the premises of Daming Temple. Many famous poets of the Tang dynasty were inspired by this tower to write moving poems. Sadly, the Xiling Tower was reduced to ruins by a fire.
On the eastern wall of the temple, there is an inscription of Five big Chinese characters "the First in Huaidong", which means the Daming Temple is the best attraction of Yangzhou. These are the words of a famous poet, Qin Shaoyou, from the Northern Song dynasty, who taken by the temple when he visited it.

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