According to records, three days after his burial,
a white tiger was found squatting on the tomb. Hence, the name Tiger Hill.
During the Jin Dynasty, a temple was built on the hill. Tiger Hill changed into a Buddhism hill for the tomb of the kings. Many changes took place over 2,400, years leaving numerous relics of the legacy of history. The ancient carvings, the horizontal inscribed boards, the psalms of celebrities, couplets, various scenes, the paintings, prose and poems have all provided abundant antiquity, seldom seen anywhere in the world.
There is a stone with a split supposedly made by Helu, who tested all of his swords on this stone. According to legend, the king was buried with 3,000 swords. All 1,000 builders who worked on his tomb were killed once the building was complete, ensuring the secret of the swords would never be revealed.
The Tiger Hill Pagoda was first built in the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and rebuilt in 961 AD. It is the oldest Pagoda in Suzhou built on an octagonal base. It is approximately 147 feet high and seven stories. Since 1638 AD, the Pagoda has begun to lean, much the same as the Leaning Tower of Pisa. With a history over 1,000 years old, the Pagoda is now considered the symbol of Suzhou.