Tiger Hill Pagoda or 'Leaning Tower of China' #1 of 6
The Huqiu Tower rises through the fog. It is a Chinese pagoda situated at the top of Tiger Hill in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. It has several other names, including the Tiger Hill Pagoda and the Yunyan Temple Tower. O.G. Ingles writes that the better name for the Tiger Hill Pagoda should be the 'Leaning Tower of China', since it predates the famous Italian structure. The tower was built in the later period of the Five Dynasties (907-960 AD), completed by the second year of the Song Dynasty. The seven story tower rises to a height of 47 m (154 ft). It is a seven-story octagonal building built with blue bricks. In more than a thousand years the tower has gradually slanted due to forces of nature. The tower leans roughly 3 degrees because the foundation is originally half rock and the other half is on soil. In 1957, efforts were made to stabilize the tower and prevent further leaning. Concrete was also pumped into the soil forming a stronger foundation.