The Shihu Scenic Area is located in the southwest suburbs of Suzhou, seven kilometers away from the ancient city. It is famous for its Wu and Yue relics and the idyllic scenery of the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River. It has many ancient temples, pagodas, ancient tombs and the residences where Fan Chengda, a pastoral poet of the Song Dynasty, and others spent their old age. It is mainly composed of Shihu Resort, scenic area, film and television cultural area, and style catering area. The famous scenic spot in Shihu is undoubtedly ‘Shihu String Moon’, which originates from the Jiudong Bridge (Xingchun Bridge) on the lake. The holes are connected to each other and are reflected in the water. Every year on the evening of the 18th day of the eighth lunar month, when the bright moon is in the sky, each of the nine ring holes reflects a moon shadow in the lake water, forming a magnificent spectacle of ‘nine moons in a string’. The scenic area offers service items such as barbecue and cruise ships. Main scenic spots: Shangfangshan National Forest Park, three cultural relic protection units in Jiangsu Province including Shen Shixing’s Tomb, Lengqie Pagoda Yard, and Yuecheng Ruins. Five cultural relic protection units in Suzhou City including Xingchun Bridge, Fan Chengda’s Shrine, Zhiping Temple, Yuecheng Bridge, and Gu Yewang’s Tomb. More than 20 scenic spots such as Shifo Temple, Jiaotai, Emperor Qianlong’s Imperial Road, Yuzhuang, Baojiquan, Peacock Garden, Shidi, Yuedi, and Wucheng Ruins. In addition, Yuzhuang (also known as ‘Yuzhuang’) on the north side of Shihu Lake is a house built by Yu Jue, a modern calligrapher, in Yujia Village in 1934. It is simple and elegant, and you can see the lake as soon as you open the door. Its main hall is called ‘Fushoutang’, bestowed by Empress Dowager Cixi. There is also Shihu Jingshe in the scenic area. It is the place where Fan Chengda, a pastoral poet at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, retired and spent his old age in Shihu Lake. He called himself ‘the old man of Shihu Lake’. Shihu has a long history and many allusions and folk legends. According to legend, in the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Yue dug a stream to attack the State of Wu. They cut stones and dug canals across the foot of the mountain to connect to Suzhou, so it was named Shihu Lake. After Fan Li, a famous official of the State of Yue, destroyed the State of Wu, he took Xi Shi and retired to Taihu Lake from here. Therefore, there is a town nearby named Lishu.
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