Hiking Qionglong Mountain

Our time in China is drawing to a close. From September 1st I will join the Computer Science department of Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium as an  Assistant Professor.  In our last weeks, we have been trying to see a little more of Suzhou, and last week we went hiking on Qionglong Mountain near lake Tai where Sun Tzu is reputed to have written the art of war.

Most of Suzhou is flat as a pancake and densely populated, so it was nice to get away from the crowds for a while and see some nature. Qionglong Mountain has two small connected peaks that are covered in dense vegetation and  bamboo forest. The trails are paved and well maintained and there are several Buddhist temples. It was 32 degrees, sunny and very humid, so the hike was hard going, especially considering I was carrying our lunch and water in my back pack.

Steps, Steps and More Steps

Hiking in China is quite different than hiking in Europe. Trails are paved and hills are terraced with steps. On the one hand this doesn't feel as natural, but on the other, it does make the hiking easier. Qionglong Mountain might have the largest forest in the Suzhou area, and certainly has some of the most spectacular natural views.

Bamboo Forest

Lush, Unspoiled Hillsides

The mountain trails are dotted with a number of temples, some of which are old, some of which have clearly been rebuilt. Below are a couple of my favorites.

Hillside Temple

Reclining Buddha Temple

The Giant Buddha

After a long hike and a delicious lunch on top of the mountain, we started to head home. Unfortunately, we got completely lost and spent another hour walking along service roads through little villages back to the base.

Lost in Jiangsu Province!

It was a long, hot day, but I had a great time and it was great to see some of the countryside around Suzhou.