Dramatic Lion Mountain in Suzhou is an ancient natural feature that has forever watched over Suzhou. Prominent among local peaks, the Lion looks out to nearby Tiger Mountain and is said to defend its community! Local literati carved long lost poetry into the stone in “18 Scenes” along its steep trails. Recently, the mountain was diminished by a run-down amusement park at its base, a small muddy lake dwarfed by roller coasters, attractions, and an aerial tram up the mountain. Large billboards were plastered to its face. In 2016, an international competition selected this scheme to restore the greatness of Lion Mountain and create a new lake, park, and district that honors this landmark. After nine years of work , the scheme survives, and the park is complete!
Key to the transformation is the major expansion and development of the lake as a beautiful reflecting surface and ecologically diverse complement to the mountain. The lake is fed by both urban and natural watersheds directed to flow through broad wetland terraces and inundated cypress forests. This has elevated water quality to a level suitable for human contact and is protected by a spillway from back-flooding from polluted local canals. The improved water now supports a thriving small boat program that creates a convivial replacement for the amusement park and reflects the restored mountain above.
A great circular promenade, two kilometers in length binds together mountain and lake. It is home to an active social program that organizes and links daily life in the park together. The mountain, lake, and promenade together form the natural and cultural anchor for development surrounding including a major cultural campus. The campus program includes a Science Museum, a Civic Theater, and a new satellite of the Suzhou Museum. The crisp hardscape of this campus is extensively punctured by forest islands containing play areas, small pavilions, and access to parking below. The campus is served by a new below-grade subway station. Emerging from the station, views open directly to the mountain and visitors ascend to the promenade level through a “Canyon Garden” with a public amphitheater, spilling pools, and fountain runnels for kids’ enjoyment.
The green flanks of the mountain are preserved and their richness expanded with new forested zones. A new network of discrete mountain and forest trails expands and improves the safety of the existing slightly scary stone scramble up the mountain. The eighteen narrative “scenes” along these trails have been recovered, interpreted with new artifacts, and places to rest on the ascent.
While the east side of the mountain faces the urban cultural campus, the west side is rich with natural features, biodiversity, and habitat. Discrete mountain pathways thread through the forest and rocky outcrops overlooks over the region and eventually arrive at the summit and its 360-degree experience of the city and other mountains in the distance. From the west side of the Ring promenade there are ADA accessible recreation opportunities including cafes, tea houses, swimming, bamboo mazes, and children’s nature play which fill the lower reaches.
Music composes the park’s art program. At a terraced wood deck overhanging the lake edge one will hear a traditional / modern composition including sounds of the old amusement park. The work is composed and performed by The Kronos Quartet in collaboration with famed Pipa player, Wu Man.
The Lion should be soothed and pleased.