Tianping Mountain is located in the west of Lingyan Mountain in Suzhou and is at an elevation of 211 metres. It is named Tianping Mountain because of its smooth top. It has another name, Baiyun Mountain, because the top of the mountain is often surrounded by clouds. Furthermore, it is named Fanfen (grave of Fan Family) Mountain for the grave of Fan Zhongyan’s ancestor is located there.
Tianping Mountain is an attraction with abundant humanistic and natural sceneries. It has been a place of great interest ever since Tang Dynasty. From then on, many famous people in the history such as Bai Juyi, Fan Zhongyan, Tang Bohu, and Emperor Qianlong went there, leaving a large amount of poems and travels. Along with its rich humanistic recourse, it is also famous for its grotesque stone, crystal spring and red maple, which are known as the three treasures of Tianping Mountain. In front of the mountain, there are a number of maples with a history of more than 400 years, which were planted by Fan Yunlin (Fan Zhongyan’s offspring). When the winter is coming, the mountain is colored red by maple just as when the sun is going down, the sky is covered with afterglow. It is extremely spectacular. Therefore it becomes a good spot to appreciate maple.