Suzhou will apply to the City of Crafts and Folk Art program next year. Tiger Hill Tower will start its first comprehensive maintenance project since 1949.

Since handicrafts and folk art are well developed in Suzhou, the city is preparing to apply for the City of Crafts and Folk Art program organized by UNESCO. The application documents will be submitted before March 20, 2014.

Suzhou will promote the application of the Grand Canal in Suzhou as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and accelerate the construction of the Yunlou gallery and cultural museum. Meanwhile, the city will carry out a maintenance project to protect Tiger Hill Tower, which has been restored twice since liberation. The first restoration took place from 1956 to 1957, restoring the tower body with iron hoops. The second restoration was conducted in the 1980s and focused on the tower base. According to monitoring data, the iron hoops from the first restoration have rusted. As a result, the city will start the first comprehensive maintenance project since liberation. It will also replace monitoring equipment to ensure the safety of the tower body.