Leifeng Pagoda (Leifeng Tower)

The Leifeng Pagoda Scenic Area Entrance is located on the west side of Nanshan Road in Xihu District, Hangzhou, at the foot of Xizhao Mountain on the south shore of West Lake. It is the formal starting point for entering the Leifeng Pagoda Scenic Area and visiting Leifeng Pagoda. The entrance is paved with neat bluestone slab steps, with a gate house featuring a five-bay, double-eave xieshan roof antique-style building, complete with black tiles, vermilion pillars, and upturned eaves. A horizontal plaque inscribed with the three large characters "Leifeng Pagoda" hangs at the entrance, presenting a dignified bearing. The entrance square is equipped with a scenic area introduction stone tablet, tour guide map, and electronic ticket office, where visitors can purchase tickets (approx. 40 RMB/person), collect guide brochures, and plan their visit route. From the entrance to the foot of Leifeng Pagoda, it takes about 5-8 minutes of walking.

The Leifeng Pagoda Ruins Base is located at the bottom of the new Leifeng Pagoda and is the core space for the protective exhibition of the original pagoda ruins from the Five Dynasties period of the Wuyue Kingdom. The original Leifeng Pagoda was constructed under the supervision of King Qian Chu of Wuyue in 975 CE (eighth year of the Kaibao reign of Northern Song). On September 25, 1924, the millennial ancient pagoda collapsed with a loud crash due to excessive brick theft by the public, and the thousand-year-old pagoda was destroyed in an instant. In 2002, the new pagoda was reconstructed on the original site according to the concept of "pagoda covering ruins." The bottom of the new pagoda is completely elevated, and the original pagoda ruins are intactly preserved beneath the tempered glass flooring of the base level. Visitors can follow the circular walkway to view the complete appearance of the ruins from 360 degrees——the remaining brick pagoda body, pagoda foundation, auxiliary hall pillar bases, plinths, and underground palace excavation pit are all clearly visible.

The first floor of the new Leifeng Pagoda is located above the ruins base level and serves as the base-level cultural exhibition space of the new pagoda. It is also the first floor that visitors see after entering the new pagoda. In the center of the first floor is a large Dongyang wood carving screen titled "Scene of Wuyue Building the Pagoda," about 4 meters high and 8 meters wide. In relief form, it completely recreates the grand scene of King Qian Chu supervising the construction of Leifeng Pagoda during the Five Dynasties Wuyue Kingdom period——from felling trees and quarrying stones, transporting materials, craftsmen's construction, to the final completion. The four walls are hung with large meticulous-color frescoes titled "Legends of Leifeng Pagoda," divided into four panels: "King Qian Building the Pagoda," "Legend of White Snake," "Leifeng in Sunset Glow," and "Ancient Pagoda Reilluminated," with brilliant colors and exquisite brushwork. The first floor ground is paved with antique-style gold bricks, and the ceiling caisson is painted with celadon porcelain patterns from the Wuyue Kingdom.

Floors 2-4 of the new Leifeng Pagoda are located above the first floor and below the top-level viewing terrace, with each floor covering an area of about 600 square meters. They constitute the main body of the new pagoda's cultural exhibition system and are also the core spaces for visitors to stop, appreciate, and rest during the ascent. The second floor's theme is "Wuyue Buddhist Culture," displaying the prosperous scene of Buddhism in the Hangzhou region during the Wuyue Kingdom period and the Qian family's reverence for Buddhism. The third floor's theme is "Leifeng Pagoda and West Lake," displaying the interdependent relationship between Leifeng Pagoda and the West Lake scenic area throughout history through texts, images, old photographs, and multimedia. The fourth floor's theme is "Qian Chu and Ancient Chinese Pagodas," systematically sorting out the architectural types of ancient Chinese pagodas and the architectural characteristics of the five precious pagodas whose construction was supervised by Qian Chu. Each floor is equipped with a circular viewing corridor.

The Leifeng Pagoda Top-Level Viewing Terrace is located at the highest point of the new pagoda (approximately at the fifth floor level, with a total height of about 70 meters). It is the viewing high point with the most open view in the Hangzhou West Lake scenic area and also the best viewing point for "Leifeng in Sunset Glow," one of the "Ten Scenes of West Lake." The viewing terrace features a fully open design with glass protective railings on all sides, allowing visitors a 360-degree unobstructed overlook of the complete view of West Lake. In the near view are the sparkling lake surface and the lush Gushan (Solitary Hill). To the east, one can clearly see Willow Wave Listening to Orioles, Duanqiao Canxue (Broken Bridge with Remnant Snow), and the urban skyline. To the south, one can see Flying Clouds over Jade Emperor Mountain and the layered greenery of Jiuyao Mountain. To the west lies the front view of Su Causeway in Spring Dawn, Flower Harbor Viewing Fish, and Three Pools Mirroring the Moon. To the north, one can even overlook Baochu Pagoda standing gracefully atop Precious Stone Hill——the two pagodas echoing each other from afar constitute the most core landscape pattern of West Lake. The viewing terrace is also equipped with electronic guide screens.

The Leifeng Pagoda Cultural Exhibition Hall is located inside the Leifeng Pagoda scenic area entrance, adjacent to the mountain climbing walkway. It is an independent antique-style exhibition hall that officially opened to the public in 2004, synchronizing with the completion of the new Leifeng Pagoda reconstruction. The exhibition hall has a floor area of about 800 square meters, with the theme "Leifeng Pagoda and the Wuyue Kingdom," featuring four major exhibition sections that systematically showcase the long history of Leifeng Pagoda from its original construction in the Five Dynasties Wuyue Kingdom period to the present, spanning 1,025 years. The hall displays over 500 precious unearthed artifacts, including the Ashoka Tower (pure silver gilt, unearthed from the underground palace), gilt dragon lotus base, agate ornaments, stone carved sutra pillars, and brick Buddha statues, many of which are classified as national first-grade cultural relics. The exhibition hall also employs multimedia technology with surround projection to reappear the historical scene of Leifeng Pagoda's collapse in 1924.

Xizhao Pavilion and Release Pond are located on the southeast side of the Leifeng Pagoda scenic area, constituting the core attraction for viewing "Leifeng in the Sunset Glow"—one of the Ten Scenes of West Lake. Xizhao Pavilion is a six-cornered pyramidal-roof classical pavilion, named after "Leifeng in the Sunset Glow" from the Ten Scenes of West Lake. The pavilion is equipped with stone tables and benches, making it the best spot for visitors to wait for sunset and photograph Leifeng Pagoda from a classic angle. The Release Pond is located in front of Xizhao Pavilion, with water drawn from West Lake. Lotus flowers are planted throughout the pond, and in summer the fragrance of lotus fills the air. A nine-arch stone bridge and a small Guanyin statue are set in the center of the pond. Visitors can purchase fish and turtles here for release activities, reflecting the Buddhist spirit of compassion. At dusk, when the setting sun descends and rosy clouds illuminate Leifeng Pagoda, the pagoda body presents a brilliant golden-red glow.