---
node: spot_hangzhou_leifeng_pagoda
type: spot
slug: leifeng_pagoda
destination: dest_hangzhou
title: "Leifeng Pagoda"
lead: "Leifeng Pagoda stands on a hill at West Lake's southern shore, rebuilt in 2002 over the ruins of the tower of 977 that collapsed in 1924. It is the setting of the Legend of the White Snake, one of China's four great folktales."
published: 2026-08-12
updated: 2026-08-12
image_file: spot_hangzhou_leifeng_pagoda.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leifeng_Pagoda_%E9%9B%B7%E5%B3%B0%E5%A1%94_-_panoramio.jpg"
image_author: "lienyuan lee"
image_license: "CC BY 3.0"
---

## Overview

The original pagoda fell because generations had pulled bricks from it as talismans. The modern replacement is a steel and copper structure with lifts, enclosing the excavated brick base of the old one, which is visible on the ground floor. Purists object to it; the view of the lake from the top and the surviving foundation both justify the climb.

## Highlights

Go at sunset — Leifeng Pagoda in Evening Glow is one of the canonical ten views, and the tower faces the light. The relic base and the excavated crypt on the lower levels are the historical part. Come by boat across the lake rather than by road if you can.