Leifeng Pagoda

Leifeng Pagoda is currently a five-story octagonal tower located on Sunset Hill along the south route of the West Lake in Hangzhou. This tower has been a popular tourist attraction since its restoration in 2002.
The original pagoda was built in 975 AD, during Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, at the order of King Qian Chu (born Qian Hongchu) of Wuyue. It was built to celebrate the birth of Qian Chu's son, born to Huang Fei, one of his favorite concubines. The Leifeng Pagoda was an octagonal, five-storeyed structure built of brick and wood and with a base built out of bricks.
This pagoda was burnt by Japanese pirates in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Later, due to a superstition that bricks from the tower could repel illness or prevent miscarriage, many people stole bricks from the tower to grind into powder. On the afternoon of September 25, 1924, the pagoda finally collapsed due to disrepair.
As for whether there was a mausoleum below, this was debated for years until finally radar was used to investigate. On March 11, 2001 the mausoleum was excavated and many treasures were found, most notably a gold and silver coated hair of the Buddha.

In October 1999, the provincial and municipal governments complied with the aspirations of the general public decided to rebuild Leifeng Pagoda anew to enhance the scenery of the lake. The body of the pagoda was be based on a steel structure and copper parts which was made up of 1400 tonnes of steel and 200 tonnes of copper.
On 25 October 2002, the rebuilt Leifeng Pagoda opened, built above the ruins of the old one and with documents and exhibits on show for visitors. The current structure contains four sightseeing elevators, and modern features including air conditioners, televisions and speakers. At the entrance of the pagoda there are two autonomous elevators to carry visitors to the foot of the pagoda. The original base of the pagoda is kept in good condition as well as the treasures discovered in a undergroud chamber.

Legend about the Leifeng Tower:
A female white snake demon, Bai Suzhen, dreamed of becoming a goddess. Together with her sister Xiao Qing, she did many good things to human beings. By chance she met a scholar named Xu Xian. He is a man of kind heart. They fell in love with each other and got married. But there was a rule that demon and human couldn’t get married. Fahai, a sorcerer tried to eliminate. Soon after Bai Suzhen gave birth to a son, Fahai captured Bai Suzhen and held her to eternal captivity in Leifeng Pagoda.