Leifeng Pagoda, formerly known as the Imperial Concubine Pagoda, Xiguan Brick Pagoda, or more commonly referred to as the "Yellow Concubine Pagoda" in ancient times, was built in 977 on the south bank of the West Lake in the second year of Taiping Xingguo period of the Northern Song Dynasty by King Qian of Wuyue Dynasty to pray for national peace and prosperity.
It has become a household name due to the widespread legend of Lady White Snake. Since the Southern Song Dynasty, the "Sunset Glow over Leifeng Pagoda" has been listed as one of the "Top Ten Scenes of West Lake." And as a result, it has also become a fine example of Song pagodas in the history of architecture. But the current pagoda standing on Xizhao Mountain by the lake is not the original one, which collapsed in 1924. It was only in October 2002, 78 years after its collapse, that the pagoda was re-erected on the bank of the lake.
The pagoda is 72 meters high. A total of 280 tons of copper were used to build the steel structure and bronze components of the classic building, recreating the spectacular scene of "Sunset Glow over Leifeng Pagoda." As a landmark of the city of Hangzhou, the new pagoda was built by Zhu Bingren, a master of bronze art. It is China’s first colorful bronze art pagoda and is considered as a masterpiece of bronze sculpture in China. It is of great historical, cultural and technological value.
The new pagoda retains the loft-like structure of the old one before it collapsed, adopting exactly the same style, design and size as it was when it was rebuilt in the early Southern Song Dynasty. It has an all-steel structure but the tiles, ridges, interlocking bracket sets, beams and pillars are all made of copper. And it has four sightseeing lifts. The pagoda also functions as a protective cover for cultural relics and consists of three parts: the protective cover, the body and the sorin, of which the height of the body and sorin is 61 meters, and the protective cover below the horizon is 9.7 meters high. From top to bottom, they are: the sorin, the Heavenly Palace, the fifth storey, the fourth storey, the third storey, the second storey, the dark storey, the second storey of the pedestal, and the bottom storey of the pedestal.
Look up at the pagoda from the bottom. Each layer is covered with bronze tiles. Following the traditional structure of Song pagodas with outer eaves and interlocking bracket sets, the pagoda many variations of paving, and the lower the layer is, the more paving there is. There are in total 352 interlocking bracket sets, which have been coated and pre-oxidized with more than 10 processes, resulting in a dark red color and a texture similar to that of wood. It has the elegance of traditional architecture without losing the sturdiness of its material, and is lightning-proof, water-proof and anti-corrosion. It is a perfect combination of exquisite copper craftsmanship with modern technology.
The reconstruction of Leifeng Pagoda has made it an important landmark in the cultural landscape of the Southern Song Dynasty in Hangzhou, and is an excellent example of historical site protection and display.