Leifeng Pagoda stands on Sunset Hill on the southern shore of West Lake, its five-story silhouette one of the defining views of the lake. The original pagoda was built in 977 AD by the king of the Wuyue kingdom, who dedicated it to his favourite consort — the bricks are stamped with Buddhist sutras still visible in the underground exhibition. An escalator takes you most of the way up; the top floor has unobstructed views across the lake to Baochu Pagoda on the northern shore.
The pagoda is inseparable from the Legend of the White Snake, one of China's most beloved folk tales. Xu Xian's serpent wife was supposedly imprisoned beneath the original pagoda by the monk Fahai — when it finally collapsed in 1924, people flooded in to rescue the snake. Below the current pagoda, glass floors reveal the archaeological excavation of the Song-era base and the underground reliquary chamber discovered during reconstruction, which contained bronze artefacts and a gilded silver casket.