Leifeng Pagoda (Léifēng Tǎ, 雷峰塔), rising above West Lake's south shore, is a fascinating window on Chinese culture and history as well as a wonderful place from which to view Hangzhou's famed lake.

The Leifeng Pagoda ranks on the traditional list of Qing Dynasty Emperor Kangxi's top ten scenes of West Lake as "Leifeng Pagoda at Sunset" (Léifēng Xīzhào, 雷峰夕照), the viewing spot for which is north of the pagoda itself.

The pagoda we see today was rebuilt atop the ruins of the original pagoda and opened to the public in 2002 (complete with four elevators). The old pagoda, constructed in 957 to commemorate the birth of a son to the king of the short-lived Wuyue kingdom, collapsed when one too many of the "lucky" bricks—forming the base of the pagoda they were reputed to have healing powers—were snatched away by believers, ultimately bringing some very bad luck indeed upon the structure itself, which tumbled into a heap in 1927.

By 1999, the Hangzhou government had decided, however, that such a potential tourist attraction (and, perhaps, source of luck) needed rebuilding, and up the "restored" pagoda went. Today, as before, it's a fine spot from which to take in a West Lake sunset (though perhaps a bit more crowded than it was in centuries past). Just don't try grabbing any bricks from the foundation. Your luck will likely take a quick turn for the worse; security will see to that.

The pagoda is also part of a Chinese legend about a man who fell in love with a woman, unaware she was really a white snake. A monk, looking to save the man, cast the snake down below Leifeng Pagoda. Luckily, snakes don't know how to operate elevators.

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