Liuhe Pagoda, literally Six Harmonies Pagoda or Six Harmonies Tower, is located at the foot of Yuelun Mountain in Hangzhou City. It is adjacent to the Qiantang River Bridge, and climbing the tower offers a panoramic view of the Qiantang River.
The pagoda was originally constructed during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127 AD), destroyed in 1121, and reconstructed in 1165 of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 AD).
From the outside, the nearly 60 meter old tower has a total of 13 floors, each with many small windows. There are 104 iron bells hanging on the upturned corners of the tower eaves. But in fact, there are only seven floors inside the tower, and the structure of "seven bright and six dark" is very unique.
The park is not big, just walk a short distance through the gate to the foot of the ancient pagoda. Inside the Liuhe Tower, you can climb, but the stairs become narrower as you climb up. It feels a bit difficult to climb, like climbing a small attic. You can go out and enjoy the view from different heights on each floor. Climbing up to the top of the tower, you can see the rolling Qiantang River right in front of you. The Qiantang River Bridge spans both banks, and the buildings and greenery on both sides of the river are in full view. And the river wind blows the iron bells, making a clanging sound with a rich ancient charm.
The Liuhe Pagoda has been a beloved place for literati and poets to watch the river and recite poetry since ancient times. It has been repaired in different dynasties and is also carved with patterns of flowers, birds, beasts, and flying immortals inside the pagoda. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty visited here and once inscribed plaques for each floor. Nowadays, plaques inscribed by later calligraphers can be seen inside the tower. There are also historical sites such as the Provincial Plate Stele of the Southern Song Hall Shangshu and the remnants of the "Forty Two Chapters Sutra" written by forty-two families in the tower.
There is a copper bell next to the ancient tower, you can go and knock it a few times to listen to the sound of Liuhe Bell. Climbing up the stairs behind the tower, you will find the China Ancient Pagoda Expo Garden on a small hill on the west side. You can stroll through it and admire various miniature versions of ancient pagodas such as the Xi'an Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, the Beijing White Pagoda, the Dali Chongsheng Temple Pagoda, and the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda. Through the introductions in front of each tower, you can get to know these famous ancient Chinese buildings.
Travel Tips
Address: Xihu District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province
Telephone: 0571-87977767
Opening hours: 07:00-17:30
Ticket: CNY 30