Liuhe Pagoda - An Ancient Treasure at the Qiantang River

In 970 AD, Hangzhou was the national capital of the State of Wuyue (吴越国). And the King ordered to build Liuhe Pagoda to suppress the vigorous tide of Qiantang River, with a courtyard embracing. And it is said that after the completion of Liuhe Pagoda, the River surprisingly became calm and flowed along the original way. And people then have never worried about the tide again. As natural and other damages of long time, the pagoda has been repaired rebuilt for several times, and the present brick building was from 1165 AD.

There are some interesting legends about Liuhe Pagoda in ancient China. According to one of them, the Dragon King of the Qiantang River is very fierce and brutal and often causes damages to the fields of the ordinary human beings. And a fishing boy called Liuhe is very sorrowful after his father died of the big Qiantang River tide and his mother was taken away by it, so he keeps throwing stones into the river in order to suppress the river, which makes the Crystal Palace where the Dragon King lives shake heavily. The King finally gives up and promises Liuhe to release his mother and never cause disaster to people. Then people built a pagoda on the mountain and named it Liuhe to thank that kind boy.

Being one of the three famous towers in Hangzhou, Liuhe Pagoda is popular among people for its significant and historic features, which you can admire from its outside, inside and the top place.

The Appearance

See the Liuhe Pagoda from a distance and you would treat it as a great general who is guarding the Qiantang River. And standing in from of it nearer, you can see this 13-storey pagoda of near 60 m high and with 8 sides presents full flavor of antique, magnificent and tranquility. Since there are totally 104 bells hanging on the rake angels of the eaves of the pagoda, you can enjoy the crispy and melodious sound of the bells while gentle wind blowing over.

Inside Charm

Inside Liuhe Pagoda, there are 7 storeys connected by spiral stairs, and every storey has distinct and distinguished decorations. From the base, you can climb along the steep stairs to feel the interest of climbing in an ancient Chinese pagoda and to admire the over 200 carvings of flowers, birds, beasts, immortals, etc. in delicate skills and fancy structures. Also, besides the colorful grottoes with some fading, you will not miss the excellent poems that praise the charm of Liuhe Pagoda and Qiantang River by famous historical people, like Qianlong Emperor in Qing Dynasty.

Not-missing View on the Top

After climbing the 7 storeys and up to the top place of Liuhe Pagoda, you may get a little out of breath, but the splendid view of Qiantang River and the panorama of Hangzhou city will make your effort worthy a lot. Watch out from the window, so you can see the surging river flowing by, when you can think back about the history of people surviving from the tide more than 1000 years ago and the legend of the boy Liuhe. Moreover, you can see the Qiantang River Bridge that is the first double-decked railway and highway combined bridge designed and constructed by us Chinese and is a symbol of the progress of bridge construction of China. Furthermore, you can admire the full view of the prosperous modern Hangzhou that is the host city of G20 in September, 2016.

Qiantang River Tidal Bore

Qiantang River Tidal Bore is a super highlight of Hangzhou and one of the three tidal bores in China. For more than 2000 years, every September, countless local Hangzhou residents and people from other places will come to see the magnificent and breathtaking Qiantang River Tidal Bore. And Liuhe Pagoda is surely the best viewing deck of this rare scene, for its good location facing Qiantang River and the height without any obstructions. To see this yearly great Qiantang River Tidal Bore, you can climb up to the top of Liuhe Pagoda during the early and middle part of every month in China lunar calendar, among which the three days before and after the Lunar 18, August are the “Tidal Bore Enjoying Festival”, and you can see the very grand tide that can rise up for 1 to 1.5 m high and make very loud sound during that period and that is the famous scene named “Liuhe Listening to the Wave Sound” (六和听涛).

>> 2 Days Essence of Hangzhou Tour

>> 3 Days Hangzhou Nature and Culture Tour

>> 3 Days Best Hangzhou Tour with Wuzhen Water Town

Map & How to Get to Liuhe Pagoda

Located on Yuelun Mountain (月轮山) on the bank of Qiantang River, at the south of the West Lake, Liuhe Pagoda is very easily to get. You can take a taxi to reach there for about 11 km and for about 25 min from the downtown of Hangzhou. Also, many buses and other vehicles are available too.

From Su Causeway: 4 km; driving for about 10 min

Form Southern Song Imperial Street: 7.5 km; driving for about 15 min

From Hangzhou National Tea Museum: 5 km; driving for about 13 min

Tips to Visit Liuhe Pagoda

1. It is recommended to admire the miniatures of many famous towers in China and the legends about Liuhe Pagoda in the courtyard after visiting the Pagoda.

2. Although there are only 7 storeys inside Liuhe Pagoda, it is near 60 m high and needs some strength to reach the top. So you can choose whether to try it based on your physical condition.

3. Watch out while climbing up in the pagoda.

Usually, visitors spend 2 days around to enjoy a classic Hangzhou tour to visit the West Lake Scenic Area, including the amazing West Lake, Lingyin Temple, Longjing Tea Plantations, etc. If you want an in-depth Hangzhou tour, you can also pay another half day or so to visit Xixi National Wetland Park, one day around to Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, or one day or so to Thousand Islands Lake, etc. Check all Hangzhou Tours >>

☛ 2 Days Essence of Hangzhou Tour

☛ 3 Days Classic Hangzhou Tour Plus Tea Plantation Exploration

Also, you can spend 1 day to take a side trip to the nearby water towns like Wuzhen and Xitang in Jiaxing, 2~3 days to Putuoshan - one of the four sacred Buddhist Mountains in China, or 1 day to the popular Nanxun Old Town in Huzhou. Check more about Zhejiang Tours >>

☛ 3 Days Best Hangzhou Tour with Wuzhen Water Town

Besides, compared with just travelling Hangzhou, most of the visitors prefer to travel the metropolis Shanghai, Suzhou Gardens and Hangzhou Lakes in One Go! Such an amazing tour will take 5~6 days.

☛ 3 Days Hangzhou & Suzhou Beauty Tour by High Speed Train

☛ 5 Days Shanghai Hangzhou Suzhou Highlights Tour

Some visitors also ride a high speed train to Huangshan to visit the world-famous Yellow Mountain. A Hangzhou Huangshan tour needs about 5 days around.

☛ 5 Days Yellow Mountain Tour from Hangzhou

Have your preferences? Please feel free to tell us your likes and let our professional travel consultants customize a personal tour for you!

Since 2012, we China Discovery have helped numerous customers to visit Hangzhou and surroundings. With our fully-inclusive private tour packages, all of our customers enjoyed their trips to the West Lake, Lingyin Temple, etc. Some of them kindly shared their precious photos and stories about their Hangzhou journey, just get inspired now.

"Impression Show is a must see when visiting Hangzhou…" - shared by Nguyen (Read her entire travel story: The Pursuit of Natural Beauty with the Beloved one - 14 Days Beautiful China Exploring Tour)

"This last night in Hangzhou led us to explore a different side of West Lake, vastly changing our erstwhile bland impression of the famed tourist site…" - shared by CS from Singapore (Read her entire travel story: Delightful Journey to Poetic Jiangnan Area)

Besides the wonderful travel stories, many customers who visited Hangzhou with China Discovery also send us their first-hand feedbacks about their trip, feel free to read the Hangzhou Reviews and learn what they say about their experience. If you want to start your Hangzhou tour now, don't hesitate to contact us.