Six Harmonies Pagoda (Liuhe Pagoda)

The Six Harmonies Pagoda, or Liuhe Pagoda, stands on Yuelun Hill overlooking the Qiantang River in Hangzhou's Xihu District. It was first built in 970 CE during the early Northern Song dynasty under the Buddhist monk Zhizhe, commissioned by the King of Wuyue to calm the river's famous tidal bore, which regularly flooded nearby farmland. The original wooden structure burned down in 1121 during the Song-Jin wars; the brick core seen today dates from a 1163 reconstruction, while the wooden eaves and balconies wrapping the exterior were added during a Qing-dynasty restoration in 1900. The pagoda's exterior appears to have thirteen storeys, but the brick interior actually contains only seven, a design used to disguise its true height as a river-watching tower and beacon. Each interior storey holds beam carvings, painted panels, and brick relief work depicting flowers, birds, and Buddhist figures from the Song period, restored but faithful to the originals. Visitors climb narrow interior staircases to reach the upper balconies, which offer views over the Qiantang River Bridge and the river's confluence with Hangzhou Bay. Surrounding the base, a small park displays scale-model pagodas from across China, added in the 20th century as an educational feature separate from the historic core. The pagoda's structural role as a navigational marker for river traffic distinguishes it from purely religious pagodas elsewhere in Zhejiang.