Pagodas and the Skyline of a Scenic Place

If the West Lake can be compared to a pearl in a boundless sea of green, then some of the pagodas or pagoda-like structures at the West Lake may be looked upon as gems by the side of this lustrous pearl, for instance, the Baochu Pagoda on Baoshi Mountain, the Avatamsaka Sutra Pagoda in the garden of the Seal Engraver's Society, and the stupa-like stone structures at what is known as the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon. All of them have this in common：being eye-attracting salient marks on the skyline of the West Lake's environs.

The scenery of the West Lake, which is sheltered on three sides by range upon range of low-lying green hills, is generally characterized by gentle and soft-flowing wavy outlines. But Baochu Pagoda, which rises high and dominates a lakeside hill, looks like a spire that pokes through the soft and gentle skyline over the lake. The pagoda as it stands now was rebuilt in 1933. A solid structure 45.3m high without interior space or entrances, it is a pagoda with a tall slender body on a narrow base that gives a steady, well-anchored appearance, rather unusual as the shape of pagodas goes in China.

The Avatamsaka Sutra Pagoda in the garden of the Seal Engraver's Society is a delightful sight against the backdrop of Solitary Hill which is often compared to a garland on the lake, with the two causeways of Su and Bai as green wavy ribbons that the garland can ill do without. Against such a backdrop, this Avatamsaka Sutra Pagoda somehow stands out, looking down upon and dominating the other interesting sights below.

On the calm, placid surface of the West Lake, the three stupa-like stone structures at the scenic attraction Three Pools Mirroring the Moon look as though they were standing on the surface of a mirror. It is especially pleasant to be here on a moonlit autumn night when, with the three stone structures illuminated, the silhouettes of the stone structures, the image of a full moon and the shapely and shapeless clouds in the sky set each other off, presenting views that are enchantingly beautiful. The placing of the three stupa-like stone structures at some distance from each other makes them look from a distance like three incense burners in the lake. It is indeed an ingenious stroke of the designer's pen, creating wonderful scenery in a rather commonplace setting.

In Hangzhou, there are three pagodas that many people in the world know something about-the pagoda on Thunder Peak that is shaped like an old monk in his kasaya, the Baochu Pagoda with the tall slender figure of a young lady and the stalwart-looking Pagoda of Six Harmonies（Liu He）.

The pagoda on Thunder Peak（Lei Feng）stands facing the Baochu Pagoda at the top of Northern Hill across the West Lake near its NS axis and the two are equally well-known in the world. As an ancient poet once wrote：

Leifeng Pagoda

Facing each other one from the north and the other the south,

Two big pagodas have their images mirrored in the waters.

The view is especially enchanting here at sunset when the evening glow cast its light on the pagodas. People generally believe that the most enticing of the views at the West Lake is the one known as Sunset Glow over Thunder Peak. The Thunder Peak Pagoda and the Baochu Pagoda exhibit different design features, but together they give variation to the generally soft and gentle skyline, making the scenery more varied and colorful and making themselves indispensable features of the West Lake scenery.

On the other hand, the Pagoda of Six Harmonies is an impressive architectural achievement in its own way, looking majestic and imposing on Yuelun Hill by the side of Qiantang River and dominating the scenery around in all directions. It is an ancient pagoda built of brick and wood in the Song Dynasty, A seven-storied structure with close-set upturned cantilevered eaves at 13 different levels, its design is an embodiment of the Buddhist idea of “building seven-storied pagodas for the good of mankind”.