Hangzhou Pagoda of Six Harmonious, China

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Pagoda of Six Harmonious

The Pagoda of Six Harmonious lies on Yuelun Mountain beside the Qiantang River, which is on the south tip of Hangzhou City.

"Six Harmonious" originated from the Buddhist "Six Harmonious Rules", which are six kinds of rules.

It's also called "Pagoda of Six Harmonious", which means the harmony with the six elements, i.e., all the things in heaven, on earth, in the east, west, south and north are contained in the pagoda.

It is one of the most precious ancient pagodas in China.

August 15 ("Chinese Calendar") is the exact day when the tide of Qiantang River rises every year. The turbulent tide rushes to the bank, one wave higher than an other. The surging waves and the splashing tide form a grand sight.

Since ancient time, the "Great Tide of the Qiantang River" is one of the most wonderful scenes in the south of the Yangtze River. With the verdant mountains and the green countryside nearby, the river presenting a hot topic for the poets and the artists of the past and the present to write poems or paint pictures.

The Pagoda of Six Harmonious was originally built in the Northern Song Dynasty (997A.D.). At that time, Hangzhou was the capital of Kingdom Wuyue. People thought that the rough current of Qiantang River pounds the riverbank must for a reason.

In order to guard the territory and reassure the mass, Qian Hongjiao, the Emperor of Wuyue, built the pagoda in order to calm the violent tide in the Qiantang River.

The completed 18-storage pagoda has lighting feature for guiding of the boats. Either of 104 upturned eaves on the wall hanged a huge iron bell. It clanged with wind and the bell sounds could be hears from a great distance. Unfortunately the pagoda was destroyed by war in the Northern Song Dynasty (1121A.D.).

Thirty years later, it was rebuild in the Southern Song Dynasty (1153 A.D.). When it came to the new pagoda, it was only 13 stories tall and about 60 meters high. There are seven stories inside the pagoda. Spiral stairs through the wall led to the top of the pagoda. The inner wall of each floor exquisitely carved with the various designs of figures, flowers, birds, and beasts.

The Pagoda of Six Harmonious was octagonal and the dense rows of tilt eaves stretch out. They make the outside eave classical and refined. The structure has been keep up well until present.

The Pagoda of Six Harmonious is like a brave man surviving through the rain and the wind for thousands of years. He still proudly stands on the top of the mountain to fulfill his old commission - guarding the mouth of Qiantang River and calming the surging wave. In fact, when you are on the Pagoda of Six Harmonious, you are at the south tip of West Lake Scenic Zone.

You can walk down the mountain, and go to the Qiantang Bridge nearby. Designed by the famous railway engineer Zhan Tianyou, and constructed by a well-known bridge architect Mao Yisheng.

Zhan Tianyou was the designer of a tough project - Badaling Railway in Beijing. The construction of the bridge started in July 1934 and ended in September 1937. It is worthy of viewing carefully.