In 2000 - 2001, the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeologycarried out archaeological excavation on the site of the Leifeng Pagoda on thesouthern shore of the West Lake in Hangzhou. Great achievements were obtained from the excavation of the crypt, pagoda-foundations and peripheral remains, with important stele inscriptions brought to light and more than 70 treasures yielded from the crypt. The Leifeng Pagoda is a Buddhist building constructed by the royal family of the Wuyue State. Its excavation filled in the gap of Buddhist pagoda archaeology of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The results provided valuable material for studying the Buddhist pagoda form, crypt structure and monastery layout in the Five Dynasties period, as well as the historical background, Buddhist culture and the technological level at the final stage of the Wuyue State.
