雷峰塔位于西湖南岸夕照山上，夕照山又名雷峰。此塔始建于公元975年，是吴越国王钱俶为祈求国泰民安而建。民间传说《白蛇传》中，法海和尚曾将白娘子镇压在塔下。原塔1924年倒塌，现塔为2002年重建，旧塔遗址被保存在新塔内部供参观，是中国古建筑保护的范式之一。“雷峰夕照”为西湖十景之一。

　　The Thunder Peak Pagoda (Leifeng Pagoda) is situated on Thunder Peak, the highest point of Sunset (Xizhao) Hill on the south bank of West Lake. The pagoda was built in 975 by King Qian Shu of Wuyue as a way to bring peace and prosperity to the kingdom.According to the Legend of the White Snake, the Buddhist monk Fahai imprisoned the White Maiden under the pagoda. The current structure was built in 2002 to replace the original pagoda, which collapsed in 1924. The ruins of the old structure are preserved within the new pagoda. This design, which allows visitors to view the old ruins, is a model of historic preservation in China. The Sunset Hill’s Thunder Peak Pagoda is one of the ten scenic views of West Lake.

　　《白蛇传》是中国四大民间爱情传说之一，被列入国家 级非物质文化遗产。

　　Lauded as one of the four great Chinese folktales about love, the Legend of the White Snake was inscribed on China’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

　　千年前宋朝，水光潋滟，烟柳依依的西湖三月，断桥上，相貌俊朗的药铺学徒许仙，为地上拾起的一只金钗，结识了一白一青两位姑娘：

　　This story takes place on a March day more than a thousand years ago during the Song Dynasty. The waters of West Lake shimmered as they rippled. The mist waved softy as the willow branches swayed. For the sake of a gold hairpin that he plucked off the ground, a handsome young apprentice at an herbal medicine shop named Xu Xian became acquainted with two young women, one dressed in white and the other in green – the White Maiden and Little Green.

　　白素贞，修行千年的蛇仙，白衣着身，法术高强，美丽、优雅、高贵、善良，青蛇精小青，被她收为侍女。

　　The White Maiden, Bai Suzhen, was a snake spirit who had learned to assume human form through a thousand years of Taoist practice. Capable of wielding powerful spells, this beauty in white was the embodiment of grace, nobility, and kindness.Her companion and servant was Little Green, another snake spirit in human form.

　　断桥相会，两人一见钟情，同舟共赏西湖。一阵春雨突降，白娘子将伞借给许仙。如此，借伞还伞，一来二去，双方情投意合，最终结为夫妇。婚后，开了保和堂药铺，行医乐善，夫妻恩爱美满。

　　In an instant, Xu and the White Maiden fell in love on the Broken Bridge. As the couple enjoyed a boat ride around West Lake, a burst of spring rain fell down upon them. The White Maiden lent Xu her umbrella, which he gallantly returned. These simple kindnesses brought the two closer together, and realizing how well they complemented one another, Xu and the White Maiden eventually became man and wife. They opened the Baohetang Herbal Medicine Shop, tended to those in need, and lived as a happy, loving couple.

　　不料，金山寺老僧法海却认为蛇仙与人结合有违天规，他告诉许仙妻子是托人形呈现的蛇妖。半信半疑的许仙，在端午节那天，让她喝下驱虫解五毒的雄黄酒，白娘子显形白蛇，许仙被吓得昏死过去。

　　Fahai, a monk from Golden Mountain Temple, believed this marriage between man and snake spirit went against the laws of heaven. He told Xu that his wife was a snake demon who presented herself as human. Not knowing whom to believe, Xu took advantage of the Dragon Boat Festival to serve his wife realgar wine, a powerful drink meant to ward off poisonous creatures. No sooner had the White Maiden reverted to a white snake than Xu fell to the ground in shock and let out his last breath.

　　酒醒后，白娘子肝肠寸断，舍命去天庭盗仙草，终使许仙起死回生。

　　After the effects of the wine had dissipated, the White Maiden was so brokenhearted that she dared to rob the deities of an elixir that eventually brought Xu back to life.

　　法海一计不成，又施一计，将许仙软禁在金山寺内。白素贞招来虾兵蟹将，掀起惊涛骇浪，水漫金山寺，将许仙救回，但祸及周边无辜百姓，因此犯下天条大罪。法海趁机将白素贞收入钵内，镇压于雷峰塔下。

　　Though his plan had failed, Fahai was not yet ready to give up. Instead, he held Xu under house arrest at Golden Mountain Temple. The White Maiden summoned an army of sea creatures and whipped up terrifying waves to flood the temple. Xu was rescued, but his freedom came at a high cost – the deaths of untold innocent bystanders. The White Maiden had committed a great sin against the heavens. It was then that Fahai seized his chance to trap the White Maiden in his magic alms bowl and imprison her under Thunder Peak Pagoda.

　　许仙伤心欲绝，剃度出家，日夜守在雷峰塔边。从此，一个塔外修行，一个塔内思过，任凭西湖烟雨飘散。

　　Distraught, Xu received the tonsure and became a Buddhist monk. Day or night, he could be found standing guard outside Thunder Peak Pagoda. Since then, no matter how thick the misty rain, one lover has remained outside the pagoda, perfecting himself through Buddhist practice, while the other remains inside, reflecting on her wrongdoing.