Three Pagodas

Known as the Chongsheng Santa and situated on top of the ruins of Chongsheng Monastery, the Three Pagodas lie one kilometer northwest of Dali. Located on the slope of Mount Cangshan, and overlooking Erhai Lake, the Three pagodas are a must-see in your Dali tour.

Qianxun Pagoda, the main and highest pagoda of the three, is a 16-story pagoda measuring 69 meters (230 feet) in height. Like the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Shaanxi Province's capital Xi'an, it reflects the typical ancient architecture of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

The first tier of it, about 13 meters (43 feet) tall, is the tallest out of 16 tiers. The remaining 15 tiers are basically of the same structure. To use the 2nd story as an example, it is about 2 meters tall and 10 meters wide. Four points of each eave are turned upwards. In the middle of its west and east facing sides, two Buddhist niches are placed, each with a joss inside. Its north and south facing sides feature two window-like holes. In the 3rd story, niches are found in south and north facing sides, and its west and east facing sides have window holes. The pattern of each tier above change as the 2nd and 3rdstory gradually decrease in size. The 8 meter tall 16th tier is one seventh of the whole pagoda with a cuprum gourd bottle placed on its top. When seeing the tall and straight top, you can almost get the feeling of going beyond earthliness and the urge to fling yourself into the sky.

The two smaller pagodas to the north and south of the main one are 42 meters (135 feet) tall and divided in 10 stories. These pagodas are elegant and feature exquisite technology, and were builtduring the Five Dynasties (907-960). After the discovery of the more than 600 rare relics of the Nanzhao and Dali Kingdom in the three pagodas in 1978, they also became hot tourist attractions.

The two small pagodas stand 97 meters (312 feet) apart. The three of them stretch magnificently into the sky like three giant swords. Here you can get a taste of the ancient architectural art and culture of the Bai ethnic group, and enjoy - even buy your own - marble wares to your heart's content.