The Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, Dali

- July 20, 2018

Three Pagodas located in Chongsheng Temple, is about 1 kilometers (0.6 miles) northwest of the Dali Ancient City. Facing Erhai Lake, Chongsheng Temple is located at the western border Cangshan Mountain. It's said that 9 Kings of Dali Kingdom chose to be a Chongsheng monastery in the temple. The Three Pagodas inside the temple was built 1,800 years ago. It is a symbol of the history of Dali City, and a record of the development of Buddhism in the area. As its name implies, Three Pagodas are made of three ancient independent pagodas forming a symmetrical triangle. This is unique in China. A visit to the pagodas should not be missed by any visitor to Dali City.

The entrance fee of CNY121 has always become a debate for the tourists because they think it is too expensive for a temple visit. The historical buildings is just the 3 pagodas. Other than that is just newly built.

The middle pagoda, Qianxun Pagoda, 69.13 meters (227 feet) high, is one of the highest pagodas of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), while the other lower two stand to the north and south sides of it. Qianxun Pagoda, now empty, previously could be climbed by ladder from the inside. However the ladder is now broken, and travelers now have no opportunity to climb up. Three Pagodas, Zhaozhou Bridge of Hebei Province, and Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian, Shaanxi Province, are three curiosities of Chinese ancient architecture.

The other two pagodas were built about 100 years later. It is thought that they were built by rulers of the Dali Kingdom that succeeded the Nanzhao Kingdom. The smaller pagodas' architectural style is more similar to that of Song Dynasty pagodas. They each have ten stories, are slimmer, and are about 42 meters high or about 140 feet tall. The pagodas are empty from the first floor to the eighth floor and have supporting girders inside. The two smaller pagodas stand about 97 meters away from each other. One of them is interesting because it leans like the Tower of Pisa in Italy.

To get to here, take bus C7 to Santa Lukou and you will see the pagodas. I get to here by renting an electrical bike which is cost CNY180/day. It is just 10 minutes away from the Dali Ancient City. Basically, you can see from far. The recommended total hours to visit this place is 3 hours. So it can be done in one whole morning. If you are not into praying, you would probably finished the tour within 2 hours.

To understand the history of the pagodas, you need to know a little about the history of the region. The Nanzhao Kingdom was formed by the unification of tribes in the region in 729. The capital of this kingdom was then set up at Taihe which is a few kilometers south of the present ancient Dali. The Nanzhao had control of East-West trade routes from China through Myanmar (Burma) to India.

By the 9th century, the Zanzhao Kingdom has expanded into the area that is now Burma, Thailand and Laos, and it took control of the area of Sichuan including the city of Chengdu. Nanzhao attained a high level of culture. And it was then that the main pagoda was built. In 937, Duan Siping seized power to establish the Kingdom of Dali. It is thought that the smaller two pagodas were built by the Kingdom of Dali in the 10th century.

Once you have climb up to this three stories building, this will be the highest point of the entire Chongsheng Temple. As I have mentioned earlier, you cannot even enter the three pagodas.

The highest point where you can look down to see the 9 dragons and a Buddha statue. As you can see, the place is not crowded with independent tourists due to the high entrance fee. Only tourists from tour agencies will bring the crowd here.

Everything you are trying to capture with your camera is beautiful. You really can't complain about the entrance fee. You pay for what you get.

At the back of this tower is the Chongsheng Temple with Cangshan Mountain at the back.

This is the panoramic view of the Dali Ancient City and Erhai Lake. The view is breathtaking and do click on the image to enlarge.

There are two ways to start your walk. First you pay for the sightseeing car at the entrance and go all the way to the top and start your journey downwards or second, you climb all the way up and take the sightseeing car back down. The sightseeing car is charged differently and the going down trip is more expensive than going up trip. Do not ask me why. I have seen this kind of gimmick a lot of time in a tourist spot. To save your penny, just walk up and down but that will takes you up to 4 hours of journey.

Which one is easier? Climbing up or climbing down? It is obvious so I took the trip to start my journey from the top instead from the bottom. Most of the tour agency will starts from the bottom as their fairy tale stories has to start from the entrance. Note: When you signed up for a tour package, you will listen to their fairy tales. In my opinion, it is just some fancy stories to make your trip more excited and you will feel your money is well paying for.

We visited the place during the start of their winter season so we still get the hot sun in the morning. However, you will still get the cold and chilling wind and you will not disappointed with the landscape along the way.

Many sculptures of Buddha made of gold, silver, wood or crystal, Buddhist readings, and more than 600 various medicinal ingredients were found in Qianxun Pagoda, playing an important role in explaining the ancient history of Dali City. Study of Three Pagodas and the cultural relics that have been excavated at the site provide significant data for exploring the history, religion, and art of the area. Today, travelers can visit Three Pagodas at night, when it is illuminated providing a fantastic scene. Nearby on the 'marble street' there are many folk-craft workshops and stands specializing in marble and brick-painting.

During the one thousand years since the Three Pagodas were built, they have gone through war and earthquakes. They have been repaired numerous times. There was a severe earthquake in the Dali area in 1925. Few buildings in Dali survived, but the Three Pagodas were undamaged

The local government still makes a great effort to strengthen it to make it as strong as when it was built to ensure the preservation of this architectural treasure.

This is the best photo spot in the whole area where you will see the mirroring image of the three pagodas on the pool. Many people queuing up here for a shot. You only have just one minute to take as many poses as you can. Or else people at the back will start to grow impatient.

Even though we just walk all the way down which is less tiring than going up, we were really exhausted. Maybe it is because of the fierce sun drying us up.

Overall, if you like to take photograph, you like to pray in every temple you have visited, you like historical buildings and you have extra money to spend for travel, you can visit this place. Otherwise, just skip it as there are many other things to do in Dali. Personally, I did not regret visiting this place as I got all the great pictures that I want. It has served my purpose.

Ticket Price: CNY121 and free for kids below 1.2 meters
Business Hours: Apr. - Oct.: 8.00am - 7:00pm; Nov. - Mar.: 7.30am - 6.30pm
Recommended?: 3/5