Three Pagodas of Dali and Reverse Reflection Park三塔倒影公园

The Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple stand below Yinglo Peak of the Cangshan range at the northwest corner of Dali Old Town — the signature remains of Chongsheng Temple, the royal monastery of the Dali kingdom (Song era). Arranged in a triangle, the central Qianxun Pagoda rises 69.13 m in sixteen tiers of hollow, close-eaved brick, while the flanking south and north pagodas are solid brick towers of ten tiers, about 43 m tall. Begun under the Tang-era Nanzhao kingdom, the trio ranks among the tallest Tang-era towers surviving in China.

Qianxun Pagoda is slender and finely proportioned, its stacked eaves showing the vigour and precision of Tang architecture. Each face carries an arched niche with a Buddha image, and the copper gourd-shaped finial glitters in the sun. The two smaller pagodas retain fine Buddhist murals and, though slightly later in date, remain of great artistic value. Through earthquakes and wars the three have stood for over a millennium — a masterpiece of ancient building craft.

The classic view is from Reflection Pond in front of the pagodas: on a still morning or evening the trio mirrors perfectly in the water. Come early or late for soft light and the calmest surface. The park also holds the Yutong Guanyin Hall, the Maitreya Hall and an exhibition room displaying precious artefacts unearthed around the pagodas.