Dali Chong Shen Monastery & Three Pagodas, Yunnan China

> China Travel Tour Guide > Attractions

Chong Sheng Monastery & Three Pagodas

The Chong Shen Monastery & Three Pagodas are one kilometer away from north of Dali, Yunnan Province and its other name is Dali Three Pagodas. If you look at it from distance, the three yellowish-brawn pagodas are like three huge pens, standing among the continuous green mountains and emerald fields. Dali is a sacred Buddhist place in Chinese history and the three pagodas and Buddhism have a very close relation originally.

The old town of Dali is famous for numbers of pagodas. Among the pagodas, the Chong Shen Monastery & Three Pagodas are the most famous and magnificent. The grand Dali town is like a charming painting. You see, there is the Chang Shan Mountain surround by cloud and mist in the west of the three pagodas and the Erhai Sea against the eastern side with waves rippling. The profiles of the three pagodas always reflect on the surface of the Erhai Sea.

The styles of the three pagodas are similar. The main pagoda is "Qianxun Pagoda". It is a square pagoda and it is 69.13 meters high. Its molding and style were imitated the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian and the Song Yue Monastery Pagoda in Henan Province.

Each layer has set up with a white marble Buddha statue, which is the typical style of Tang Dynasty. There is an octagon brick pagoda on each side of the Qianxun Pagoda. Those set of octagon pagodas were build after the Qianxun Pagoda and its body were white with ten layers in each pagoda.

There are three copper gourds and copper bells; they look like an umbrella linked mutually on top of the two pagodas. Originally, there was a grand Chong Shen Monastery near the three pagodas, so people call the three pagodas "the Chong Shen Monastery & Three Pagodas".

After those three pagodas were completed, they have gone through many hardships, for over 1,000 years and have undergone several strong earthquakes. The Chong Shen Monastery nearby was totally destroyed and had no trance, but those three pagoda remains and for hundreds of years.

When the government of Yunnan Province repaired the pagoda's base and body in 1979, they found more than 600 precious cultural relics of Dang and Song Dynasty such as manuscript scripture, Buddha statue and Buddhist utensils. Those findings have greatly appreciated by the international Buddhist groups. If you come to Dali, you must come to the Chong Shen Monastery & Three Pagodas. It is worth appreciating the beautiful scenery and Buddhist cultural relics.