Uncovering Dali’s Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple

Built over 1800 years ago, Dali’s Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple (三塔) is located 1-2km away from Dali’s Ancient City and are, without a doubt, a sight to behold. The entire complex is larger than expected too with plenty to explore, including smaller buildings housing ancient artifacts, artwork, and souvenirs to bring home.

If you’ve seen your fair share of temples over the years, I would recommend skipping the ones in this complex so that you can save time and focus on snapping the perfect shot of the three pagodas instead!

Fun Fact: From afar, the three pagodas seem to be made simply of beige-coloured bricks – but if you are able to get closer (for example with the help of a drone), what you will find is that there is actually Buddhist Sanskrit and Chinese characters engraved into the stone. What’s more, over 600 cultural relics are housed within the tallest pagoda (Qianxun Pagoda).

While the three towering pagodas function as the main attraction here, you can actually walk right past them and continue on a straight path that leads you to a series of temples to explore as well.

Price: 75 RMB per person

Time Needed: 1-2 hours if only seeing the three pagodas, 3+ if you want to walk the entire complex (or you could cut this time down by purchasing a cart ticket.

Alternative Option: If you’re looking for something a little more peaceful, you can go to the Three Pagodas Reflection Park (倒影池), sit by the pond and enjoy a tranquil view of the pagodas from there instead of walking through the large complex! It only cost around 20 RMB for a ticket, but the park itself is quite small.