Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple

Listen first. A breeze comes down from the mountains behind you and moves through the pines. Somewhere a small bell sounds, then another. The air here is thin and clean, and the sunlight on the white walls is sharp at this altitude. In front of you, three pale towers rise out of the green. They are old, simple, and very still. Before any dates or names, take a moment just to look at them.

These are the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, on the edge of Dali in western Yunnan. The tallest stands in the centre, square and slender. Two smaller towers stand to either side, set back a little, like attendants. To the west rise the Cangshan Mountains, often with cloud resting on their tops. To the east lies Erhai Lake, a long blue body of water. The pagodas stand on the narrow strip of land between the two.

That position matters. For more than a thousand years, this plain between mountain and lake was the heart of a powerful independent state. From the eighth century, the Nanzhao Kingdom ruled much of this region. Later, from the tenth century, the Dali Kingdom took its place. Both kingdoms were proud, and both were deeply Buddhist. Dali was not a distant outpost of China then. It was a capital in its own right, trading with Tibet, Burma, and the Tang court.

The central tower is called Qianxun Pagoda. It was built during the Nanzhao period, in the ninth century, and it stands about sixty-nine metres tall. Count the roofs if you can. There are sixteen tiers of eaves, each one stepping in slightly from the one below. The tower is made of brick, covered with white plaster. Its shape follows the style of the Tang dynasty, the Chinese empire of that era. If you have seen the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, the resemblance is close.

Here is something many visitors miss. The square shape of the main tower is older and plainer than the shape of its two companions. The smaller pagodas came later, built in the time of the Dali Kingdom. They are octagonal, with eight sides, and they each stand roughly forty metres high. Their surfaces carry more decoration, with carved details and lotus forms. So you are not looking at a single design. You are looking at two different moments in time, standing side by side.

Look closely at the two smaller towers. Many visitors notice that they do not stand perfectly upright. Each one leans a little. This region sits in an active earthquake zone, and the pagodas have lived through many strong shocks over the centuries. A large earthquake in 1925 damaged much of Dali town, yet the towers stayed standing. Brick, mortar, and careful building have kept them up through more than a thousand years of moving ground.

Why build such tall towers here at all? The Buddhist answer is simple. A pagoda holds sacred objects and marks a holy place. But there is also a popular local tale. Legend has it that Erhai Lake was once home to dragons, and that the lake often flooded the plain. According to the story, the pagodas were raised to calm the dragons and protect the people. Locals still tell this tale with a smile. It shows how closely life here was tied to water.

The pagodas belonged to Chongsheng Temple, once one of the most important Buddhist temples in the region. In the Dali Kingdom, Buddhism and royal power were closely linked. Several Dali kings are said to have given up the throne in later life to become monks. Chongsheng was a royal temple, and it was large and wealthy. Over the centuries, wars, fire, and earthquakes destroyed most of its halls. The temple complex you can walk through today was rebuilt in recent decades.

The second surprise is inside the main tower. During restoration work in the late twentieth century, workers found a large collection of Buddhist objects hidden within the structure. There were statues of the Buddha, small bronze figures, mirrors, and written scriptures. Some of these items are now kept on display in the area. They give a rare look at the faith and the skill of the people of the Dali Kingdom. For centuries, no one standing here knew they were there.

Now think about who built all this. The main ethnic group of the Dali plain is the Bai people. Their name means white, and white is everywhere in their buildings. You will see it in the white walls of Dali's old houses, often painted with blue designs. You will see it in the plaster of these towers. Bai craftsmen, Tang building methods, and Buddhist faith all come together in the pagodas. They are both local and connected to a much wider world.

If you walk south of the pagodas, you will find a pond. On a still day, the three towers appear upside down in the water, with the mountains behind them. Many photographers come here for that view. In the early morning, the light is soft and the mountains are often clear. In the late afternoon, the sun from the west can leave the towers in shadow against a bright sky. Wind on the water quickly breaks the reflection, so patience helps.

As you move through the grounds, notice the change in sound. Near the road, there is traffic and the voices of tour groups. Behind the pagodas, among the rebuilt temple halls, it becomes quieter. You may smell incense from the altars. You may hear monks chanting, or the low wooden knock of a temple drum. The slope climbs gently toward the mountains. Each terrace gives you a slightly different angle back toward the three towers.

Before you leave, stand still once more and look at all three pagodas together. The central tower has watched this plain since the ninth century. It has seen kingdoms rise and fall, earthquakes shake the ground, and new halls built where old ones burned. Behind you, the Cangshan Mountains hold their clouds. Ahead, Erhai Lake catches the light. As you walk back toward the old town, look over your shoulder now and then. The white towers will stay in view for a long time.