Central pagoda
Sixteen storeys.
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Dali's best-known landmark, three separate pagodas of brick covered in white plaster, standing at the corners of an equilateral triangle at the foot of the Cangshan mountains facing Erhai Lake, dating from the Nanzhao and Dali kingdoms of the ninth and tenth centuries. The tallest is the central Qianxun Pagoda, 69.6 m high with sixteen storeys, said to have been built between 823 and 840 on the order of a Nanzhao king; it's one of the tallest pagodas in Chinese history, flanked by two smaller octagonal pagodas. The finest view is from the pond behind them, where their whole reflection lies on the still water with the mountains behind, one of Yunnan's most famous images. Tickets are about CNY 75, with combined tickets up to 120 and the internal electric cart about CNY 35 return, per visitor guides. The pagodas are closed inside; mornings on a clear day are best.
Sixteen storeys.
Behind them.
As a backdrop.
About 1.5 km north of Dali Old Town
About CNY 75, with combined tickets up to 120 and the internal cart about 35 return, per visitor guides.
