If you delve deeper into my development process, the source can be traced back to Yeyu County in the Western Han Dynasty. However, at that time, I was not called Dali, but called "Ye Yu". At that time, I was divided into multiple tribes by various ethnic minorities.

Various ethnic minority tribes continued to merge and integrate, and six larger ethnic minority tribes emerged, called "Six Zhao". Later, Nanzhao Piluo Pavilion destroyed the other five decrees, unified the six decrees, and established the Nanzhao State.

In 937 AD, Nanzhao Jiedushi Duan Siping destroyed Dayi Ningguo and established the "Dali State". Since then, I also had a formal and connotative name "Dali".

Although I am a city, I have witnessed and experienced these times for thousands of years, and these past events have long become the most profound memories in my mind.

The establishment of the ancient city of Dali, the rise and fall of the Duan family, and the prosperity of the three pagodas of Chongsheng Temple are all deeply hidden in my mind.

Among these past events, the most important, exciting and impressive one is the "Growth History of the Three Towers of Chongsheng Temple"!

The initial construction and rise and fall of the three pagodas of Chongsheng Temple were witnesses of the rise and fall of Dali during that period. Its rise and prosperity were inseparable from Dali's environment.

Today, the three towers of Chongsheng Temple are still the same as they were first built, with two cores, namely the three towers and Chongsheng Temple.

During the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, during the reign of Nanzhao, Chongsheng Temple was built in its current location. However, the scale of Chongsheng Temple at that time was not as grand as in its heyday, but it had a profound impact on the development of Dali.

While Chongsheng Temple continued to develop, the 69.13-meter-high Chihiro Pagoda with a total of 16 levels rose directly in front of Chongsheng Temple, becoming the tallest pagoda building in Dali at that time.

More than 30 years after the completion of the Chihiro Tower, the Nanzhao Jianzhong Bell, which was later praised as "one of the five important objects of Chongsheng Temple", was cast. When the bell was sounded, the sound could be heard for eighty miles.

Later, less than 40 years later, the "Jade Copper Guanyin Statue" was cast, which also belongs to the "five important objects of Chongsheng Temple."

There were still miraculous legends about the casting of Rain Copper Guanyin at that time.

Legend has it that when the Rain Copper Guanyin statue was halfway through the casting, the copper used to cast the statue had already been used up. Just when people were at a loss, copper chips fell from the sky. Coincidentally, people picked up the copper chips from the ground and used them to cast the statue. Not much was used up, so the Rain Copper Guanyin got its name.

Subsequently, dynasties changed and entered the period of management of the Duan family in Dali State (Song Dynasty).

At this time, after decades or even hundreds of years of development and growth, although the regime changed, the development of Chongsheng Temple was never hindered, and there was even a trend of reaching a higher level.

Due to its special status and attention in Dali State, Chongsheng Temple has embarked on a path of rapid development.

Subsequently, two small pagodas in the Song Dynasty were built on both sides of the Chihiro Tower, which had been built for nearly 300 years. At this time, Chihiro Tower and the two small pagodas had shown the three-legged confrontation we see today.

Chongsheng Temple had begun to take shape in the Dali Kingdom of the Song Dynasty. It had three pavilions, seven floors and nine halls, and a total of 890 houses.

From the above data, we can speculate that the current Daxiong Hall, Wanghai Tower, Guanyin Hall, Bell Tower and Drum Tower were completed during that period, but were later damaged due to uncontrollable factors such as war.

At this time, the primary construction of the three pagodas of Chongsheng Temple had been completed. As the influence and scope continued to expand, the construction of the three pagodas of Chongsheng Temple entered an "invisible period", moving from primary construction to cultural soft power.

With the improvement of Dali's comprehensive strength, the reputation of the three pagodas of Chongsheng Temple has gradually spread in Southeast Asia. Caravans, individuals, and missions from all directions have come to Dali. At this time, Dali has experienced unprecedented development.

Dali's craftsmen and painters have reflected these scenes in their own ways and expression techniques, which has become the most direct way for you to understand Dali today.

Time is a cycle, and development is cyclical. The development of a region and era has its peak and its decline. After its peak, Dali State quickly turned from prosperity to decline, and no one can turn the tide...

As time progressed, the status of Chongsheng Temple declined, leaving only broken walls and ruins in the stormy storms and endless wars, but it remained strong and was not submerged by the torrent of history.

When this land was far away from the smoke of smoke and returned to tranquility, and you rebuilt your home, the three towers of Chongsheng Temple were remembered again and valued by you. Since then, the three towers of Chongsheng Temple have embarked on a long road of recovery and development......

sincerely

salute

December 2021 AD

Text typesetting: Reading Yunnan Yijing

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