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Shanhu Lake Scenic Area, Wenming Road, Xiufeng District, Guilin, Guangxi
Must go attraction to enjoy the beautiful night view of Guilin, land mark of Guilin
The Sun and Moon Pagodas is located in in the Fir lake/Shanhu lake, and the inner city of Guilin, and consists of two pagodas, the Sun pagoda and Moon pagoda, and it is also known as Gold and Silver Pagodas. It is a combination of Confucianism, Buddism and Taoism, and one of the cultural symbols of Guilin. It is firstly built in the Tang Dynasty, and rebuilt in 2001. This attraction may be visited in daytime and night, and it is gorgeous in the night because of the lights which would be turned off in 23:00 o'clock.
The Sun pagoda is in the center of the lake, 41 meters and 9 floors, and all of its components are made from plain brass, and it looks in golden, which gives it another as gold pagoda, and 350 tons of brass material is used in the Sun pagoda. Inside of this pagoda, there is an elevator in service. The Sun pagoda is the highest brass pagoda in the world, and the highest pagoda standing in a lake. In the first floor, there is a brass bell to pray for happiness and good luck, and visitors could have a try to strike the bell and wish a better future. In the first and second floors, there are tea houses for visitors to have a cup of tea and enjoy the beautiful scenery. In the eighth and ninth floors, there are Sheli exhibitions and Sheli is the crystal of Sakyamuni's body after cremation. The highest floor is the best place to have an overall view of this lake.
Sun Pagoda:
Height: About 41 meters(9 stories)
Material: bronze/copper
Features: Octagonal base, featuring an elevator up to the 6th level
Highlights: tallest bronze pagoda in the world, tallest copper building in the world, and tallest underwater pagoda in the world
Moon Pagoda:
Height: About 35 meters(7 stories)
Clad in glazed tiles
Connected to the Sun Pagoda via a 10–18 m underwater glass tunnel
Features ornate carvings, Buddhist/Taoist exhibits
The Moon pagoda is 35 meters high and 7 floors, which is decorated by colored glaze, thus it is also named silver pagoda. Carvings in every floors have themes of different meanings. Its underground palace has large-scale wall paintings of qing hua mei ping vase in the Ming Dynasty and embossment of Medicine Buddha, bodhisattva and guardian angels of 12 Chinese zodiac. In its first floor, there is a Tai ji drum and exhibition of Buddhism and Taoism. Its square and first floor have many stone tablets with carvings. The seventh floor is a floor of Yue Lao, a god of love and marriage, and has the statue of Yue Lao. Inside of the two pagodas, there are lots of exquisite carvings. The two pagodas are linked by a tunnel of 18 meters under the lake. Through the arched glass, visitors may be surprised by the leisure of fish and beautiful scenery in the lake. From the highest place of the two pagodas, visitors may have a whole view of the Fir lake.
The Sun and Moon Pagodas has great historical, architectural, and cultural value. The pagodas have a long history and still keep the building style in ancient time and it is a cultural thing from a deep level. It has features of Confucianism, Buddism and Taoism, like carvings, bell, and bronze statue. It has bronze statues of Sakyamuni, Confucius, and Laozi. In the Moon pagoda, there are stone carvings like tablet of bamboo leaf, tablet of Sakyamuni's footprint, and portrayal tablet. Bamboo leaf tablet is a stone inscription carved with a poem, and the word of the poem forms a picture of bamboo leaf. Portrayal tablet is made by Zhu Zaiyu in 1565, and it is a mixed portrayal of Sakyamuni, Confucius and Laozi. Qian nian shou tablet is made by Wang Yuanren, a calligrapher in the Qin Dynasty in 1825. The stone inscription consists of one thousand words of Qian, nian and Shou, and those words are in styles of seal script, cursive script and clerical script, and the last strokes of every words have a small word of fu. Though the tablet only has three kinds of words, they are distinct from each other.
Sun Moon Pagodas are highlights of the Shanhu Lake, which is one of the Two Rivers and Four Lakes of Guilin. At the Sun Moon Pagodas, you can stroll around the Shanhu Lake and enjoy the sunset around the lake. When you are enjoying the sunset at the Sun Moon Pagodas, you can see the sun gradually down over the two pagodas, and the river are covered by the color of the sunset or sunset glows, which is impressive and beautiful. And Sun Moon Pagodas are located near the Elephant Trunk Hill, which can be your alternative after you visit the Elephant Trunk Hill.
Sun Moon Pagodas are known as their stunning view at nights, when the Sun Pagoda is golden and the Moon Pagoda is silver. At night, you can stroll around the Shanhu Lake and enjoy the gorgeous night view of the Sun Moon Pagodas. Strolling around the Shanhu Lake is a good choice for you after dinner.
You can dress the characteristic clothes of minority and get some wonderful photos at night with the Sun Moon Pagodas, and the unique clothing matches the Sun Moon Pagodas well. In summer, you can stroll around the Sun Moon Pagodas and feel the breeze around the Shanhu Lake.
Taking the night cruise is the best way to explore the Two Rivers and Four Lakes of Guilin. Two Rivers and Four Lakes of Guilin refer to the Li River, Taohuajiang River, Ronghu Lake, Shanhu Lake, Guihu Lake and Mulong Lake, which includes most of highlights and landmarks of Guilin including Elephant Trunk Hill and Sun Moon Pagodas. Taking the night cruise to explore the Two Rivers and Four Lakes, you can know about the history and stories of them and enjoy the night view of Guilin. Taking the night cruise is the fastest way to know about the Two Rivers and Four Lakes because they are all large.
Elephant Trunk Hill
Elephant Trunk Hill is the iconic landmark of Guilin, which looks like an elephant drinking water from the Li River, hence the name. At Elephant Trunk Hill Park, we will know about the Water Moon Cave, the natural formation of the karst rock looking like an elephant dipping it trunk into the river. And we will also know about the stories and legends about the Elephant Trunk Hill.
Climbing the Elephant Trunk Hill is recommended because it is not difficult to climb the Elephant Trunk Hill, which takes about 10-20 minutes to get to the top of the hill. At the top of the Elephant Trunk Hill, you can have a panoramic view of the Guilin downtown and Li River.
Zhengyang Pedestrian Street and East West Lane
Zhengyang Pedestrian Street and the East West Lane are not far away from the Sun Moon Pagodas. There are many characteristic stores of Guilin in the Zhengyang Pedestrian Street. And East West Lane remain the architectural style of Ming Dynasty. At Zhengyang Pedestrian Street, you can taste many local snacks of Guilin like glutinous rice ball, osmanthus cakes and Guilin rice noodles. At the East West Lane, you can taste some coffee and milk tea. You can visit the Residence of Prince Jingjiang and the Xiaoyao Tower at the East West Lane. At the Xiaoyao Tower, you can have a panoramic view of Li River and Guilin downtown.
Binjiang Road
Binjiang Road is one of the most beautiful streets in Guilin. It concentrates Elephant Trunk Hill, Li River, Xiaoyao Tower, Sun Moon Pagodas, Zhengyang Pedestrian Street and East West Lane. Walk around the Binjiang Road at day, you can taste the local snacks and coffees and enjoy the picturesque scenery of the Li River. Stroll around the Binjiang Road at night, you can enjoy the night view of the Sun Moon Pagodas, Elephant Trunk Hill, Xiaoyao Tower, Jiefang Bridge and East West Lane. And there will be many people singing alongside the Li River at night, you can stop to listen to the songs they sing, which is interesting.
Sun Moon Pagodas are located in the Guilin downtown and near the Elephant Trunk Hill. You can walk to Sun Moon Pagodas from Elephant Trunk Hill.
From $ 245
From on request
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