Sun Moon Pagodas

Location: Rongshan Lake Scenic Area, Wenming Road, Xiufeng District, Guilin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
Opening time: 08:00-22:00 everyday
Best time for visit: all year long
How to get there: On private coach or by buses No.2, No.5, No.16, No.23, No.88, No.208 or sightseeing bus line 1 to Wenming Road Station, and then walk to the scenic spot.

The Sun Moon Pagodas are located in the center of Shanhu Lake, and are the most famous tourist attractions in the two rivers and four lakes surrounding the city. Because it is opposite to the Song Dynasty carved Sun And Moon God Bodhisattva in the Guihai Stele Forest across the river, and because the Sun Moon Pagodas tower into the clouds, pointing directly at the sun and moon, it is named Sun Pagoda and Moon Pagoda. Both pagodas are attic style mountain and water towers, with the Sun Pagoda standing at 41 meters high and the Moon Pagoda at 35 meters high. It is the first cultural park in China with the theme of "Harmony of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism". It is a tourist destination that integrates culture, art, religion, architecture, technology, and natural landscapes. The Sun Moon Pagodas are connected by an 18-meter underwater passage at the bottom of the lake. Tourists can take the elevator to climb up to the Sun Pagoda and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Guilin city.

It is worth noting that the Sun Moon Pagodas can be viewed along the coast of Shanhu Lake. The Sun Moon Pagodas are illuminated every night from 19:00 to 22:00, with one illuminated in golden yellow and the other in silver white. When illuminated at night, the view becomes even more spectacular.

Major attractions Of The Sun Moon Pagodas

The Sun Moon Pagodas And Underwater Tunnel
The Sun pagoda is a 9-level octagonal pagoda, standing 41 meters high. There is a vertical elevator installed inside the pagoda, which is currently the tallest copper elevator pagoda in the world and also the highest copper building in the world. Moreover, the Sun Pagoda is built in water, making it the highest underwater pagoda in the world. On the first floor of the Sun Pagodas, there is a bell that tourists can use to strike and pray for blessings. At the same time, there are also tea houses on the first and second floors, where tourists can enjoy tea and the scenery. By taking the elevator from the bottom floor of the Sun Pagoda, tourists can directly reach the seventh floor of the Sun Tower. Tourists can directly reach the ninth floor by climbing two more flights of stairs, where they can overlook the magnificent scenery of Guilin city.

The Moon Pagoda is a 7-level octagonal pagoda, 35 meters high, decorated with glass, solemn and elegant. Each floor has different carvings, but also has different theme significance. At the entrance of the first floor of the Moon Pagoda, there is an exhibition of Buddhism and Taoism, as well as a "Tai Chi Drum" where visitors can play drums and showcase their strength. On the seventh level, there is a Moon Elder statue representing love and marriage.

There is an underground aquarium passage between the Sun Pagoda and Moon Pagoda, which is 18 meters long. Through the arched glass, tourists can see the bottom of the lake creatures such as koi, grouper, and black grass on the top and sides of the head..

Stone Inscription
The Sun Moon Pagodas Cultural Park integrates the cultures of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, featuring the largest bronze statues of Shakyamuni Buddha, Medicine Buddha, Confucius, and Laozi in Guilin. In the Moon Pagoda underground palace, there is the first version of Guangxi's mural relief of "Medicine Buddha and Twelve Divine Generals". The small square of the Moon Pagoda and the first floor of the Moon Pagoda are known as the "Zhuye Stele", "Shakyamuni Buddha Footprint Stele", "Huaxiang Stele", "Zuzihua Stele" and "Qiannianshou Stele", which are considered the wonders of China's stele forest. Among them, "Qiannianshou Stele"was made by the Qing Dynasty calligrapher Wang Yuanren in 1825. The stele contains a thousand characters for "thousand(qian)", "year(nian)" and "longevity(shou)", which were carved using different fonts such as cursive script, seal script and clerical script.