[2025 Dali Attraction] Travel Guide for Guanyin Temple (Updated Apr)

Guanyin Temple is located in Guanyintang Village, Wuliqiao Township, Dali City, 9 km from Xiaguan and about 5 km from Dali Ancient City. It is named after the worship of Guanyin Bodhisattva. It was originally a post station in the Ming Dynasty. Later, it was said that Guanyin Bodhisattva turned into an old woman and carried stones to scare away enemy soldiers. People built a temple here to worship Guanyin, which was called "Dashian". In the 12th year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1873), Cen Yuying, the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, rebuilt the temple, forming the current scale. The entire building of Guanyin Temple is rigorous and orderly, with majestic halls, lush trees in the courtyard, flowers and plants competing for beauty, smoke curling in the pavilion, and the sound of wooden fish. The buildings in the temple are divided into the front pavilion, the middle hall, and the back hall, among which the most famous is the front pavilion. It is built on a huge stone called "Guanyin Stone", all made of marble, surrounded by marble railings, carved with dragons and phoenixes, and is very magnificent. [Transportation] • Public transportation: Take the "Three Pagodas Line" or "Line 4" bus from Dali Ancient City and get off at Guanyintang Station. • Self-driving: Depart from Dali Ancient City, drive 6 km, about 15 minutes. • Taxi: Tell the driver to go to Guanyintang, and you can go directly to the entrance of the scenic spot. • Ticket: Free. • Opening hours: 8:00-17:00. [Travel tips] • Front Pavilion: This is the landmark building of Guanyin Temple, built on a huge Guanyin stone, all made of marble, very spectacular. • Mahavira Hall: The hall enshrines statues of the Three Buddhas, Manjusri, Samantabhadra, etc. You can also worship the God of Wealth and pray for wealth and blessings. • Surrounding attractions: After leaving Guanyin Temple, you can visit Zhang's Garden on the north side. It is a garden within a garden that combines Bai-style residential buildings and garden features. [Notes] • After the rain in summer and autumn, the temperature drops quickly, so it is best to bring some autumn clothes. • To protect cultural relics and the environment, visitors are not allowed to smoke or take photos in the temple. Dali Guanyin Temple is not only a religious sanctuary but also a tourist destination full of historical and cultural heritage, worth a visit.

Guanyintang in Dali is a lesser-known temple that locals visit. I often pass by it when taking a taxi in Dali, but today is the first time I went inside. The temple looks ancient, but some buildings should be newly built. Guanyintang is related to Guanyin Bodhisattva and has the legend of "carrying stones to stop soldiers." Guanyintang is located between Xiaguan and the ancient city, in Guanyintang Village, Wuliqiao Township, Dali City, 9 km from Xiaguan and about 5 km from the ancient city of Dali, on the west side of the Yunnan-Tibet Highway. It is one of the famous ancient Buddhist temples in Dali. The entire architecture of Guanyintang is rigorous and orderly, with majestic halls; the courtyard is lush with trees and flowers; the pavilion is filled with incense smoke and the sound of wooden fish. It is not only a place where pilgrims gather but also a place where literati and scholars travel. Guanyintang was built in the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. While repairing the Guanyin Pavilion, the main hall was built, forming a seven-bay, three-sided closed, front-opened Mahavira Hall. Subsequently, a complex of buildings including a stage, gate tower, hall, and pavilion was gradually formed, incorporating various activities such as sacrifices, song and dance performances, and markets, but then gradually declined. After more than ten years, it was finally rebuilt in 1988. There is also a beautiful legend about Guanyintang. It is said that during the Han Dynasty, soldiers invaded Dali, and Guanyin Bodhisattva transformed into an old woman, carrying a large stone with a grass rope on the road and met the enemy soldiers. The invading soldiers were very surprised and thought: The old woman here has such great strength, let alone the young and strong? So, the enemy soldiers did not dare to invade again and retreated. This is the famous legend of "carrying stones to stop soldiers." Later generations built a Guanyin Pavilion on the stone to commemorate Guanyin's protection of the country and the people, with a statue of Guanyin inside, and then expanded it into Guanyintang. Every year on the 19th day of the second, sixth, and ninth lunar months, the local Bai people hold a grand Guanyin Festival at Guanyintang to commemorate the great kindness and virtue of Guanyin Bodhisattva.

📍Address: South of Dali Ancient City, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province 🚗Transportation: We drove there 👍️Must-visit: Guanyin Pond is the residence of the Dali Buddhist Association. Every year on the 19th day of the second lunar month, people not only worship Guanyin, but also carry out various cultural activities, integrating religion, culture, and market trade. Legend has it that when Han soldiers invaded Dali, Guanyin turned into an old woman, carrying a large stone on her back with a grass rope and met the enemy soldiers on the road. The invading soldiers saw this and were very surprised. They thought: The old women here are so strong, let alone the young and middle-aged people? So, the enemy soldiers dared not invade again and sounded the gong to retreat. This is the famous legend of "carrying stones to block soldiers". Later generations built a Guanyin Pavilion on the big stone to commemorate Guanyin's protection of the country and the people, and the pavilion enshrined a statue of Guanyin, which was later expanded into Guanyin Pond. 🎟️Ticket: No reservation required, no ticket 💗Other tips: This place is very photogenic.