A Fun Tour of the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple and the Film Studio City: A Playful Reveal of the Secrets of the Duan Family, the First Great Clan of the Dali Kingdom

Dali, a city uniquely favored by the heavens!

The heavens blatantly bestowed all their affection and partiality on Dali: gentleness to Erhai Lake, grandeur and coolness to Cangshan Mountain, coziness to ancient towns, happiness and contentment to the people of Dali, and culture sown across this land.

The colors of Dali are both vibrant and elegant, life in Dali is fulfilling yet busy, and Dali’s culture is profound and fascinating.

If you seek a simple life of 'one house, two people, three meals, and four seasons,' then Dali is the place for you!

If you want to taste a life of idleness like drifting clouds and wild cranes, then Dali is the place to go!

If you wish to explore the origins and development of Bai culture, then Dali is where you need to be!

If you want to search for the cultural fragments left by the mysterious Nanzhao Kingdom and the prosperous Dali Kingdom, then you must come to Dali even more!

But no matter what you do, unhurriedness is the rhythm that suits Dali best!

Because only by slowing down do you have time to think; slowing down gives you the time to discover the interesting; slowing down lets you explore every corner of this city on foot and remember every little thing about it.

Slow down, wander around Tianlong Babu Film Studio City and the Chongsheng Temple Three Pagodas Tourist Area, and unearth one of Dali’s most mysterious cultural snippets—the secrets of the Duan family of the Dali Kingdom!

From the first time I heard of the Duan family of Dali, how many people, like me, thought this was a family invented by an author? But after truly delving deeper, you’ll find this is a family that is the polar opposite of its portrayal in martial arts novels.

Although the glory of the Duan family has long since faded, during their governance of the Dali Kingdom they left behind many famous city landmarks. From these landmarks we can learn and imagine, piecing together some little-known details about the Duan clan.

Among Dali’s many landmarks, the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple have the deepest connection with the Duan family of the Dali Kingdom. Tianlong Babu Film Studio City is the second most significant landmark after the Three Pagodas.

Both the Three Pagodas and Tianlong Babu Film Studio City are inseparable from the Duan family, yet they differ.

'The connection between the Three Pagodas and the Duan family is concrete, while Tianlong Babu Film Studio City is abstract.'

What exactly does this mean? Let’s step into the Chongsheng Temple Three Pagodas Cultural Tourism Area and Tianlong Babu Film Studio City to uncover the secret!

As you enter Tianlong Babu Film Studio City, you’ll find it’s all imitation-old architecture.

The buildings and streets here are constructed in the style of Dali during the period when the Duan family ruled in the Song Dynasty. Duan family elements are very apparent, as if they’ve been faithfully recreated from martial arts novel descriptions.

Indeed, Tianlong Babu Film Studio City was built based on Jin Yong’s martial arts novels plus historical references, so it leans more toward artistic interpretation.

The Dali Kingdom Imperial Palace, Dali Street, Daliao Street, Tianlong Tavern, and the Duan Family Embroidery Tower—these are all connected to the Duan family or its members in TV dramas, and it’s plain to see.

So, Tianlong Babu Film Studio City is a place brimming with imagination.

Walking along Dali Street, you can’t help but wonder if the members of the Duan family during the Dali Kingdom era also moved among the common folk like yourself, experiencing everyday life.

Inside the imperial palace of the Dali Kingdom, you imagine the king working day and night handling all state affairs, ministers reporting here—the palace was the operational center of the region.

Standing before the Duan Family Embroidery Tower, watching the performance of 'Prince Duan Seeks a Son-in-Law,' you can’t help thinking whether a Duan prince in the Dali Kingdom era would similarly pick a husband for his daughter.

Strolling through Tianlong Babu Film Studio City, you can fantasize and reminisce about the scattered fragments of TV dramas concerning the Duan family, piecing together an understanding of this mysterious clan.

If everything in Tianlong Babu Film Studio City connected to the Duan family is fictional, then Chongsheng Temple Three Pagodas Cultural Tourism Area has a real and intimate connection with the Duan family.

With these questions, let’s visit the Three Pagodas and see whether the Duan family was truly as depicted in TV shows.

In literary works, the Duan family is both the foremost clan of Dali and one of the four great martial arts families, possessing its own unique martial arts.

The family’s internal relations are extremely complex and chaotic—Duan Zhengchun and Duan Yu are by nature amorous, and the affairs of this family are really a tangled mess.

But literary works are, after all, artistic creations with much exaggeration and fabrication; just treat them as light entertainment.

The historical Duan family is the complete opposite of its literary image. Perhaps because the martial arts novel portrayal is so vividly ingrained, people remember only the romantic escapades of this family and completely overlook the rest.

But one trait is the same as in the TV dramas: the Duan family rulers ‘loved renouncing the world more than the throne’!

In history, the Duan family worked diligently and brought Dali to its zenith. Especially during the reign of Duan Zhengyan (also known as Duan Heyu, the prototype for Duan Yu), the Dali region enjoyed peace and prosperity, and the people lived in contentment.

In the Chongsheng Temple Three Pagodas Cultural Tourism Area, there are three exquisitely shaped ancient pagodas of great aesthetic value. The two smaller ones were built during the reign of Duan Zhengyan (aka Duan Heyu, Duan Yu’s prototype).

The two smaller towers are beautifully formed, their relief carvings vivid and lifelike, representing the advanced architectural level of Dali at the time and also indirectly confirming the Duan family’s contributions to Dali’s development.

As the 'Royal National Temple,' the Three Pagodas must have been admired by the Duan family members just as we do today, standing before them when they were first built!

It’s a wonderful feeling that we today can gaze upon the same pagodas that people admired a thousand years ago—it’s like a journey through time and space.

Passing through the Three Pagodas and heading toward the 'Royal National Temple'—Chongsheng Temple—you’ll find its grandeur matches its status.

All the halls and pavilions follow the ancient imperial architectural principle of a central axis; they are larger and more luxurious than ordinary ones, exuding a subtle sovereign aura.

Strolling through the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Hall of Guanyin, the Hall of the God of Wealth, and the Hall of the Medicine Buddha, you eventually reach the 'Hall of Eminent Monks' next to the Main Hall, where you once again find traces of the Duan family.

According to historical records, the Duan family had 22 rulers in total, 9 of whom renounced the secular world after abdicating the throne, and all chose to retreat to Chongsheng Temple for cultivation.

In the Hall of Eminent Monks, statues and name plaques of these nine Duan rulers are on display. Among them, four are well known to us:

Duan Shouhui, the 13th king of Dali Kingdom and prototype for Duan Yanqing, leader of the Four Great Evils in the martial arts novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.

Duan Zhengming, the 14th king and prototype for the Dali emperor in the novel.

Duan Zhengchun, the 15th king and prototype for Prince Duan in the novel.

Duan Zhengyan, the 16th king and prototype for Duan Yu in the novel.

Stepping inside the Main Hall, you discover wooden carvings, and among them once again traces of the Duan family appear.

The wooden carvings in the Main Hall are based on the paper version of the 'Scroll of Buddhist Images Painted by Zhang Shengwen of the Dali Kingdom' and executed using Jianchuan wood carving techniques.

The scroll is divided into four sections: the first depicts King Li Zhen of the Dali Kingdom paying homage to the Buddha; the second illustrates hundreds of Buddhist figures such as Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Buddha mothers, heavenly kings, and dharma protectors; the third shows the many hearts and the national-protecting precious banner; the fourth is a painting of sixteen kings.

On the scroll’s inscription is the reign title 'Shengde 5th Year, Gengzi,' which belongs to Duan Zhixing, king of the Dali Kingdom in the Song Dynasty—and Duan Zhixing was the grandson of Duan Heyu (Duan Yu’s prototype).

The first section depicts diplomatic activities during the era of Duan Zhixing, the scene grand and lively, showcasing the dynasty’s prestige and also corroborating the fact that the Duan family governed Dali with diligence and dedication.

If cultural relics are powerful evidence of the Duan family’s contributions, then the various time-worn artifacts in the Three Pagodas Cultural Relics Hall are small pieces of evidence that, when linked together, ultimately give us a clearer picture of the Duan family.

Although the Duan family of Dali has been swept away by the tide of history, in the dusty corners of Dali and in martial arts novels, its legend lives on!

The End

[Editor] Yiyunnan Yi Jing

[Photos] Yiyunnan photography

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