Three pagodas comprise three independent pagodas forming a symmetric triangle. about 1 kilometer northwest of the ancient city of Dali, occupying a scenic location at the foot of Mt. Cangshan facing Erhai Lake, has a history of over 1,800 years. The elegant, balanced and stately style is unique in China’s ancient Buddhist architectures, It is a symbol of the history of Dali City.

The Three Pagodas are made of brick and covered with white mud.The middle pagoda, Qianxun Pagoda, also the main pagoda is 69.13 meters high, is one of the highest pagodas of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), while the other lower two stand to the north and south sides of it. Qianxun Pagoda, now empty, previously could be climbed by ladder from the inside. However the ladder is now broken, and travelers now have no opportunity to climb up. Three Pagodas, Zhaozhou Bridge of Hebei Province, and Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian, Shaanxi Province, are three curiosities of Chinese ancient architecture.

The other two sibling pagodas, built about one hundred years later, stand to the northwest and southwest of Qianxun Pagoda. They are 42.19 meters (140 feet) high. Different from Qianxun Pagoda, they are solid and octagonal with ten stories. The center of each side of every story is decorated with a shrine containing a Buddha statue.

There is a lake named Juying Chi (Reflection lake) behind the two pagodas., the lake is known to be able to reflect images of the Three Pagodas.