Last Update: 9th October 2020
Standing in the West Lake, the Three Pools Mirroring Pagoda offers 3 stone pagodas. They were originally built in 1090. The existing ones were rebuilt between 1621 and 1627. Three Pools Mirroring Pagoda is the background of 1 RMB cash.
- Chinese Name: Santan Yinyueta (三潭印月塔)
- Height: 2.5 x meters
- Things to do there: Photography, Adventure, Cruise
- Who visits: Photographers, Adventure Enthusiasts
- Time required: 0.5 – 1 x hour
Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours including Three Pools Mirroring Pagoda, among other attractions and destinations. To find out more, please visit our Tours page or Contact Us directly to find out more.
Lines formed by the three pagodas make for an equilateral triangle. The top looks like a gourd. The body is hollow with five holes. The holes are surrounded with fine patterns. If the candle in the body is lit on the night of the lunar 15th every month and the holes are covered with a piece of thin paper, 15 moons may appear on the surface. The base is also decorated with exquisite carvings. The three pagodas are supported by several pine piles in the lake.
Three Pools Mirroring Pagoda is located near the Islet of Xiaoyingzhou. Originally, the pagodas were said to measure the water level in the lake. If you’d like to explore the pagodas at a closer range, you’d need to take a small sculling boat. This kind of boat can just accommodate 6 passengers and is not permitted to stop at the Xiaoyingzhou islet in the lake, which means the passengers cant be able to visit the islet. If you just want to enjoy the bird’s eye views of the pagodas and explore the Xiaoyingzhou islet, it is suggested that you take the power-driven wooden cruise boat with the traditional Chinese style.
The independent travelers are required to take the boat at Yigongyuan (一公园游船码头), Huagang (花港游船码头), Yuemiao/Hangzhou Hotel(岳庙/杭州饭店游船码头), Zhongshan Park (中山公园游船码头) or Qianwangci Piers(钱王祠游船码头) . Please don’t take the wrong cruise boat when you leave the islet.
If you’d love to visit the pagodas in the distance for photography purposes, the best time to visit is at night.
The best months to visit are from April to October.
You can take a small sculling boat to explore the pagodas in the West Lake or just watch them on a power-driven wooden cruise boat.
- Opening hours: 24 hours
- Opening hours for the cruise boat: 08:00 – 16:00 (March 16 – November 15) and 08:00 – 15:30 (November 16 – March 15)
- As at 9th October 2020, the entrance ticket for power-driven wooden cruise boat (including the entrance to the Xiaoyingzhou Islet) is 55 CNY per person; children between 1.2m tall (1.2m tall not included) and 1.5m tall (1.5m tall not included) are charged 25 CNY per person; children under 1.2m tall (1.2m tall included) is free of charge.
- The entrance ticket for luxury cruise boat (including the entrance to the Xiaoyingzhou Islet) is 70 CNY per person; children between 1.2m tall (1.2m tall not included) and 1.5m tall (1.5m tall not included) are charged 35 CNY per person; children under 1.2m tall (1.2m tall included) is free of charge.
- The charter pricing to the sculling boat is 180 CNY per boat per hour.
- For the latest pricing, please contact us via email (info@wendyweitours.com)
- If you take the luxury cruise boat, please board the boat at Ergongyuan Cruise Pier (二公园游船码头), Wugongyuan Cruise Pier (五公园游船码头) or Children’s Palace Pier (少年宫码头)
Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours including Three Pools Mirroring Pagoda, among other attractions and destinations. To find out more, please visit our Tours page or Contact Us directly to find out more.