The nine-storied White Horse Pagoda with a height of 12 meters is a uniquely shaped spectacular architecture that is a leading site among the tourist attractions in Dunhuang.
Built in the Qing Dynasty, the White Horse Pagoda, with a typical style of lama pagoda of Ming Dynasty, has been renovated multiple times throughout years.
The nine-storey pagoda is 12 meters high with a diameter of 7 meters. It was made of adobes with a column inside and coated on the outside with mud and lime with every storey’s own feature and charm. The brick foundation is octagonal with a 3-meter wide face each.
Every storey has its own characteristic. The 2-4th stories were shaped with overlapping refraction angles. The 1-5th stories were ringed with a line of papilla spikes. The 6th story resembles an upside-down basin, and the 7th resembles a Buddhist wheel, while the 8th is sex-angular with a wind bell hanging from each angle. The top storey is a spire resembling a string of beads.
Location: in White Horse Village, about 1 km (0.62 miles) west of Dunhuang City
Transportation: There is no public bus to reach White Horse Pagoda. Visitors need to catch a taxi to visit the pagoda. However, taxi drivers usually don’t run the meter. Therefore, visitors had better bargain with the drivers. Normally, it costs no more than CNY15 from the downtown area to the pagoda.
Ticket: CNY 15
Opening hours: 08:00 - 18:00