Pailou

Yuantong Temple, Kunming

Yuantong Si, a Buddhist temple, is one of the most popular in Yunnan. It was begun in the Tang dynasty (c. 800 AD), but has been rebuilt many times since then. The current restoration dates from the Qing dyansty and later.

Yuantong's entrance gate (pailou) introduces the temple's axial plan. The main axis of the temple begins here, sloping downwards into the complex.