The Gantong Temple, or Tangshan Temple, is on the southern slope of Shengying Peak in the Cangshan Mountains, five kilometers south of the ancient city of Dali. The temple faces Erhai Lake, with its back to the snow-covered Cangshan Mountains in the south. It was built in the early years of the State of Nanzhao (early ninth century). It is composed of the Main Court and the Great Hall to the west of the Court. To the left of the front of the Hall is a bronze bell weighing hundreds of kilograms and to the right there was originally a big drum with a diameter of nearly two meters. But the drum no longer survives. The temple is appreciated as the foremost in Southwest China for its quiet environment, imposing halls and numerous ceremonies.