Three Pagodas opened in Minneapolis in the fall of 2001, offering directly imported fine Asian antique furniture and artifacts. Owners Lang Hunt and Diane Hunt travel to Indonesia, Taiwan, Mainland China and Hong Kong to select one-of-a-kind antique items. Lang’s background in anthropology and his extensive Asian travel over the last 15 years have informed his leadership. Each piece in the gallery is carefully chosen from a wide variety of collectors, wholesale dealers and markets. Three Pagodas offers pieces that are aesthetically pleasing and functionally integrative in a wide variety of decors. These antiques are chosen for their specific qualities, including age, material, condition, form, functionality, overall aesthetic and value. At times pieces are purchased based solely on their collectability.

As the business has grown, we have expanded and remodeled our showroom and our services. Today, we offer a gallery environment, plentiful parking and most importantly, carefully vetted antique pieces to insure value as well as aesthetics. In addition, we offer Asian inspired Custom Furniture, one-of-a-kind and multiples, hand crafted by master craftsmen in China to your specifications. (See Custom section.) We also provide full Restoration services for the convenience of our customers.

Where did the name Three Pagodas come from?

Three Pagodas, standing at an important Buddhist site, are among the oldest structures in Southwestern China. The site is located at the foot of Yingle Peak of Cangshan Mountain in the ancient city of Dali. The tallest of the three, Quanxun Pagoda, has 16 tiers reaching a height of nearly 70 meters. It was erected in the 9th Century, about the same time as the Large Goose and Small Goose Pagodas were erected in Xi’an. On either side are two smaller 10 tiered pagodas, each standing at 42 meters high. At the time of the Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms, 937-1253 A.D., standing behind the three pagodas was Chongsheng Temple, the largest monastery in the area of which the three pagodas were only a smaller part. Weathering the storms and earthquakes of the last 10 centuries, the elegant three pagodas still stand. They are the symbols of outstanding architectural technology, the wisdom of an ancient laboring people and the brilliant culture of Dali. Now, the monastery has long disappeared and only the three pagodas remain.