Dali Ancient City

Standing between the Lake Erhai to the east and Mt.Cangshan to the west, Dali Ancient City is one of the first 24 historical and cultural cities in China. It covers an area of 3 square kilometers. It is an important gateway to the west and northwest of Yunnan, with Kunming-Wanding and Yunnan-Tibet Road running through it. Once was a transit station on the Ancient Tea-horse Road.

Centuries-old city

Dating back to the Era of Tianbao in Tang Dynasty (618-907), it was recognized as the capital of Nanzhao Kingdom. The current Dali Ancient City was built in 1382 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), covering an area of 6 square kilometers with a city wall of 8 meters high. In 1701, it was expanded southward.

Layout

Dali Ancient City has a chessboard layout with five streets from south to north and eight lanes from east to west. Roads in this city are still kept the architecture of Ming and Qing dynasties. The residential houses are typically laid out either in the form of Sanfang Yi Zhaobi (three houses and one screen wall in front) or Sihe Wu Tianjin (four houses and five courtyards). The east-west trend Huguo Road is called the Foreigners’ Street where scatters many western restaurants, café and shops titled with English words.

What to see

Three pagodas in Dali Ancient City

There are three pagodas located in the northwest of city which have been listed as the key cultural relics approved by the State Council. Together with one tower of the Chongsheng Temple, southwest in the city standing opposite, they add the old city a layer of splendor.

The first gate

Located outside the South Gate, Wenxian Pavilion is a remarkable building in Dali Ancient City, stretching across the passageway. It was the place for government to welcome the high officials and noble lords. It is a two-storey building featuring the typical architecture of Bai ethnic minority.

Peculiar houses

The houses in the city are the typical Bai national residences. Most of them have two storeys with three rooms including one major room and two wing-rooms, and a shining wall. The houses appear simple with the whitewashed wall and the grey tiles. Decorated with ink pattern, it is rather elegant. Upturned eaves, up-holding corners, arches and colorful pictures are all characteristics of their houses. Most of their windows, doors and shining walls are decorated with woodcarving, marbles, colored drawings or patterns, and washes.

Garden plant

The local people have the custom to plant trees and flowers. Each family has a garden with different sizes. The famous Dali camellia, azalea and orchids are competing to show their beauty, blooming against snow on Mt. Cangshan. Red flowers and green grass are coming out from wall, making the whole street full of fragrance of flowers. For their love for flowers, local people name their girls after the names of flowers. "Golden Flower" is a good name for local Bai girls which predicts beauty and happiness.

What to buy

Marble handicrafts in Dali Ancient City can be found easily such as Four Treasures of Study, flowerpot, vase and lantern made from marbles. The most featured in Bai minority is tie dyeing that almost each Bai people can make. Dali snow pear produced in the east shore of Lake Erhai tastes soft and fine. Visitors prefer to hunt for souvenirs in the Huguo Street where collects various local products.

The best season to visit

Spring and summer are the best seasons to have a visit in Dali Ancient City for many festivals concentrate in these periods like Sanyuejie and Torch Festival, which offers the visitors opportunities to experience the folk customs.

Three Courses of Tea

A unique tea is the "Three Courses of Tea," which symbolically mirrors life's progress - first bitter then sweet. The first course is slightly bitter; the second course is trifle sweet (walnuts and candy are added to the tea), and the third course is unforgettable satisfying.