Dali Ancient City

» Dali, Yun Nan

Dali Ancient City Overview & Map Weather Transportation Information

The Ancient City faces Erhai Lake to the east ad Cangshan Mountain to the west. The gate tower of the City is grand and the sights here are beautiful. Dali is a magnificent ancient city with a perimeter of 6 kilometers.

City walls in old days

Dali Ancient City was set up in 1383 in the Ming Dynasty. It has a history of more than 600 years. When the city was first set up, it was entirely enclosed by the city walls on four sides and each side had a gate. The City Wall is 8 meters high and 7 meters thick. The interior of the wall was filled with rocks and the surface was bricked over smoothly.

Over the years, the walls on the east and west sides were destroyed. Only the walls on the south and the north were destroyed. In 1983, the local government renovated the wall and the gate tower. On the tower, four Chinese characters are quite striking, meaning "Literary State." Inside the gate, an old street, running from south to north, connects the south gate with the north gate.

Getting around

The four gate towers

The four gate towers in the east, south, west and north are named Chen En, Tong Hai, Mt. Cangshan and An Yuan respectively. There are also 45 battlements and 1560 crenels on the walls. A defensive river was surrounding the city.

Streets and houses

Streets

The streets and avenues in the city now are crisscrossing each other, typical of chessboard pattern. It runs from south to north. On both sides of the street stand houses with green tiles. Inns, tea houses, restaurants, ancient shops and streams of workshops, very bustling and exciting.

Houses

The typical houses for Bai people have three rooms: one major room and two wing-rooms, and a shining wall. Right opposite the major room stands a wall. Every time when the sun is setting, the sunlight shines onto the wall and then reflects into the yard, so the whole yard is bright. So the wall is called "shining wall". In order to avoid the gales from the west, the major rooms of most families sit in the west and face the east.

Another characteristic of the houses is that in all the four directions of a yard are rooms. In the four joints there are four small dooryards. Together with the bigger dooryard in the center of the yard, there are five dooryards altogether.

Decoration is another feature of houses for Bai people. They pay much attention to the gate and the tower. Upturned eaves, up-holding corners, arches and colourful pictures are all characteristics of their houses. Most of their windows, doors and shining walls are decorated with woodcarving of Jianchuan, marbles, coloured drawings or patterns, and washes. The technics is delicate, and the style is elegant. All these make the houses of Bai people one of the best among the houses in southwest China.

Garden plant

The residents all like to plant trees and flowers. There are garden in every house. 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 up flowers streets. A saying goes like this: "There is a well in every three families, and several pots of flowers in every family." Most families have a flower bed in the yard where grow all kinds of flowers like camellia.

Streams

Streams from Mt. Cangshan come into the city, going across the streets and visiting every family with their happy sound and sweet taste, running eastwards to Lake Erhai. The whole city looks fresh and wet, without any dust.

Festival used to be celebrated by Bai people

On every Feb. 14th according to the lunar calendar, it is the Flower Festival. Every family puts all its potted plants in front of the house to make a "flower hill". This attracts many visitors from all directions.

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, and Dali is also called the "Hometown to Golden Flowers".

Souvenirs suggest to buy

The shops here mainly sell some locally-made handicraft articles: marble products, straw weaving wares, embroideries, wax printing clothes and other ornaments. Small retailers also sell some antiques, ancient paintings, old coins and silver wares.

Marble

The marble has exquisite texture and unique veins. It is colourful and glitters translucently. The development and utilization of marbles began in the Kingdom of Nanzhao in as early as Tang Dynasty. All kinds of craftworks made from marbles are available in these shops and booths such as screens, brush pots and vases.

A right place for foreigners to stay

Dali Ancient City is widely acknowledged as "Backpackers' Paradise" in China. Foreign visitors like to stay in Dali ancient city. Some of them live there for months or even years, to observe and study the fascinating culture of Bai nationality.

In the so - called "Yangren Street (freigner's street) "in the heart of ancient city where is always full of foreign visitors, there are several dozens of cafes, western style restaurants, and clothes shops offering services to foreign guests. And it seems that every one of local Dali Bai people in the Yangren Street is a multi linguist.

Something needs to pay attention to

The ancient city is a walk-only place free of any vehicel turmoil.

Attractions around » Dali, Yun Nan

Natural Scene

• Mt. Cangshan
• Butterfly Spring
• Lake Erhai

Historical Site

• Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple
• Dali Ancient City

Nightlife

• Foreign Tourist Street

Shopping & Leisure

• Foreign Tourist Street

Dali Ancient City Highlights

Ancient Tea Horse Road attraction highlights

• Lijiang Old Town
• Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
• Shangri-la
• Lake Luguhu
• Yak Meadow
• Butterfly Spring
• Dali Ancient City
• Yufeng Lamastery
• Dongba Valley

city highlights

• Lhasa
• Shangri-la
• Lijiang
• Dali
• Gyangtze
• Tsetang

Ancient City & Town in Great China

• Lijiang Old Town
• Ancient Town of Zhouzhuang
• Shuhe Naxi Village
• Jiaohe Ruins
• Ancient Town of Wuzhen
• Pingyao Ancient City
• Tunxi Ancient Street
• Xidi Village
• Hongcun Village
• Yangliuqing Town
• Old Town of Xitang
• Cuandixia Village
• Zhujiajiao Old Town
• Phoenix Town
• Loulan Ancient City
• Qiuci Capital Ruins
• Baidicheng
• Fengdu
• Shibaozhai Temple
• Mallikurwatur Ruins
• Tangyue Archway
• Dali Ancient City
• Qingyan Ancient Town
• Zhenyuan Ancient Town
• Stone Drum Town
• Gaochang Ancient City
• Furong Town
• Qibaozhen Ancient Town
• Tongli Town
• Daxu Ancient Town
• Jingzhou Ancient City
• Nanping Village
• Xingping Town
• Longli Ancient Town
• Ancient Sanlu Temple Street
• Shiban Street
• Ciqikou Old Town
• Tunbao Cultural Village
• Kashgar Old Town
• Subashi Ancient City
• Gyangtze Old Town
• Lhatse
• Jinli Street
• Langzhong Ancient City

Dali Ancient City FAQ & Travelers's Tips

  Weather

1. When to go

  Transportation

1. A note on taxi

  Shopping

1. Always negotiate the price and make everything clear first.

  Travel

1. Can I rent a bike?
2. What are some interestng local festivals?

  Other Hints

1. Stay safe
2. Emergency Numbers
3. Useful Numbers

• When to go

  Dalii Bai Autonomous Prefecture is situated on the altiplano with low latitude, there are no severely hot summers or very cold winters. The best time to travel Dali is from March to June when the Spring is in full swing featuring enough sunshine, fresh air.

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• What are some interesting local festivals?

  March Street Festival of Bai Nationality
  Held between the fifth day and the twenty-first day of the third lunar month, the festival is one of the most magnificent folk celebrations of the Bai ethnic minority. The ceremony takes place just outside the western gate of Dali Ancient City. People come from every corner of the city at this time, dancing and singing; some trading are conducted on the spot too.

  Butterfly Fest
  It is a fest for the Bai ethnic boys and girls, held usually on the fifteenth day of the fourth lunar month near the Butterfly Spring. Stones are thrown into the spring and songs are sung with the hope of finding Mr or Miss Right.

  Raosanling of Bai Nationality
  It is a grand public function of the Bai people, held on the twenty-third day of the fourth lunar month. Everyone tries to be at the function promptly. The ceremony is aimed at praying for rain before the farming season begins.

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• Stay safe

  There are a few scams and petty crime targeting tourists in Dali. Watch your belongings carefully to protect from pickpockets and theft, though perhaps the major risk you take if staying in cheap accommodation is theft by other foreign travellers. Overall Dali is a very safe place with little crime directed at tourists.

  If you are planning to hike up the Cang mountains, travel in a group both to protect yourself from robbery and as back up in case of accident.

  Drugs disguised as strange artifacts are usually sold by women in traditional Bai costume, who will then lead you to their homes. Marijuana is widespread in Dali's foreign bars but, if caught, the penalties for possession and use are severe.

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• A note on taxi

  Generally, taxis in Dali are without fare meters, but for downtown travel, it is about 6 to 7 RMB Yuan per trip, if you want to go outside the city, you should talk and fix the fare with the taxi driver, generally about 25 Yuan per trip.
  

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• Always negotiate the price and make everything clear first.

  Before you pay for any other kind of entertainment, like riding a boat on Erhai, do make sure you have made everything clear, like what costs how much, the total price, to avoid arguments or unpleasantness.

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• Can I rent a bike?

  There are bikes for rent in Dali, but you will have to show your ID and pay a certain amount of deposite. The rent fee is about 10 - 15 RMB per day.

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• Emergency Numbers

  • Fire: 119
    
  • Police: 110
    
  • Traffic: 122
    
  • Ambulance: 120

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• Useful Numbers

  • Consumer Complaint: 12315
    
  • Tourist Complaint: 2670384
    
  • Telephone Number Inquiry: 114
    
  • Weather Forecast: 121
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