Dali 大理市

Setting and landscape

The Cangshan is made up of 19 peaks running north to south, with the city's highest point, Yuju Peak (玉局峰), at 4,097 metres. Erhai, shaped like an ear, is Yunnan's second-largest lake, 40.5 kilometres long and 3 to 9 kilometres wide; its only natural outlet, the Xi'er River (西洱河), leaves from the southern end. The old town and the Cangshan and Erhai scenery on either side lie within the Cangshan–Erhai national nature reserve. Dali is known as the "city of wind", windier around Xiaguan (下关) than around the old town, and Dali's four traditional scenes are the wind of Xiaguan, the flowers of Shangguan (上关), the snow of Cangshan and the moon over Erhai.

History

In 738 the ruler Piluoge (皮罗阁) absorbed the other chiefdoms (诏) around Erhai to found Nanzhao and moved his capital to Taihe (太和城); in 779 it moved again to Yangjumie (羊苴咩城), on the site of today's old town. Duan Siping (段思平) founded the Dali kingdom there in 937, and it lasted until Kublai Khan conquered it in 1253. After the Yuan set up Yunnan province in 1274, the centre of the region shifted to Kunming. The present old town was first built in the Ming Hongwu reign, and during the uprising led by Du Wenxiu (杜文秀) from 1856 to 1872 his regime controlled most of Yunnan.

What to see

The Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple (崇圣寺三塔) are the city's only 5A scenic area. The old town (大理古城) keeps a chessboard plan of five north–south streets and eight east–west lanes. Other national protected sites include the Taihe city ruins with the Nanzhao Dehua Stele (南诏德化碑), the Bai buildings of Xizhou (喜洲白族古建筑群), the stele recording Kublai's conquest of Yunnan (元世祖平云南碑), Du Wenxiu's headquarters in the old Yunnan provincial military office (云南提督府旧址) and Dali Catholic Church (大理天主教堂). Butterfly Spring (蝴蝶泉) is among the sights of Cangshan. The Shuanglang (双廊) art quarter was named a national night-time culture and tourism cluster in 2024.

Food and local products

Xizhou baba (喜洲粑粑), also called poxu (破酥), is a baked wheat flatbread sold around Sifang Street (四方街) in Xizhou; it comes in sweet and savoury versions, with rose sugar and minced pork named as keys to its taste, and the Dali prefecture government notes that visitors call it "Dali pizza". Other local products include Dali marble (大理石), Bai tie-dye (扎染), Xiaguan tuocha tea (下关沱茶), the Bai three-course tea (白族三道茶) and rushan (乳扇), a dairy product.

Highlights

• Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple 崇圣寺三塔: Dali's only 5A scenic area and a national protected site.
• Dali Old Town 大理古城: Ming-era town with five north–south streets and eight east–west lanes.
• Xizhou Bai buildings 喜洲白族古建筑群: National protected group of Bai houses in Xizhou.
• Nanzhao Dehua Stele 南诏德化碑: Protected with the Taihe city ruins, the first Nanzhao capital.
• Shuanglang 双廊: Art quarter named a national night-time culture and tourism cluster in 2024.
• Xizhou baba 喜洲粑粑: Baked sweet or savoury wheat flatbread, nicknamed Dali pizza.