1. Things To Know Before You Go
Regarded as a unique ancient city, Dali Ancient City is filled with traditional dwellings of Bai ethnic group that can be seen everywhere, the residents, regardless of the rich or the poor, they all have the habit of planting flowers in their courtyards, making their lives extremely laid-back and comfortable. Tourists coming here will be immersed in the cozy and carefree atmosphere. When they see various exquisite marble products, beautiful tie-dyed products, straw-woven items and other specialty shops as well as the full-flavored Bai ethnic group restaurants, they will be so enchanted that they hate to leave. Now, let me introduce the characteristics of Dali Ancient City to you all and also provide you with a detailed travel guide.
2. Why Is Dali Ancient City So Special?
2.1 The Tangible Benefits Bring To Tourists
Dali Ancient City was located between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake. Going uphill leads to the Cangshan Mountain and going downhill leads to the Erhai Lake. Buddhist temples, ancient Islamic mosques and Catholic churches coexist here in harmony, embracing each other's beliefs. Adding the quiet and comfortable inns, as well as the small stalls in every street and alley, whether it's day or night, visitors can always find a cozy place to "have a drink" at any time, thus enjoying the sense of relaxation in life and allowing them to feel the beauty of life. In this way, visitors are not just experiencing life, but making life the way they want it to be.
2.2 Attractions Overview
2.2.1 Geographical Location
Dali Ancient City is also known as Yeyu City and Zicheng. It is situated in the western part of Yunnan Province, at the foothill of the picturesque Cangshan Mountain. It was also the capital city of the ancient Nanzhao Kingdom and Dali Kingdom. The ancient city was first built in the fifteenth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1382), covering an area of 3 square kilometres. During more than 500 years of history from the Tang and Song Dynasties, Dali Ancient City was the center of politics, economy and culture in Yunnan province, the streets inside Dali Ancient City are in a typical chessboard-like layout, and it is also the core tourist area of Dali city.
2.2.2 Tourism Resources
The main tourist attractions in Dali Ancient City include Wuhua Tower, Foreigners' Street, Catholic Church, Red Dragon Well, Art Street, museums and so on. The Wuhua Tower is the highest point in the ancient city, tourists can have a panoramic view of the scenery of Dali when they ascend the Wuhua Tower, The Foreigners' Street is a special street running from east to west, it has preserved the traditional Bai ethnic group architecture and is full of the sentiment and living atmosphere where Chinese and Western cultures blend with each other, so all of them are well worth visiting.
2.2.3 Climatic Features
There are abundant sunshine during the winter and spring in Dali Ancient City, the weather is sunny and the number of sunshine hours is relatively large. However, cloudy and rainy days also frequently appear in the summer and autumn, making the sunshine relatively small.
2.2.4 Architecture Characteristics
It is about more than 1,000 meters wide from east to west and about more than 2,000 meters long from north to south, there are three main streets running longitudinally from north to south and five or six alleys running from east to west. All the houses inside the city are folk residences with earthen and wooden structures and tile roofs, most of the streets are paved with blue stone slabs, making them extremely simple and unsophisticated.
2.2.4 Festival & Culture
March Fair (三月街)
The Third Month Fair in Dali is a grand traditional festival of the Bai ethnic group, it is a traditional ethnic gathering with a history of thousands of years and also an ancient and prosperous trade fair in western Yunnan. This festival began during the Yonghui period of the Tang Dynasty (650 - 655 AD) and it evolved from the traditional temple fair, the fair lasts for seven days, starting from the 15th day of the third lunar month and ending on the 21st day. The fairground of the Third Month Fair is outside the west gate of the ancient city of Dali. It mainly involves material exchanges, holds large-scale exchange activities of ethnic sports and artistic performance activities, and it is also a grand gathering for tasting the delicacies of various ethnic minorities. The Third Month Fair with a history of more than 1,300 years, it integrates the history, folklore, religion, economic and cultural exchanges of the Bai ethnic group together, which ends up with an irreplaceable value for studying the economic and cultural development and the history of religious development of the Bai ethnic group in Dali.
Horse racing is one of the main activities of the Third Month Fair. On the horse racing track of the Third Month Fair, thousands of horses dash forward like arrows leaving the bowstring with their hooves flying, the riders of various ethnic groups compete in courage, wisdom, and speed on the galloping horses. Apart from the horse racing, sports competitions such as archery, wrestling, martial arts, chess, dragon boat racing, ball games, and swinging are also held every year, they are indeed very interesting and worth visiting.
Dali Bai Opera
It is an ethnic minority opera in the Dali area, which incorporates some Bai ethnic group folk songs and dances. The repertoire of Bai Opera is rich in collections, with approximately more than 400 pieces. For those who are keen on Chinese opera, it is a good chance for them to experience it.
Bai Ethnic Group Dance
The Rattle Stick Dance is a characteristic representative of Bai ethnic group's folk dances, the colorful sticks used in the dance performance are made of mountain bamboo, with a string of three copper coins or two strings of six copper coins threaded through the bamboo. The dancer holds the middle part of the rattle stick in the right hand, waving it up and down, left and right, and tapping the twelve joints of the body back and forth with the stick. The dance movements are smooth and natural, showing both strength and grace. The Rattle Stick Dance is often combined with the Octagonal Drum Dance and the Double Swallows Dance to form various dance movements and formations, men and women alternate, rotate and dance with each other during the performance, hence creating a very lively atmosphere.
3. How To Get To Dali Ancient City
3.1 External Transportation
Highway: The distance between Kunming and Dali is 360 kilometres, there are expressways connecting the two places, long-distance coaches departing for Dali are available at major bus stations in Kunming every day and the journey takes about five hours.
Plane: Dali Airport is about 12 kilometres away from the downtown area of Dali, many tourists would choose to fly to Kunming at first and then transfer to Dali. There are daily flights from Kunming to Dali with a flight time about 30 minutes.
Railway: Dali Railway Station is located at No. 261, Cangshan Road, Xiaguan Town, Dali City. Tourists can take Buses No. 7, 10, and 11 at Dali Railway Station to get to the downtown area of Dali.
3.2 Internal Transportation
Dali Ancient City is located at the foot of Cangshan Mountain, 13 kilometers away from Xiaguan in Dali City, there are several ways to reach Dali Ancient City:
Taxi: The taxi fare from the airport to Xiaguan downtown area is about 50 yuan, and about 90 yuan from the airport to Dali Ancient City. In Dali City, the starting price of taxis is generally 5 yuan, with an additional 1.4 yuan per kilometre during the day and 1.6 yuan per kilometre at night (the starting price is 6 yuan after 10 pm and 10 yuan after 12 pm). Tourists can choose it according to their own demands.
Bus: There are several bus routes to reach Dali Ancient City, tourists can pay attention to Bus No. 4 (Xiaguan → South Gate of Dali Ancient City) and Bus No. 8 (Railway Station → West Gate of Dali Ancient City).
Train: Tourists can directly take Bus No. 8 at Dali Railway Station, and the terminal stop is Dali Ancient City. Tourists can also take Bus No. 4 from Xiaguan and reach the ancient city in about 30 minutes.
Plane: There are airport shuttle buses directly to Dali Ancient City from Dali Airport. The bus will stop at Dali Railway Station on the way and then directly go to the terminal stop, which is the "Dali Tourist Reception Center" outside the South Gate of the ancient city. Entering through the South Gate is Dali Ancient City and the fare is about 25 yuan. In addition, tourists can also take the airport shuttle bus to Cangshan Hotel after arriving in Dali by plane, and then go to the nearest "City Hospital" stop to take Bus No. 8 to Dali Ancient City.
Transportation at Dali Tourist Reception Center
The direct buses in the scenic area and the transportation stops in the ancient city are all near the South Gate of Dali Ancient City. Meanwhile, this is also a place where inns are relatively concentrated, so visitors can book hotels there in advance.
Open: all day
Admission fee: free
Time needed: half a day
4. Highlights Of Dali Ancient City
4.1 Wuhua Tower 五华楼
As one of the landmark buildings in Dali Ancient City, Wuhua Tower has witnessed the rise and fall of Dali's history and has gone through more than 1,200 years of vicissitudes. Actually, Wuhua Tower was a place where the government held gatherings and entertained guests in ancient times, it was as high as five stories and could accommodate ten thousand people standing. However, current Wuhua Tower was rebuilt in 1998, it is a four-story building with a height of more than twenty meters, the bottom floor was a pedestal and the upper three floors were the storied building. Overall, it looks extremely magnificent.
4.2 The Catholic Church 天主教堂
The Catholic Church in Dali Ancient City is the central church radiating to the diocese in western Yunnan. It is composed of the main gate, passageway, secondary gate and chapel. Different from the Western styles of other churches, this Catholic Church fully adopts the local "Bai ethnic group" architectural style. With carved beams and painted rafters, solid wood brackets, and traditional Chinese painted decorations, it is fairly exquisite. The main building is of a platform-beam structure, with painted decorations on the top, and the secondary gate is connected to the church. In front of the chapel is a gate tower, which is double-layered with a higher middle part and lower ends on both sides. It adopts the architectural form of the Bai ethnic group's solid wood structure, with brackets and overhanging eaves decorated with auspicious animals such as lions, elephants, dragons and phoenixes. The entire architectural features of the church are a national treasure that integrates the characteristics of the local Bai ethnic group, Han ethnic group and other ethnic groups, making it renowned both at home and abroad for its unique architectural style and exquisite carving art, so it is well worth a visit by tourists.
4.3 Dali Municipal Museum 大理市博物馆
The Dali City Museum is an institution for the collection, research and exhibition of cultural relics in Dali City, it belongs to a local comprehensive museum. The artworks in the Dali City Museum cover nearly ten thousand precious cultural relics remaining from the Neolithic Age to modern times in the Dali area, these cultural relics exhibited in the museum not only demonstrate the diversity of human culture, but also can effectively stimulate tourists' creativity, rekindle their aesthetic taste in life as well as broaden their cultural horizons.
4.4 Dali Rural Film History Museum 大理农村电影历史博物馆
Dali Rural Film History Museum is located to the west of Fuxing Road and to the north of Yu'er Road in Dali Ancient City, it is the first specialized film museum in Yunnan Province and also the first specialized rural film history museum in China, tourists can enjoy watching the works from many famous film artists, thus experiencing the charm of the film art and inspiring their romantic imagination about beautiful country life.
4.5 Dalli Art Factory 大理艺术工厂
It is known as "the most artistic place in Dali Ancient City". Tourists can reach the art district by walking along Cangping Street to the end. This is a modern art complex rebuilt from an abandoned factory, covering an area of about 11,000 square meters. What I want to emphasize is that it has retained the basic buildings of the old factory in the 1990s and incorporated modern art designs, which makes it represented the beauty of the fusion of retro and modern styles.
Apart from this, the art district is divided into several functional areas, including bookstores, galleries, coffee shops, small theaters, original clothing stores, photography studios, workshops and auditoriums, etc. There are activities holding here irregularly such as new book exchange meetings, symposiums, photography exhibitions, children's markets and creative markets, tourists who are interested in art can enter this area to fully appreciate them, which plays a powerful role in inspiring their love for work and life as well.
4.6 Red Dragon Well 红龙井
Red Dragon Well, also named Honglongjing 红龙井 in Chinese, with a total length of 408 meters, it is located in the core area of Dali Ancient City. The main landscape is separated into two sections, upper and lower, it is from west to east with Bo'ai Road as the boundary. The architectural features of Red Dragon Well are the antique Bai ethnic group dwellings and those who are obsessed with ancient Chinese architecture can feast their eyes here.
4.7 Martial Temple 武庙
It was first built in the 17th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty and also known as the Guandi Temple, which is a temple dedicated to Guan Yu, he is a famous general in the Three Kingdoms period. The courtyard in front of this temple can accommodate thousands of people and is of a grand scale, specially designed for sacrificial activities. Actually, this temple combines traditional Chinese culture with the mysterious thousand-year-old Bai ethnic group culture together, making it one of the cultural heritages of Dali attributing to its great historical and cultural value.
4.8 Mosque 清真寺
Just a few steps south from the Martial Temple, tourists can see the crescent and star symbol on top of the mosque.
As the South Gate Mosque, which has the longest history among the mosques in Dali Ancient City, it is not only a place for Muslims to worship and pray, but also an important place for Muslims to gather and strengthen their bonds in the community, so it is of important value to them.
4.9 Foreigners' Street 洋人街
Foreigners' Street, formerly known as "Huguo Road护国路", got its name in memory of the people of Yunnan who rose up to defend the country against Yuan Shikai's attempt to proclaim himself emperor in the early days of the Republic of China. The street runs from east to west, it is 1000 meters long and 7 meters wide, paved with blue stone slabs. There are numerous shops and restaurants on both sides of Foreigners' Street, such as coffee shops, restaurants, jewelry stores, antique stores, tie-dye shops, galleries and so on, presenting a dazzling array of goods. It was originally a specific residential area designated by the local government for foreign tourists. Since foreign tourists gathered here all year round, it was later renamed "Yangren Street 洋人街".
4.10 Renmin Road 人民路
Renmin Road is a major east-west artery within Dali Ancient City, as the most central road and core area running east-west in the ancient city, it is with a total length of 1,200 meters. This road extends from east to west ascending the gentle slope from Erhai Gate and it also connects Yeyu Road, Guangwu Road, Fuxing Road, Bo'ai Road, as well as some old courtyards, small shops and narrow alleys. There is a wide variety of food along this road, including small restaurants, cafes, bars, rice noodle shops and so on, making it a bustling place especially in the evening. Tourists can often hear musicians singing on both sides of the road. On top of that, there are some houses bearing the marks of time together with some small lanes slowly passing through the middle. Sometimes, one or two flower leaves peek out from the continuous black tiles on the top of the walls, adding new charm to these old houses.
4.11 Fuxing Road 复兴路
Fuxing Road is the main artery and the most bustling street in Dali Ancient City, it connects the South City Gate and the North City Gate with a total length of 1,500 meters. The road surface is paved with granite slabs and it is the longest main road running north-south in the ancient city, the shops on both sides of Fuxing Road have retained the architectural style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, for those who want to appreciate the unique styles of ancient buildings, this place is a destination not to be missed.
5. Suggested Tour Routes And Attractions
Historical and Cultural Route: Start from the Art Factory, and then pass by Wuhua Tower, Guandi Temple, Wenshu Temple, Catholic Church, Yu'er Garden, Yangren Street, Dali Rural Film History Museum, Christian Church and Farmers' Market. This route covers the major historical and cultural attractions in the ancient city.
Artistic and Lifestyle Route: Take a stroll along Renmin Road, there are various specialty shops and delicious foods on both sides of this street. The night market at 11 pm is extremely lively, the night market stalls with paintings, handicrafts, tarot cards are sold and people play the guitar and sing songs each night. Besides, Foreigners' Street is also a place where delicious foods and craftsmen gather together with a strong artistic atmosphere.
South Gate - Ancient City: Entering the ancient city from the South Gate, you can visit the Art Factory, Wuhua Tower, Guandi Temple, Wenshu Temple, Catholic Church, Yu'er Garden, Foreigners' Street, Dali Rural Film History Museum, Christian Church and Farmers' Market.
Fuxing Road: This is the most central road running north-south in the ancient city. Starting from the South Gate, it passes through Wuhua Tower, Red Dragon Well Street, Renmin Road, Foreigners' Street and other places.
6. Best Time To Go
The best time to visit Dali Ancient City is spring (from March to May) and autumn (from September to November). During these two seasons, the weather is pleasant, the temperature is moderate and the scenery is rather beautiful, peach blossoms and cherry blossoms are in full bloom which create a picturesque scene, visitors can participate in the traditional "March Street" activity to experience the local folk customs in spring. When the golden fallen leaves adorn the earth in autumn, it presents a pleasant scene, making it highly suitable for photography and sightseeing.
7. What To Eat?
Dali Casserole Fish: It is made by stewing yellow-shell fish or carp caught from Erhai Lake with rich and colorful ingredients in a casserole produced in Xiangyun. When served, it is placed on a large plate lined with vegetable leaves.
Papaya Chicken: It originated from the area of Yunlong County in Dali Prefecture. The papayas, which are abundantly produced there, are used to cook chicken to prevent diseases and nourish the body. The soup and the meat have a sour and fragrant taste, which is pure and refreshing without a greasy feeling.
Bai Ethnic Group's Spicy and Sour Fish: The characteristics of the spicy and sour fish are that it contains a lot of seasonings, the fish soup is with a strong salty taste, making it a delicious dish for entertaining guests of the Bai Ethnic Group.
Chicken Wings Stuffed with Rice: It is the chicken wings removed the middle bones, filled them with glutinous rice or peanuts, and then marinated them with local spices, it is indeed very delicious and worth trying.
8. Nearby Attractions
8.1 Cangshan Mountain 苍山
It is located in the central part of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, and is also one of the iconic natural landscapes of Dali. It is more than 20 kilometers away from Dali Ancient City, possessing rich natural resources and biodiversity. The main peak of Cangshan Mountain, Malong Peak, with an altitude of 4122 meters and it is part of the Hengduan Mountains. The main scenic spots include Gantong Temple, Ximatan Pool, Butterfly Spring, Huadian Dam, and Shimen Pass, etc.
8.2 Erhai Lake 洱海
As one of the largest fault-depression lakes on the western Yunnan Plateau, it is about 13 kilometers away from Dali Ancient City. Erhai Lake is located in the low-latitude plateau monsoon climate zone, with mild weather throughout the year and sufficient sunlight, making it extremely suitable for traveling and vacationing. There are abundant aquatic resources in the lake, including various kinds of fish, waterbirds, and shrimps, etc. The main scenic spots of Erhai Lake include Xiaoputuo, Xizhou Ancient Town, and Nanzhao Style Island, etc., attracting a large number of tourists to visit every year.
8.3 Three Pagodas Of Chongsheng Temple 崇圣寺三塔
It is located 1.5 kilometres northwest of Dali Ancient City. Facing Yingle Peak of Cangshan Mountain in the west and Erhai Lake in the east, it is about 1500 meters away from the foothill of the mountain. The three pagodas consist of one large pagoda and two small ones, the main pagoda is named Qianxun Pagoda with a height of 69.13 meters, the local people call it "Wenbi Pagoda", Qianxun Pagoda was built during the Tang Dynasty (from AD 823 to 859). The three pagodas combine the three functions of promoting Buddhism, suppressing evil spirits and providing ornamental value, so they possess extremely high historical, cultural, and architectural values. Due to the fact that the three pagodas are in the shape of a tripod, thus they appear extremely spectacular, making it a unmissable destination for the visitors to appreciate them.
9. Useful Travel Tips
The following are the precautions for tourists when traveling:
Weather: Try to travel on sunny days as Dali is as beautiful as a picture on those days, while the scenery is much less appealing on cloudy or rainy days.
Clothing: It is recommended to wear flat shoes or casual shoes and avoid high heels so that visitors can enjoy the trip with ease.
Sun Protection and Moisturizing: The climate in Dali is dry and the ultraviolet rays are strong, so it is recommended to drink plenty of water and take good sun protection measures.
Temperature Difference: There is a large temperature difference between morning and evening in Dali, so it is advisable to bring a jacket.
Shopping: There are many handicraft shops and specialty restaurants in the ancient city, visitors can buy souvenirs and taste the local delicacies at any time.
