Dali Ancient City

Dali Ancient City is located 13 kilometers north of Xiaguan in Dali City and it is one of the "Three Ancients" (Ancient Cities, Ancient Pagodas and Ancient Steles) of the Dali Scenic Spot. Which history can be dated back to 1382 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and it has listed at the top among the historical cities of China since 1982. Facing the Erhai Lake in the east, and with its back against Cangshan Mountain in the west, its grand city wall, traditional Bai ethnic folk houses and marvelous scenery have been attracting many visitors every year.

Dali Ancient City

 According to literature, Dali Ancient City was built in 1382 and once was a gateway to the Silk Road in Southwest China, and also served as a seat of government and a major military barracks for Yunnan Province in ancient times. According to the ancient record, it once was named Yeyu City, Forbidden City or Zhonghe Town, the city wall is about 8.3 meters tall and it is of a thickness of 6.6 meters.

There are four city gates in the north, west, east, and south with gate towers and turrets. The gate towers are named Tonghai, Cangshan, Cheng’en and Anyuan. The distribution of the city inside is of strict order and the whole ancient city looks like a chessboard, the city layout was uniform, with five main streets from south to north and eight main streets from east to west, while marketplaces were neatly arranged within the city, which has remained unchanged to this date.

Dali Ancient City Yunnan

 Wuhua Storey, standing in the center of the 1200 years old ancient town, was built in the ancient time when Dali State (937-1254) existed, which is one of the featured ancient buildings in Dali Ancient City. Also, the traditional Bai ethnic minority folk houses in Dali Ancient City give the city distinctive feel, which differ from any other Chinese city. The windows, doors and the wall screening are adorned with Jianchuan woodcarvings, colored patterns, marbles and wash drawings. The delicacy, freshness and elegance of their construction may be called the first-class among folk residences in Southwest China.

Besides the Bai ethnic minority traditional folk houses, the houses all with grey-green roof tiles, peculiar workshops, temples, schools and churches with an antique flavor are scattered. When people walk along the cobble-paved streets in the ancient city, a sense of primitive simplicity and elegance will be invoked. Traditional artworks made of marble, such as pencil vases, striped screens, and a variety of woven handicrafts made of fine straw are laid chockablock on both sides of the street to be appreciated and purchased.

Dali Ancient City China

 The newly–opened Foreigner Street is also a must-see, providing snacks with the traditional flavors of the Bai ethnic community, as well as the famous "Bai Three Course Tea" ceremony for receiving guests that includes "bitter tea", "sweet tea" and "final tea". In addition, there are many festivals and events of Bai ethnic holds in the ancient city, such as Raosanling, March Festival, and Torch Festival, which will let people feel a rich ethnic customs here.


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