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Dali
Dali Bai Nationality Autonomous Prefecture has one city and 11 counties within its jurisdiction. Its prefectural capital is Dali City (including Xiaguan city and Dali ancient city). There are four scenic areas in the Dali region, including the Cangshan Mountains, Erhai Lake, Butterfly Spring and other historic relics (in Dali City), Jizu Mountain (in Bingchuan County), Shibao Mountain (in Jianchuan County) and Weibao Mountain (in Weishan County). Among those areas, Dali City attracts the largest numbers of Chinese and foreign visitors. 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 (foreigner'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 everyone of local Dali Bai people in the Yangren Street is a multi linguist!
Recommended China Tours Including Dali:
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Tourist Highlights
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Ancient Dali Town
Embracing Erhai Lake in the east and adjoining Cangshan Mountain in the west, Dali was first established in the early period of the Ming Dynasty. The magnificent towers, peaceful streets, historical riches, small but exquisite courtyards, colorful flowers, bring people back to an ancient time of serenity and peace.
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Three Pagodas of Chongshen Temple
Three pagodas, about 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) northwest of the ancient city of Dali, occupying a scenic location at the foot of Mt. Cangshan facing Erhai Lake, has a history of over 1,800 years. It is a symbol of the history of Dali City, and a record of the development of Buddhism in the area. As its name implies, Three Pagodas are made of three ancient independent pagodas forming a symmetrical triangle. This is unique in China.Three Pagodas, Zhaozhou Bridge of Hebei Province, and Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian, Shaanxi Province, are three curiosities of Chinese ancient architecture.
A visit to The Three Pagodas should not be missed by any visitor to Dali City. |
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Cruise on Erhai Lake
Erhai Lake is the largest highland lake next to Dianchi and one of the seven biggest fresh water lakes in China. It means, "sea shaped like an ear", in Chinese. Implying that the lake is ear shaped and as large as a sea, hence it was so named. The dimension is 41.5 km. by 8.4 km. with an average depth of 10 meters, covering an area of 250 squ. km. It is like a crescent lying between Cangshan and Dali city as seen from Cangshan Mount. In a sunny day, the crystal waters of Erhai Lake and the snow mantled Cangshan Mount radiate with each other. Thus the scene was commonly described as "Silver Cangshan and Jade Erhai". |
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Cangshan Mountain
Cangshan Mountain, two km west of Dali, form the backdrop for Dali City. Together with Erhai Lake, the imposing mountain range makes Dali a true vacation getaway. The stunningly beautiful mountainboasts high snow capped peaks, shifting clouds, and babbling streams. With an average height of 4000 m, it has a cluster of 19 soaring peaks. The highest peak, Malong, spires 4,122 m high. On Shengying peak, there is a huge chess board covering 460 square metres!
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The Yan's Compound of Bai Minority in Xizhou
According to a public survey, "if you have 101 things to do in Dali, what's the most important of all?" 100 percent answered "to visit Zhoucheng and Xizhou." Surely, it's a "must" for the travelers. Because you can enjoy lovely ethical clothes, fairylike programs, decorative architectures, gifted garden parties and wonderful handicrafts in here.
Located at only 18 kilometers north of Dali, Xizhou faces Erhai on the east and rests on Cangshan in the west. It's not only a historically famous city but also a typical commercial center of Bai Nationality. Speaking of Xizhou, people of course take importance to the Bai-style architectures. Examples are Yan's compound, Hou's compound and Dong's compound.
The Bai is a minority reveling in art. The Yan's compound stands for the Bai's traditional residential characteristics and is a combination of Chinese and western architectural style. In 1987, it was announced by the State Council to be one of the third group of State Monuments. |
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