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Dali Tours
Dali Ancient Cityt can be dated back to the year 1382 during the Ming
Dynasty (1368-1644) and has been among the top listed historical cities of
China since 1982. With Erhai Lake to the east, and Cangshan Mountain to the
west, its grand city wall, traditional Bai ethnic minority folk houses and
marvelous scenery have been attracting many visitors.
According to literature, this Ancient City 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. It enjoyed
magnificent scale, with a wall length of 6 kilometers (3.73 miles), a height
of 7.5 meters (24.6 feet) and a thickness of 6 meters (19.7 feet). There
were four city gates facing west, east, north and south, upon which sat a
gate tower. Four further towers were also placed at the four corners of the
city wall. As it underwent many phases of prosperity as well as decline,
only the city base remains till today. We can explore the mystery belonging
to that period of history, especially through witnessing some parts of the
city wall, the North City Wall Tower and the South City Wall Tower which
were restored in 1982. 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.
The traditional Bai ethnic minority folk houses give the city distinctive
feel, unlike any other Chinese city. A typical house is characterized by '3
rooms and a wall screening' and '4 joints and 5 courtyards'. '3 rooms and a
wall screening' means that every house has a principle room and two
wing-rooms and facing the principle room stands the wall screening. When the
sun shines on the wall screening in the afternoon, the sunlight is reflected
back to the courtyard, thus illuminating the whole area. '4 joints and 5
courtyards' means houses are built with four sides; and four courtyards in
the joining parts of the houses' corners and one big courtyard in the center
makes five courtyards. The decoration is another construction feature of the
folk residences, paying great attention to the gate tower, the eaves and
corners. 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
first-class among folk residences in Southwest China.
When people walk along the cobble-paved streets in the ancient city, a sense
of primitive simplicity and elegance will be invoked. 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. 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. 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 'Three-course Tea' ceremony for receiving guests that includes
'bitter tea', 'sweet tea' and 'final tea'.
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