City guide · 大理 Dali
Dali
The capital of Nanzhao and the Dali Kingdom between Cangshan and Erhai — the Bai homeland of "wind, flowers, snow and moon"
Dali lies in western Yunnan, between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake, at an elevation of about 1,976 metres, and is the capital of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture. Historically, Nanzhao and the Dali Kingdom twice made the Erhai region their political centre, and the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple and the ruins of Taihe City are the coordinates of that history. The Bai people's "three courtyards and a screen wall" dwellings, the mansions of the Xizhou merchant houses, and the songs and dances of the March Fair and Raosanling make up the deep everyday life behind Dali's "wind, flowers, snow and moon". The Erhai ecological corridor runs around the lake, and Shuanglang, Xizhou and Zhoucheng tie-dye string together a chain of villages well suited to slow cycling and slow stays.
History
How the city came to be
Dali in antiquity was the land of Yeyu. In the Kaiyuan era of the Tang, Piluoge of the Mengshe Zhao, with the support of the Tang court, unified the six Zhao of the Erhai region and in AD 738 founded the kingdom of Nanzhao, with its capital at Taihe City. In 937, Duan Siping founded the Dali Kingdom, centred on Taihe City (today's Dali); its territory included most of what is now Yunnan, and the Dali Kingdom endured for more than three hundred years, maintaining tribute and trade with the Song dynasty over a long period. In 1253, Kublai Khan led his army to pacify Dali, Yunnan Province was established, and Dali became the administrative centre of western Yunnan. In the Ming, the Mu clan's governance of Yunnan and the tea-horse trade brought the rise of the Xizhou merchant guild; the "Dali merchant guild" (the Xizhou guild) carried the trade in Pu'er tea and silk as far as Myanmar and India. Today's Dali city is the capital of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, and in 1982 the Old Town of Dali was listed among the National Famous Historical and Cultural Cities.
- 738The kingdom of Nanzhao is founded, with its capital at Taihe City (north of today's Xiaguan in Dali)
- 937Duan Siping founds the Dali Kingdom
- 1253Kublai Khan pacifies Dali; Yunnan enters the territory of the Yuan dynasty
- Ming dynastyThe Xizhou merchant guild rises; Dali becomes the commercial and trading centre of western Yunnan
- 1925A magnitude 7 earthquake strikes Dali, severely damaging the old town and the surrounding buildings
- 1982Dali is listed as a National Famous Historical and Cultural City (in the first batch)
- 2018Trains begin running to Dali station, connecting it to the national high-speed rail network (Kunming to Dali)
- 2020The Erhai ecological corridor is completed along its full length and opens
Must see
Places you shouldn’t miss
Local life
Food and local daily life
Dali Old Town
Must-try
- Rushan (fried milk fan)
- Ersi / erkuai (rice noodles / rice cakes)
- Hot-and-sour fish
Rushan (fan-shaped milk curd, grilled or fried), ersi / erkuai (rice noodles / rice cakes), hot-and-sour fish (Erhai fish cooked with Chinese quince), shengpi (Bai-style raw pork skin — try with caution if you have a delicate stomach), Xizhou baba
| Where to eat | Renmin Road and around Foreigner Street in the old town, baba shops in Xizhou old town, market breakfasts |
|---|---|
| Dining etiquette | The Bai 'three-course tea' goes 'first bitter, second sweet, third lingering'; take the tea with both hands when the host offers it; shengpi is eaten raw, so judge the hygiene risk for yourself |
| Typical price per person | CNY 40–80 |
| Tips | Rushan is best freshly grilled with rose jam; at farmhouse restaurants by Cangshan / Erhai, ask the price of fish first. |
Prices are typical rates as of October 2026, not exact quotes; CNY equivalents are approximate where exchange rates fluctuate.
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