Two Days in dali

if an ancient town in China is well-preserved today， it is fated to be “developed”： roads are smoothed with new concrete， ancient and historical buildings are replaced by new imitations， local markets are replaced by stalls selling cheap souvenirs and locals are evacuated to make room for a flood of tourists and businesses. Luckily， Dali is an exception in all these aspects. Unlike Beijing， where the old town constantly battles for space with high-rises（and always loses）， Dali built its new town away from the old town， keeping its history intact. Also， unlike its sister town Lijiang where most of the native Naxi ethnic people have gone， the dominant population of Dali still consists of the Bai ethnic group， a minority that has called the area home since antiquity. From the founding of the Nanzhao Dynasty in 738 to the Mongolian Empire’s invasion in 1254， Yunnan Province （and some of the bordering areas） was a sovereign kingdom of its own. Dynasties rose and fell， but Dali was always the capital. Dali’s old town as we see it today was first built in 1382， and its contemporary pattern of streets and alleyways remain unchanged from as early as the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）. The city moves at a sleepy， unpunctuated pace. Rather than submitting to the constant roll of development and progress， Dali tends to assimilate those who go there. Young people who come here to open a bar or a hostel invariably end up as part of the town， their spirit of industry and ambition sapped by beauty and peace. They get up late， go to vegetable markets with bamboo baskets on their backs and take frequent breaks from work， because they need to rest or travel. In absence of that great pressure， the hunger for entertainment in Dali just isn’t there. By ten at night， when other cities start their raucous nightlife， Dali is already dark， quiet and asleep. Nestled between Cangshan Mountain （苍山） in the west and Erhai Lake （洱海） in the east， the town is constantly windy， and the temperature varies greatly over the course of the day， so a windproof coat is a must. Besides that， Dali is perfect for a stroll. You’re not likely to get lost either， as the town is divided by straight chessboard-like roads. If you do lose your way， don’t worry about it. You’re in Dali.

9：00 ERhai laKE The Erhai Lake to the east of gucheng literally translates as “Ear Sea” because its shape resembles an ear or a waning crescent moon. It nourished the earliest Bai tribes before any kingdom took hold of Yunnan Province. Over 42-kilometers-long， it is the second largest fresh water lake in Yunnan Province. The Dali government has done a decent job in protecting the lake： vast acres of farms， residential areas and ponds have all been bought out， returning them to the lake and the wetlands. If you want to spend three hours sailing on this gigantic emerald， get up early to catch a bus to Erhai Park （洱海公园） in Xiaguan. At the gate of the park， there is a booth selling tickets to the Erhai Lake cruise. The ship sets sail from the southernmost tip of Erhai and docks at Taoyuan Pier （桃源码头） in the north of the lake. The ship only sets out once a day at 9：00 a.m. with tickets priced at 142 RMB. If you don’t want to take all the trouble to go to Xiaguan， you can take Bus 2 to Caicun Pier （才村码头） on the west side of Erhai， which is closer to the old town and good for a lakeside stroll. If you want， you can also spend a day hiking Cangshan Mountain. Access to the mountain closest to town is at the Yuantong Cableway （圆通索道） entrance by Yuantong Temple （圆通寺）.

12：30 zhOuChEng TOWn

If you get off at Taoyuan Pier， take an （illegal） taxi to Zhoucheng Town （周城） for 5 RMB. Located 23 kilometers north of Dali， gucheng， the old town， is the largest Bai ethnic village in the Dali area much more worthwhile than the more advertised tourist spots like the Butterfly Spring （蝴蝶泉 H%di9 Qu1n） or Xizhou Town （喜洲） nearby. On entering the town， there is a vegetable market sprawling around an ancient open theater. The pagoda tree in front of the theater looks ancient， accentuated by local elders permanently smoking and chatting in the shade. Following winding paths further inside the town， you will see splendid Bai ethnic courtyards and temples. On a sunny day， many courtyards will be sunning their newly-dyed cloths， as many Zhoucheng families are tie-dye workshops. What’s more， you may be the only traveler in the town. As for lunch， you can pick any restaurant in Zhoucheng to have a bowl of noodles.

17：30 dinnER

Go back to gucheng and fill up at Shijing Private Cuisine （石井私房菜） for some roasted pork （烤肉 k2or7u） and sour-spicy fish （酸辣鱼 su`nl3y%）. It’s a little hard to find； go to the eastern end of Huguo Road and then turn north and walk for about 20 meters. It’s worth searching for， just like Dali’s old town.