Dali Ancient Town

Dali Ancient Town lies east of Erhai Lake and nestles against the Cangshan Mountains to the west. With its imposing city gates and towers, the town boasts magnificent scenery. The ancient city once covered an expansive area, enclosed by a wall measuring 12 li (approximately 6 kilometers) in circumference. The original city wall stood 7.5 meters high and was 6 meters thick, with four gates—east, west, south, and north—each crowned by a watchtower. If Xiaguan, the capital of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, impresses visitors with its bustling vibrancy, Dali Ancient Town offers a serene and time-honored charm. Running through the heart of the town is a main street stretching from north to south, lined with shops selling local specialties such as marble crafts, tie-dyed textiles, and woven grass products, as well as authentic Bai ethnic cuisine. Crystal-clear streams flow through the town, and traditional Bai-style houses—elegant and rustic—can be seen everywhere. Regardless of wealth, local residents share the custom of cultivating flowers and plants in their courtyards, giving rise to the famous saying about Dali: “Every home has flowing water; every household tends flowers.”