Dali

Dali lies nestled in the Cangshan Mountains on the shore of Lake Erhai 200 miles west of Kunming. While not so far from Kunming it is a 12 hour bus ride or you can fly there in 40 minutes. It is at an elevation of 1900 meters. In winter the surrounding mountains are often lightly snow covered but snow rarely falls in the city. Dali is home to the Bai nationality. The history of the Bai dates back 3000 years. For much of this time Dali was the capital of Yunnan. It is a town best toured on foot or by bicycle as the streets are narrow and twisting. There is little vehicular traffic inside the city gates. Not so long ago Dali was a walled city with huge gates which still guard the city's inhabitants, maybe from the many tourists who just keep coming.

Vist some of Dali's best kept secrets:
Three Pagodas
Lake Erhai
Fishing Birds

Three Pagodas

The "Three Pagodas" are some of the oldest still intact structures in south-western China. They were origianlly built in the mid 9th century by Xi'an craftsmen to protect the area from earthquakes. The tallest is 72 meters and the shorter ones 42 meters high. From Lake Erhai they look strikingly beautiful when their reflection is seen in the waters. Local lore relates that so long as the "Three Pagodas" still stand Dali is safe. So far this has proven true.
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Lake Erhai
No trip to Dali is complete without taking a cruise on one of the many boats plying the waters of Lake Erhai. Standing on the shore you can observe the gracful junks and small fishing boats going about their business. Ferries crisscross the lake taking the local farmers and their produce to the local markets situated in the villages abutting the lake. Tall mountains and terraced fields surround all sides of Lake Erhai making it even more picturesque than Switzerland's Lake Lucerne.
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Fishing Birds
The fishermen in the villages surrounding Lake Erhai continue the tradition of using cormorants, "fishing birds." These birds are well trained to fish and bring the fish back to their owner. To keep the birds honest a metal ring is placed about their necks so they cannot swallow the fish. When they bring the fish back they are rewarded with something smaller that they can swallow inspite of the restricting ring or the ring may be loosened and the "fisherbrid" gets to keep one of his catches.

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Dali lies nestled in the Cangshan Mountains on the shore of Lake Erhai 200 miles west of Kunming. While not so far from Kunming it is a 12 hour bus ride or you can fly there in 40 minutes. It is at an elevation of 1900 meters. In winter the surrounding mountains are often lightly snow covered but snow rarely falls in the city. Dali is home to the Bai nationality. The history of the Bai dates back 3000 years. For much of this time Dali was the capital of Yunnan. It is a town best toured on foot or by bicycle as the streets are narrow and twisting. There is little vehicular traffic inside the city gates. Not so long ago Dali was a walled city with huge gates which still guard the city's inhabitants, maybe from the many tourists who just keep coming.	Vist some of Dali's best kept secrets: Three Pagodas Lake Erhai Fishing Birds
Three Pagodas The "Three Pagodas" are some of the oldest still intact structures in south-western China. They were origianlly built in the mid 9th century by Xi'an craftsmen to protect the area from earthquakes. The tallest is 72 meters and the shorter ones 42 meters high. From Lake Erhai they look strikingly beautiful when their reflection is seen in the waters. Local lore relates that so long as the "Three Pagodas" still stand Dali is safe. So far this has proven true. Back to: Top
Lake Erhai No trip to Dali is complete without taking a cruise on one of the many boats plying the waters of Lake Erhai. Standing on the shore you can observe the gracful junks and small fishing boats going about their business. Ferries crisscross the lake taking the local farmers and their produce to the local markets situated in the villages abutting the lake. Tall mountains and terraced fields surround all sides of Lake Erhai making it even more picturesque than Switzerland's Lake Lucerne. Back to: Top
Fishing Birds The fishermen in the villages surrounding Lake Erhai continue the tradition of using cormorants, "fishing birds." These birds are well trained to fish and bring the fish back to their owner. To keep the birds honest a metal ring is placed about their necks so they cannot swallow the fish. When they bring the fish back they are rewarded with something smaller that they can swallow inspite of the restricting ring or the ring may be loosened and the "fisherbrid" gets to keep one of his catches. Back to: Top