About Dali

Dali lies in the middle and a little west of Yunna, whole area measures 29 thousand square kilometers, including 1 city and 11 counties, is an area where Han, Bai, Yi, Hui, Lishu, Tibetan, Naxi and other ethnic groups live together, total population is 3.3 million, of which 50% is made up by ethnic minorities, Bai is the biggest minority group, whose population is over 1 million and enjoys autonomy in locality.Dali is under Low-latitude Tableland & North Subtropical Climate, annual average temperature is 15 degrees, annual rainfall is around 1000 millimeters and yearly average humidity is approximately 66%. The area is under the control of dry and warm air from Indian continent in winter, at the same time Er Hai Lake acts as the natural air-conditioner, so in Dali there is no very obvious changes of seasons, though climate through whole year is pleasant.

Capital of Dali Prefecture is Dali City, where Burma Road and Yunnan-Tibetan Road are crossed with each other, it’s the traffic hinge of Western Yunna, since long ago, Dali had been important channel through which China undertook trade and exchange in culture with Southeast Asian countries. From Tang Dynasty to Song Dynasty, during a period of about 500 years, Dali even was the capital of Nan Zhao Kingdom and Dali Kingdom, reputed for agelong wind, nice flowers, white snow on top of Mount Cang Shan and lightful moon reflection in crystal Erhai Lake. Now Dali is the famous tourism destination, as well one of the earliest to be listed as Important Historical & Cultural Cities of China.

Famous spots of both cultural and natural interest around Dali include: Three Pagodas, Shi Bao Shan Grotto in Jianchuang, Ancient Weishan Town, Mount. Jizhu in Binchuang, Mount. Cang Shan beside Dali City, Er Hai Lake, traditional villages of Bai People, etc. Beautiful natural scenery, numerous historic sites and colorful ethnic customs go together and formed the major attraction of Dali and made it a very popular tour destination quite long time ago.