Dali Ancient City, Dali

- July 19, 2018

Dali Ancient City is 13 kilometers (8.1 miles) away from Xiaguan in Dali City, Yunnan Province and is one of the 'Three Ancients' (Ancient Cities, Ancient Pagodas and Ancient Steles) of the Dali Scenic Spot. It can be dated back to the year 1382 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and has been among the top listed historical cities of China since 1982. With Erhai Lake to the east, and Cangshan Mountain to the west, its grand city wall, traditional Bai ethnic minority folk houses and marvelous scenery have been attracting many visitors.

To get to Dali from Kunming, you can either take a bus for 5 hours or get comfortable with a train ride for 7 hours. Once you have reached the Dali City, you have to take bus no.8 for 40 minutes to reach to the last stop which is the Dali Ancient City. There are four city gates facing four directions. Two gates are worth a visit:

The South Gate: With a history of over 600 years, this is the oldest building in the old town. It is a landmark of the town.

The North Gate: It is a well-preserved palace building, built in the Ming Dynasty.

You can climb up to the walls to look down upon the majestic Dali Ancient City view. It is the same view that you will see in a movie if you do watch the Chinese dynasty movies. The view is spectacular and unforgettable.

Laid out in a grid format, Dali Old Town is easy to navigate. It is about 3 square kilometers (1 square mile), small enough to explore fully on foot. It only takes you half a day to explore the whole city. Some of the shops are repetitive especially the souvenir shops.

What I like about this place is the street is clean and even the water in the drain looks clean. The people maintain it very well despite the tourists are not really taking care of the place by littering and spitting. Not to mention to smoke anywhere they like. That's what I do not like about the people in China.

For a photographer like me, this place is like heaven. There are so many places for you to take photos either for a portrait, landscape or even street photography. You will never run out of idea where to get your photoshoot. The best part is this Dali Ancient City is less crowded than Lijiang Old Town.

Tips No.1: You might see a lot of travel agencies here. It is alright to compare prices and sign up for a tour package with one of them which you think is the one you wanted to visit. However, here is a tip for you. Never join a "shopping" package tour trip if you do not plan to buy anything from this place. You can always ask the agency if the tour you are sign up for is a "shopping" trip or not. Usually they will reply you honestly. If you do not trust their word, just see the price. Usually a cheaper package will definitely bring you to shopping. The tour guide will say a lot of nasty words to you if you do not buy anything or even sleeping while he/she is talking. You do not want this kind of ill treatment happened in your trip.

Tips No.2: You can rent electric bike for CNY180 (small) or CNY200 (big). For an extra comfort, you can also rent an electric car which is looks like a SMART ForTwo for CNY500. The price is the same no matter what time you rent from them. So it is best to rent them as soon as they are open for business. The vehicle you renting is not to use inside the Dali Ancient City (no vehicles are allowed in here) but it is for you to travel to other places the next day if you are not going to sign up for any travel packages with any local travel agencies.

There are five north-south streets and eight east-west streets. Among them, these two streets are the most famous: Yangren Street (Westerner's Street): The street is lined with souvenir shops, restaurants, bars, and cafes. Enjoy your time at a bar or buy some souvenirs to take home. Fuxing Street: This is the most prosperous street with architectures built in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368–1912).

All kinds of restaurants here serving gourmet of Yunnan. I would recommend you to dine in an authentic Bai Ethnic Minority restaurant since Dali is the home of Bai Ethnic Minority. At least you can try something that's local.

There are a few halal restaurants available in this ancient city. If I am not mistaken, I have seen only 3 halal restaurants in this place which is pretty limited selection. Well, at least better than none.

When the sun begins to set, you will start to hear music has been playing in every corner. This is the nightlife in Dali Ancient City. You just buy a drink and sit down to listen to live music. What a fantastic way of living.

Do not missed any eateries that's hidden in the small lane. They are the gem which you need to dig them out.

As I have mentioned earlier, handicraft, souvenir, silvers and pearls are very common here. You can see them selling the same thing on the same row of shops. The repetitiveness makes this place less thing to see especially when this place is not really big.

Not everything inside here are businesses. There are some locals living here as there are school inside this ancient city too! So you can roughly can estimate that you only need to spend a maximum of 3 hours here to explore every single thing.

Overall, it is a still a must visit place despite the size is not that big. The reason is because it is free, best photography location, place for food and experience the nightlife in Dali. No reason why you shouldn't be here.

Ticket Price: Free
Business Hours: Most of the shops opened at 10.00am - 10.00pm. Pub and bistro will opened till late.
Recommended?: 3/5