Dali, Yunnan

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Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture

Yunnan's position in China

Old City gate

Night View of Dali Ancient Walled Downtown

The Three Pagodas of Chong Sheng Temple

South gate of the Ancient City of Dali

Sunlight streaks out of the dense cloud cover in Dali City.

Dali (Chinese: 大理; pinyin: Dàlĭ; Bai: Darl•lit; Hani: Dafli) is a city in Yunnan province in the south of China, located on a fertile plateau between the Cangshan mountains to the west and Erhai lake to the east. It has traditionally been settled by the Bai and Yi minorities. It is also the capital of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture (Chinese: Dàlǐ Báizú zìzhìzhōu 大理白族自治州; Bai: Darl•lit Baif•cuf zirl•zirl•zox).

1 History
2 Culture
3 Sites of interest
4 Economy
5 Transportation
6 See also
7 External links

Dali is the ancient capital of both the Bai kingdom Nanzhao, which flourished in the area during the 8th and 9th centuries, and the Kingdom of Dali, which reigned from 937-1253. Dali was also the center of the Panthay Rebellion from 1856-1863.

Dali is also famous for the many types of marble it produces, which are used primarily in construction and for decorative objects. In fact, Dali is so famous for the stone that the name of marble in Chinese is literally "Dali Stone" (Chinese: 大理石; pinyin: dali shi).

Dali is now a major tourist destination, along with Lijiang, for tourists from both within and outside China.

Third Month Fair (Sanyue Jie)

Dali is one of Yunnan's most popular tourist destinations, both for its historic sites and the "Foreigners' Street" that features western-style food, music, and English-speaking business owners, making it popular among both western and Chinese tourists, who come to gawk at the foreigners. There are also multiple "coffee shops", such as those in Amsterdam, where foreigners smoke marijuana that grows in the hills surrounding the town. This has caused some tourists to have an extended stay in this beautiful old town.