Dali

Dali

Located between a lake to the east and a mountain range to the west, the picturesque town of Dali allows the visitor to experience the China of old. Surrounded by Ming Dynasty city walls, cobbled streets and stone houses, the town centre, just 4 square kilometers in size, is perfectly designed for exploring at leisure.

Three Pagodas of Chongshen Temple

Occupying a scenic location at the foot of Mt. Cangshan and facing Erhai Lake, the Three Pagodas has a history of over 1,800 years. As its name implies, the Three Pagodas are made up of three ancient independent pagodas that form a symmetrical triangle, with the tallest one being over 70m high. As well as being embellished with fine marble figures and Buddhist ornaments, they were built to please the gods and gain protection from natural disasters.

Cangshan Mountain

Located immediately west of Dali, Mt Changshan's highest summit Malong, is over 4000m high. However, the mountain includes another 18 peaks all over 3,500m high and it is noted for its very rich and diverse flora.

Erhai Lake

Erhai Lake, meaning sea shaped like an ear, is located 3kms outside of Dali. A tour of the lake includes visits to small temples, traditional villages and imperial summer retreats. Visitors can even watch the local cormorant fishermen training their birds to catch fish for them.

Dali Museum

The Dali Museum is a small museum that showcases a collection of artifacts relating to the Bai Minority Tribe.

 Xizhou Township

Once you've visited the Dali Musuem, you can compare the museum's Bai artifacts with the real thing in Xizhou. This ancient town has very well preserved Bai architecture.

Zhonghe Temple

Zhonge Temple sits in the Chang Shan mountain range and has excellent views of Erhai Lake. A chairlift takes travellers to the top of Zhonge Shan.