Dali Story: 'Wind, Flower, Snow, Moon' Through Poets' Eyes, 'Carefree Jianghu' in Writers' Prose

Cangshan is an inkless painting of a thousand autumns,

Erhai a stringless zither of eternal melody.

If you ask where I’ve seen the most beautiful blue,

I’ll tell you it’s Dali.

Dali never lacks artsy souls, never lacks art, never lacks life, never lacks personality.

Butterflies dance gracefully, flying to and fro for the myriad blossoms, as if in a past life they were Zhuangzi’s dream incarnate; the green mountains keep scenic relics, with layered peaks and ridges lovely in sun or rain—here one recites the poetry of Xie Daoyun once more. How many have given their hearts to Dali because of Cangshan and Erhai, meeting the most beautiful encounter, meeting the most romantic “you.”

Guangxi – Kunming – Dali (fly directly to Kunming, then take a high-speed train to Dali, ticket about 145 yuan, around two hours to Dali)

Dali accommodation: Dali Ancient Town, 我在大理等你·方舟沐宅, 3 nights (tranquil retreat amidst the bustle, convenient transport)

Dali cuisine: Snacks: chicken pea jelly, fried potatoes, roadside BBQ stalls, etc. Breakfast: soup dumplings, congee, free-range chicken rice noodles, noodles, etc. Main meals: free-range chicken hot pot, home-style stir-fries, wild mushroom hot pot, cured spare rib hot pot, specialty sour and spicy fish, etc.

Dali sightseeing spots: Dali Ancient Town (best for evening strolls, quiet, beautiful night views, lights dimming), Erhai Lake, Chongsheng Three Pagodas Temple (scenic, fresh and natural), Cangshan Mountain (majestic and beautiful)

Trip prep: Before coming to Dali, be well-prepared for sun protection and moisturizing.

Dali guesthouse: 我在大理等你·方舟沐宅

In the lanes, some old houses still retain their former charm; courtyards are lush with flowers and trees, birds sing, outdoor streams flow gently. Some say the guesthouse is Dali’s most beautiful “scenery”—only by staying in one have you truly arrived in Dali. In the courtyard, you can feel the breeze, gaze at the view, read a book, sip a rich coffee or a light Pu’er tea. If you meet someone you click with, you can exchange travel tales or life experiences.

Before booking a guesthouse, I usually check ratings on various sites and read reviews. This time, I chose 我在大理等你·方舟沐宅 (listed online as Dali Ancient Town Fangzhou Muzhai Inn). When I booked, I saw the rooms were almost fully reserved. The guesthouse is on the middle-lower section of Renmin Road, extremely convenient for transport. A few steps out the door and you can soak up the ancient town culture.

Every day living in Dali is a pleasure. Some say time in Dali isn’t “valuable”—I think that’s a description of the slow-paced guesthouse lifestyle. Dali’s blue skies and white clouds are a “luxury” for many cities. I really love the first rays of morning light, so gentle, shining through the balcony into the room, gradually waking my lazy body. In the courtyard downstairs, I enjoy morning tea, read a book—quiet and elegant. In the evening, on the rooftop garden, looking out at Dali’s distant scenery, feeling the night breeze, taking it all in while enjoying myself—maybe this is what people call “lazy time,” the ideal state of life on a journey.

The room’s design is a light luxury minimalist style I love very much: grey tones reflecting a petit bourgeois sentiment, a clean and spacious room, soft lighting, a comfortable large bed—a tired body can get ample rest in such an environment.

Dali cuisine: 我在大理等你·方舟胖子厨房

Dali has lots of local food, including Bai ethnic specialties like raw pork skin—if you’re open to it, you can give it a try. There’s also clay pot fish, papaya chicken, Midu rolled trotter, wild mushroom hot pot, grilled milk fan, Xizhou baba, free-range chicken rice noodles, fire-roasted pork, carved plum, and other specialties. Among Dali’s cuisine, what impressed me most were grilled milk fan and wild mushroom hot pot (我在大理等你·方舟胖子厨房). I especially agree with this saying: for “foodies,” travel is remembering a city with the “mouth.” The shops along Dali’s streets don’t have pushy hawking, and roadside stalls and long-established food places are also very popular. Before coming to Dali, I had thoroughly researched this. 我在大理等你·方舟胖子厨房 is a trendy restaurant in Dali.

我在大理等你·方舟胖子厨房 is located on the main street of Dali Ancient Town, Renmin Road, easy to find, with convenient transport. The overall restaurant design isn’t lavishly decorated, but simply and somewhat vintage-inspired, clean and spacious. Lanterns hang at the door, and there are flowers and plants, adding a touch of elegance and poetry, a hint of a guesthouse vibe. The restaurant has two floors, and the second floor has a balcony for enjoying the view. The moment you step in and smell the mushroom aroma, and see the restaurant fully packed, you’ll feel just how popular it is.

On a journey, knowing how to enjoy food is knowing how to enjoy life. I chose the balcony on the second floor, savoring wild mushroom delicacies while taking in the view. Order a suitable set meal according to the number of people; service is very warm. There’s a wide variety of wild mushrooms, rich in nutrition—matsutake, termite mushroom, morel, porcini, green-headed mushroom, black truffle, and more. Before cooking each type, the server would introduce it, explaining its different benefits. The wild mushroom broth was especially fresh, the mushrooms tender and smooth, very tasty, and there was also mushroom rice, exceptionally good.

Overall, the wild mushroom hot pot was the most satisfying meal of this Dali trip, and also the best value. The restaurant is clean and hygienic, the staff very warm and polite, and the wild mushroom pot especially delicious—a Dali trend-setting restaurant well worth checking in.

Dali scenery: Dali Ancient Town, Cangshan and Erhai, Chongsheng Three Pagodas Temple

Day 1 – Check into the guesthouse (I booked a king room, with a bathtub by the window—you can see the ancient town’s blue sky at a glance, super awesome!) – Stroll around the ancient town (try specialty snacks and browse handmade crafts, spot handsome guys or beautiful girls) – Renmin Road (a paradise for artsy youth) – Foreigner Street (rustic yet refined little bars, food and flirting, with wine and stories) – Return to guesthouse

All the buildings in Dali Ancient Town are well preserved. Though many modern businesses have opened here, they still can’t hide the town’s historical traces. Walking the streets, gazing at the old architecture, sipping a cup of green plum wine, you always get a feeling of time travel. Dali Ancient Town at night is especially beautiful.

Daytime Dali Ancient Town is another scene. On both sides, many small shops have set up; in a row are vendors’ casually displayed antique ornaments, from large home decorations to small accessories, all here. As for the bustling streets in the old town, I think both “Renmin Road” and “Foreigner Street” are worth a visit. I prefer Renmin Road, with its many interesting creative stores and handicraft shops. If something catches your eye, you can spend half an hour just picking things out. (I suggest fellow travelers stay on Renmin Road—very convenient)

Day 2 – Cycle around Erhai Lake – Chongsheng Three Pagodas Temple (A loud knock, a loud echo; a soft knock, a soft echo—awakening dreams within dreams; one chant, one Buddha; a thousand chants, a thousand Buddhas—heaven beyond heaven faintly heard.) – Tian Long Ba Bu Film City – Return to ancient town

Erhai and Cangshan are beautiful, a place of butterfly sanctuary and fated connections. The human world has splendid sceneries, and the most beautiful is in Yunnan. Sitting by Erhai, feeling the sea breeze, is a must on my list. On the way, I visited the Three Pagodas Temple and Tian Long Ba Bu Film City. The Three Pagodas Temple is one of the most exquisitely shaped ancient Buddhist pagodas still standing, built during the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty, at the foot of the first peak of Cangshan, Xiaoling Peak. During the Dali Kingdom period, nine of the 22 kings became monks at Chongsheng Temple, and coupled with Jin Yong’s “Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils,” the place brims with legendary color.

From the Three Pagodas to Tian Long Ba Bu Film City is less than 5 km. Since I was on a self-drive trip around Erhai, I could drive myself; if taking a taxi, the fare is about 3 yuan per person. Dali’s Tian Long Ba Bu Film City is a film base similar to Hengdian, where you can experience the various architectural and historical cultures from Jin Yong’s novel “Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils,” and feel the historical splendor of the Dali Kingdom and the Liao Kingdom. The Dali Kingdom section includes Dali Street, Dali Imperial Palace, Zhennan Wang Fu; the Liao Kingdom section includes Liao City Gate and Liao streets.

After soaking in the chivalric culture under Jin Yong’s pen, continue to enjoy the wind of Erhai. (Of course, renting an electric scooter or bicycle to circle the lake is also great, about 50–100 yuan a day, but the Beetle convertible is just too cute—renting a Beetle costs around 300 yuan.) PS: There are many rental places near the ancient town; when renting, be sure to keep the contact details, check if the battery or fuel is sufficient, and if it’s an electric scooter, see if there’s a helmet.

Another popular option is to rent a pink Jeep and do a photo tour around Erhai—that’s also very cool. This should be what Erhai is all about.

Erhai is so serene, as if nothing can disturb her. That makes her even more enchanting. She is so boundless.

(Attached: Circum-Circular Lake route map)

Day 3 – Cangshan (Ximatan) – Xizhou Ancient Town (try the most authentic Xizhou Baba)

Snow that flew down from the azure sky, a thousand-year drift; a touch that pierces Cangshan, June’s chill.

Dali, the city of “wind, flower, snow, moon,” is a romantic city. Dali is the “wind, flower, snow, moon” in poets’ eyes, the “carefree rivers and lakes” in writers’ prose. Life is slow here, and time is beautiful! I think the ideal state of life is to turn poetry into “living,” and to live life into “poetry”!