South of the Colorful Clouds, You Are the Xiaofang in My Heart
The current Dali Ancient City was restored on the foundation of Yangjuemi City in the early Ming Dynasty. The city is square, with four gates, gate towers above, and a protective wall below, with three streams from the north and south serving as natural barriers. The outer walls are brick. Inside, five main streets run from south to north, and eight lanes run from west to east, forming a chessboard layout, often called 'Nine Streets and Eighteen Lanes'. The two gate towers facing north and south have been restored. A main street runs through the city from south to north, with deep streets and quiet alleys crisscrossing from west to east. The uniform blue-tiled roofs and cobblestone walls display the ancient city's simplicity, uniqueness, and elegance.
Dali has a long history and is one of the earliest cradles of culture in Yunnan. This long history is also reflected in the ancient city's unique architectural features. The Bai people have a habit of growing and loving flowers, which influences the decorations on residential walls. The flowers painted on the white gable walls in the picture look fresh and elegant. In addition to paintings, locals often use white plaster to create three-dimensional shapes, intricately carving auspicious patterns. Under the blue sky and white clouds, clusters of bougainvillea sway with their slanting branches, always tucked in the corners of eaves. After entering the Erhai Gate, it indeed presents us with a different view.
Dali Ancient City also has many distinctive inns, bars, and restaurants. Just looking at the exterior of this small bar gives off a great vibe; it must be bustling with lights and music at night.
There are large banyan trees, gray-tiled white walls, 'four courtyards with five skywells' and 'three sections with a screen wall', winding cobblestone paths leading to secluded spots, and fragrant crispy flatbread.
Xizhou is a place that captivates people just by hearing its name, tempting them to visit and absorb its joyful aura.
Although the buildings in Dali Ancient City and Xizhou Ancient Town have been renovated later, compared to Dali Ancient City, Xizhou Ancient Town is a historic city and a typical commercial town of the Bai people. Its buildings are older, presenting an overall black-and-white ink wash tone, simple and elegant. The bricks and tiles on the houses show signs of wear and fading everywhere, reflecting the ancient town's rustic charm. Xizhou is one of the famous hometowns of overseas Chinese in Yunnan, and also the hometown of the film 'Five Golden Flowers'.
One noteworthy thing in Xizhou Ancient Town is the handicraft unique to the Bai ethnic group—tie-dye.
Tie-dye, anciently called 'jiaoxie', is an ancient textile dyeing technique in China. In Dali, it is called knot flower cloth or knot flower. Since the main production area is Dali and most dyers are Bai people, it is also called Dali tie-dye or Bai tie-dye. Tie-dyed cloths of different colors, patterns, and sizes are hung on white walls for tourists to see, making it convenient for everyone to choose and buy. Lingering among the elegant Bai residences is also a wonderful enjoyment.
A quick introduction to Bai residences:
The town has over a hundred Bai residential courtyards from the Ming, Qing, Republican, and contemporary periods. Their styles are generally categorized as 'three sections with a screen wall', 'four courtyards with five skywells', 'one entry with two courtyards', 'one entry with four courtyards', etc., with 'three sections with a screen wall' and 'four courtyards with five skywells' being the most common.
Erhai Lake, originally a lake, was named 'sea' because of people's love for the sea. It is neither sea nor lake, possessing both the boundless vastness of the sea and the serene, jade-like stillness of a lake, offering two flavors in one scene, each leaving a lasting impression. What is most refreshing is this tranquility that reaches far and the elegance that escapes the hustle and bustle.
Erhai Lake is shaped like a human ear, long from north to south and narrow from east to west, like a crescent moon quietly nestled beside the Cangshan Mountain and the Dali basin. Around the lake are villages and towns such as Caicun, Xizhou, Shuanglang, Wase, and Haidong, each with its own charm. Dali, Dali Prefecture, fully named Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, is located in the mid-western part of Yunnan Province, bordering Chuxiong Prefecture to the east, Pu'er and Lincang areas to the south, Baoshan area and Nujiang Prefecture to the west, and Lijiang area to the north. Dali Prefecture has a long history and is known as a 'renowned land of literature', being one of the earliest cradles of Yunnan culture. During the over 500 years of the Tang and Song dynasties (from the establishment of the Nanzhao Kingdom to the fall of the Dali Kingdom), Dali was always the political, economic, and cultural center of Yunnan. Located on a low-latitude plateau, with little temperature difference between seasons and distinct dry and wet seasons, it has a low-latitude plateau monsoon climate, mild all year round, and fertile land. It is famous for its beautiful landscapes and ethnic minority customs, with landmarks such as Butterfly Spring, Erhai Lake, and the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple being the most representative. Dali's scenery is graceful, earning it the beautiful moniker of 'Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon', referring to Xiaguan's wind, Shangguan's flowers, Cangshan's snow, and Erhai Lake's moon.
The clouds in Dali go through a daily cycle: in the morning, they form with the mist on the mountains, slowly rising, and in the afternoon, above Cangshan Mountain, they create the 'Tyndall effect' with the afternoon sun. It was then that we saw the legendary 'Jesus rays', also called 'Dali divine light' by netizens.
Like Yunnan's slow-paced life, sunrise in Yunnan is basically around 8 o'clock, completely unlike previous trips where I had to get up at five or six to watch the sunrise. After quickly freshening up with Ran Xiansen, I rushed to the observation deck downstairs, set up the equipment, and quietly waited for this sunrise.
I think traveling in Dali doesn't require planning an itinerary or rushing to attractions. Even just sitting idly by the lake, quietly watching a light boat glide by, seabirds skim past, and then pressing the shutter to let the memory stay at this moment—this is also a wonderful way of traveling.
Wase, located on the east bank of Erhai Lake, is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces the lake on one side. Since ancient times, it has been a land of fish and rice on the east bank of Erhai Lake and one of the birthplaces of the indigenous Bai culture with a long history in the Erhai area.
In addition to being more original and quieter than Dali Ancient City and Shuanglang, Wase has two major advantages. First, every winter, almost all the seagulls that fly from Siberia to Erhai Lake for the winter congregate in Wase Town. Second, it is located on the east bank of Erhai Lake, making it the best spot to admire the sunset over Erhai Lake.
Every winter, the little seagull sprites trek all the way from distant Siberia, which seems to have become an unwavering promise. They usually arrive in November and leave by March or April the following year, spending a warm winter in the beautiful Erhai Lake. It is their arrival that makes Dali's winter so lively; their graceful silhouettes soar between Cangshan and Erhai, adding brilliance to the beautiful Dali.
It was already very late when we arrived at the inn, and I hadn't had a chance to see what it looked like. When I opened the door this morning, I felt it was so wonderful—this completely fulfilled all my fantasies about Lijiang inns. It's a complete flower-filled courtyard, with guest rooms upstairs and downstairs all in wooden structures, the floor creaking when stepped on. The door panels have exquisitely carved flowers and patterns, and the window paper is written with incomprehensible Dongba characters. There are many rattan chairs in the courtyard where you can sit, read a book, bask in the sun, and daydream. The entire Naxi courtyard feels classical and simple.
Today's itinerary is simple and relaxed, mainly just wandering around the ancient city all day. The ancient city is exempt from the maintenance fee.
The ancient city in the morning is very tranquil, a stark contrast to the bustling, lit-up and noisy city at night, making it feel like two completely different places. Lijiang at night presents scenes that don't match the traditional image of an ancient city—truly a city of romance. However, during the day, the ancient city possesses a unique beauty of antique charm, as if you can find traces of history and chase the shadow of time. The sun generously shines on every alley, washing the cobblestone paths and adorning the entire ancient city.
Far from the hustle and bustle and the commercial atmosphere, people leisurely go about their own business. Occasionally, horse-drawn carriages pass through the town, the river flows quietly, nourishing the lush village, as if time itself has slowed down...
The cuisine in Shuhe Ancient Town is not to be missed. The small pot rice we had was superb—rice mixed with many ingredients and then braised, incredibly fragrant, I absolutely loved it. The snow mountain fish was also tender and delicious, with a soft, crispy texture, very comfortable. The cured pork ribs were also excellent, coming off the bone perfectly, just amazing. The most satisfying meal in Yunnan!
Backlit photography on the Walking Marriage Bridge~
By the lake, there are no pavilions or towers over the water, no arched bridges or painted boats; there is only blue sky, clear water, white clouds, and light boats.
The first stop is the most lively Daluoshui Village. Daluoshui is the first village upon entering Lugu Lake and a must-visit place for most tourists, with relatively many tour groups. The village extends from the land's tip into the heart of the lake, offering the widest view, and is the largest and earliest developed Mosuo village on Lugu Lake.
Daluoshui has many such waterfront platforms, as well as white tables and chairs like those at Shuanglang's 'Haidi Life', which somewhat made up for not going to Shuanglang. It turns out this is also a refreshing little village!
The mountains of Lugu Lake have a thin layer of soil on the surface, underneath which is typical karst geology. The soil-covered mountains are lush with vegetation and dense forests, with rich produce. Various mushroom species grow among them, such as large-foot mushrooms, green-cap boletus, porcini mushrooms, and the precious and rare matsutake.
The shapes of these mountains are like 'a range seen as a ridge from the side and a peak from the front'. Visitors' experiences vary from person to person. The mountains of Lugu Lake are just so magical and evocative; what you see is what you perceive, what you imagine resembles what you see.
Boating in calm weather is probably the right way to experience boating on Lugu Lake. Thinking back to the stormy weather while boating yesterday afternoon, I almost suspected I had come to a fake Lugu Lake.
On a sunny day, Lugu Lake is truly beautiful, with the lake surface sparkling, the water exceptionally blue, blending with the sky into one, so beautiful it seems a little unreal.
Travelogue Directory: 1. Dali Ancient City 2. Xizhou 3. Erhai Lake 4. Lijiang Ancient City 5. Shuhe Ancient Town 6. Lugu Lake Travel Information Hotel Index Guide Index Air Ticket Index Website Navigation Travel Index Cruise Index Corporate Travel Index Join Cooperation Distribution Alliance Friendship Links Corporate Gift Card Procurement Insurance Agency Agent Cooperation Hotel Joining Destination and Scenic Area Cooperation More Join Cooperation About Ctrip About Ctrip Ctrip Hot Topics Contact Us Careers User Agreement Privacy Policy Business License Security Center Ctrip Content Center Intellectual Property Trip.com Group Algorithm Announcement
