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Dali

 

Dali Ancient Town 

 

The Ancient Town of Dali, also known as Yeyu or Purple Town in old times, is located 13 kilometers north to Xiaguan, the capital city of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan. The history of Dali Old Town can date back to Tianbao Period of the Tang Dynasty when Ge Luofeng, the King of Nanzhao Kingdom, decided to construct its capital in the west of Dali Old Town (near the Three Pagodas Park). The old town of present scale was framed in the Hongwu Period of the Ming Dynasty (1382 A.D). Like other old towns in China, Dali Old Town is built with brick walls and four gateways at every direction.

 

In the 1950s, the walls were once destroyed, and the south gate was restored in 1982, on which one can see two big Chinese characters Dali originating from the calligraphic works of Mr. Guo Moruo. Fuxing Road, the major latitudinal passage, cuts through old town along with lots of shops active in marbles, bandhnu crafts, jewelries and other handicrafts. Also in the old town, there are old and traditional houses of the Bai people who love flowers a lot. The layout of the city resembles a Chinese chessboard; there are five streets stretching from south to north, and 8 lanes from east to west, all paved with slab-stones. Along the streets are the typical houses of Bai minority with brick walls and tile roofs; brooks in the Cangshan Mountain flow through the streets and lanes around the old city and finds their way into the Er’hai Lake. In the old city of Dali, there are lots of historic relics and places of interest, such as the "Forbidden City" that served as headquarter of Du Wenxiu uprise in 1856.

 

In 1982, Dali Ancient city was inscribed as one of China's first 24 historic and cultural cities by the State Council.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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