What is the difference between Dali and Dali Old Town?

Dali city covers the whole plain between the Cang Mountains and Erhai. Its modern centre is Xiaguan, where the railway station is; the walled old town, which most visitors mean by “Dali”, lies about 13 km further north.

One of China's official ethnic minorities, numbering around two million, most of whom live in the Dali prefecture. They speak Bai, a language with many Chinese loanwords, and are known for their white-walled architecture and Buddhist traditions dating back to the Nanzhao and Dali kingdoms.

Historic city · Cultural centre · Scenic area · Yunnan

Dali

大理 (Dàlǐ)

Capital of Nanzhao and the Dali kingdom between the Cang Mountains and Erhai

Dali is a county-level city in western Yunnan and the capital of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, lying between the Cang Mountains and Lake Erhai. From the eighth to the thirteenth century it was the capital of the Nanzhao and Dali kingdoms; today it is the centre of Bai culture, known for its walled old town, the Three Pagodas and the villages around the lake.

ProvinceYunnan

Key facts

Province: Yunnan
Administrative level: County-level city, capital of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture
Prefecture population: 3.34 million(as of 2020 census)[2]
Elevation: about 2,000 m
Kingdoms: Nanzhao (738–902), Dali (937–1253)

Overview

The city occupies a narrow strip of fertile land about 2,000 metres above sea level between the nineteen peaks of the Cang Mountains to the west and the long, ear-shaped Lake Erhai to the east. The modern centre and railway station are at Xiaguan at the southern end of the lake; the walled old town lies some thirteen kilometres to the north.

For five centuries this plain was the seat of independent kingdoms that controlled the trade routes between Sichuan, Tibet, Burma and India. The Bai, who make up the majority in the lake basin, have kept their language, whitewashed courtyard houses and festivals, and Dali remains a crossroads of Han, Bai, Yi and Hui cultures.

Names and nicknames

风花雪月 (fēng huā xuě yuè)
“wind, flowers, snow and moon”
The four sights of Dali: the wind of Xiaguan, the flowers of Shangguan, the snow of the Cang Mountains and the moon over Erhai.
妙香佛国 (Miàoxiāng fóguó)
“Buddhist land of wondrous fragrance”
Old name reflecting the Buddhist devotion of the Nanzhao and Dali kingdoms.

History

Around 738 the ruler of Nanzhao, one of six principalities around Erhai, united the basin with Tang support and soon turned against the Tang, defeating its armies in the 750s. The Nanzhao capital moved to Taihe and then to Yangjumie, on the site of today's old town. In 937 Duan Siping founded the Dali kingdom, which lasted until the Mongol conquest of 1253. The present walled town was built by the Ming in 1382. Between 1856 and 1873 the Hui leader Du Wenxiu made Dali the capital of a rebel sultanate, whose fall was followed by massacres. From the 1980s the old town became one of the first destinations of independent travellers in China.

c. 738
Nanzhao unites the Erhai basin
King Piluoge created a kingdom that ruled Yunnan for nearly two centuries.
766
Nanzhao Dehua Stele
A stone inscription at Taihe justifies Nanzhao's break with the Tang; it still stands at the ruins of the city.
9th century
Qianxun Pagoda built
The tallest of the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, about 69 metres high, dates from the Nanzhao period.
937
Founding of the Dali kingdom
The Duan dynasty ruled a Buddhist kingdom from Yangjumie for more than three centuries.
1253
Mongol conquest
Kublai's army took the city; the Duan family continued as hereditary administrators under the Yuan.
1382
Ming walled town
The Ming built the present walled old town on a grid of stone-paved streets.
1856–1873
Du Wenxiu's state at Dali
The Hui-led rebellion held the city for sixteen years before the Qing retook it.

Landmarks

Temple or shrine
Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple
崇圣寺三塔 (Chóngshèng Sì Sān Tǎ)
Three brick pagodas below the Cang Mountains, the central one from the ninth century; the temple behind them has been rebuilt.
Street or quarter
Dali Old Town
大理古城 (Dàlǐ Gǔchéng)
Ming walled town with a north and south gate, stone streets and streams from the mountains flowing along them.
Nature
Cang Mountains
苍山 (Cāng Shān)
Range of nineteen peaks up to about 4,100 m, with a contour path along the slopes; a UNESCO Global Geopark.
Nature
Lake Erhai
洱海 (Ěrhǎi)
Plateau lake of about 250 km², ringed by Bai villages and fishing harbours.
Historic site
Xizhou
喜洲 (Xǐzhōu)
Bai merchant town on the lake's western shore with courtyard mansions of the early twentieth century.
Historic site
Taihe City ruins and Dehua Stele
太和城遗址·南诏德化碑 (Tàihé Chéng yízhǐ · Nánzhào Déhuà Bēi)
Remains of the early Nanzhao capital south of the old town.

Neighbourhoods

Xiaguan
下关 (Xiàguān)
The modern city centre and transport hub at the south end of Erhai, known for its strong winds.
Shuanglang
双廊 (Shuānglàng)
Fishing village on the eastern shore of the lake, now full of guesthouses.
Zhoucheng
周城 (Zhōuchéng)
Large Bai village in the north of the plain, the centre of indigo tie-dye.

Food

Milk fan
乳扇 (rǔshàn)
Thin sheets of dried milk curd, grilled and spread with rose jam.
Erhai casserole fish
砂锅鱼 (shāguō yú)
Fish from the lake stewed in a clay pot with ham, mushrooms and tofu.
Xizhou flatbread
喜洲粑粑 (Xǐzhōu bāba)
Wheat flatbread baked between two layers of charcoal, sweet or savoury.
Erkuai
饵块 (ěrkuài)
Pounded rice cakes, grilled and folded around fillings or stir-fried.

Culture

Bai culture shapes daily life in Dali: whitewashed houses with painted eaves and screen walls that reflect light into the courtyard, the three-course tea offered to guests, tie-dye and marble carving (the word 大理石, “Dali stone”, is the Chinese for marble). The Third Month Fair below the Cang Mountains, the Torch Festival and the Raosanling pilgrimage around the villages of Erhai in the fourth lunar month are the main festivals. The Dali kingdom is also the setting of parts of Jin Yong's martial-arts novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (天龙八部).

Mountains and nature nearby

Lake · 4,122 mErhai Lake and Cangshan洱海 (Ěrhǎi)The highland lake and nineteen-peak range of the Bai homeland

Getting around

Dali station at Xiaguan is linked by high-speed train with Kunming and by rail with Lijiang; buses run from Xiaguan to the old town.
Dali Airport lies east of Erhai.
Cycling and electric scooters are common ways to travel along the lake shore.

Day trips

Shaxi
沙溪古镇 (Shāxī Gǔzhèn)
Market town on the old tea-horse road in Jianchuan county, with a Ming temple, theatre stage and caravan inns.
Weishan
巍山古城 (Wēishān Gǔchéng)
Old town south of Dali in the region where the Nanzhao royal house originated.
Jizu Mountain
鸡足山 (Jīzú Shān)
Buddhist mountain in Binchuan county with temples and a summit pagoda.
Shibao Mountain
石宝山 (Shíbǎo Shān)
Grottoes of the Nanzhao and Dali period in Jianchuan county.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture People's Government — Dali Prefecture People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
Yunnan — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)

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