The Dali Old City
Dali is one of the main residential places of Bai people, where was also once the capital city of both Nanzhao Kingdom (738-906) and Dali Kingdom (937-1254). Bai culture although has been deeply influenced by Han culture in the past thousands of years, the traditions of them are still preserved very well.
Three-course of tea is the representative of Yunnan tea culture. When there comes the most honored guest, Bai people always take the three-course of tea to treat them. The first course of tea tastes bitter. The ingredient is the local Dali bowl-shaped tea, which will be put on top of the fireplace and roast till the aroma overflowing. Then brew the tea for a while till it presents dark brown. It tastes bitter and just like what we suffer in adversity. The second course of tea is much sweeter than the first one. It is made of Dali Gantong tea with the local dairy fan, walnut meat and black tea. Serving after the first course means the sweetness after going through the darkness and pains of adversity. The last course is for tasting the unique aftertaste. Brew the Cangshan-Snow tea with honey, ginger, cinnamon and a little Chinese prickly ash. It tastes not only sweet but also a little spicy and bitter after the sweetness. The aftertaste is long and quite complex, just like our lives, we often feel happy, but also prepared for the potential sufferings and dilemmas.
You can have a taste of the unique tea in Dali old city after strolling around. In Dali old city, the Bai style architectures are everywhere, which mainly wooden frame house looks very like Han style buildings. The differences are: 1. The main house in the Siheyuan-style Bai dwelling is generally sit west and face east while the Han style is sit north and face south. 2. The gate of Bai building is usually in the northeast while Han building is in southeast. 3. The buildings in the courtyard are usually two-story buildings in Bai building and they are always connected to each other while Han buildings with the similar structure are usually only one story.
Features
Chinese Name: 大理古城
Location: About 20 kilometers away from Erhai Lake.
Time needed: 3-4 hours
Travel Information
Best time for visiting: March-may, September-November
Opening Tim：Open all day
Service Nember: 0872-2670396
Admission fee: free
