Don't bother
by johnmperry
I'm just back from a short trip round Yunnan which included Dali Old City. Old? Nothing I saw inside the walls pre-dated about 1950, apart from some relics in the museum (5Y I think, worth it).
The bus to the three pagodas costs .5 Y (5 jiao); entrance to the three pagodas complex was 52Y. The new temple behind, Ching Sheng, is completely artificial.
The bus (no. 4) to Dali New City (Xia Guan) costs 1Y.
Dali Old City, particularly "Foreigners Street" (Huguo Lu) is like West Street Yangshuo writ large. Don't bother. For "western breakfast" I ordered muesli with fruit in yoghurt, and a cheese omelette. It all came on the same plate!
Tintes atados / Dyes tied
by elpariente
Estos son "batiks" , típicos de la cultura Bai, que utilizan un tinte llamado "banlagen" y con él pintan animales y flores en el tejido que luego atan con nudos en las zonas que no quieren que que se coloreen
Primero preparan las telas con los diseños que quieren hacer , luego hacen los nudos , tiñen las telas en grandes calderas y después las secan al sol en sus patios que tienen un gran colorido
These are "batiks," typical of the Bai culture , that use a dye called "banlagen" and they paint flowers and animals in the fabric that is tied with knots in the areas that they do not want to be painted
First , they prepare fabrics with designs they want to do, then they do the knots, stained fabrics in large boilers and then they are dried in the sun , in their yards which look very colorful
Architecture Style
by elva199
This is the special architercture from Dali. Many local people like to paint their house. The beautiful eaves seem have special lucky meaning.
Just the harmonious colors show the talent of local people.
Three Pagodas (San Ta)
by raraavis
Can you believe these pagodas were built in the 9th Century and still standing after earthquakes and other natural disasters? The middle pagoda has been renovated and standing tall. The two smaller side pagodas are slightly leaning and obviously seen their share of good and bad times. They were also built during a later time. Going inside or climbing the pagodas are not allowed.
Make sure you check out the Reflection Pond near the pagodas. The reflections of all pagodas are clear in this pond. It does get crowded with big tour groups stopping and taking pictures. When they leave, the place becomes very tranquile.
The Three Pagosas are situated in the foothill of Cang Shan, before you reach Chongshen Monastery. Entrance ticket is for both pagodas and the monstery.
The pagodas take about an hour to sightsee.
Er hai (Ear Lake)
by raraavis
Dali is famous for Cang Shan and Er Hai.
Er Hai is the 11th largest fresh water lake in China. You can take motorized boat tours on the lake. We didn't take one cause a lake is a lake. This one is not particular breathtaking but still worth a look. Better yet, admire it from afar to get the birds eye view -- on your way down from Zhonghe Temple cable car. (See next tip)
To get to Er Hai, you need to go to Cai Cun (Cai Village) Ma Tou (Wharf). It's about 1-2 km outside of Dali Old City. We took a horse drawn carriage from Three Pagodas, it took about 30 minutes.
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Muslim Mosque in Dali
pagodas
The 3 Pagodas
Cangshan Mountain
