| Travel Friends |
|---|
| Meet more friends |
Hotels in China
General Information
Places & Sights
Transport
Hotel Specialists (CN)
» Agoda
»
Bookings.net
Books, CDs & DVDs, etc.
» Amazon.com
» Amazon.co.uk
» Amazon.de
» Amazon.fr
Dating & Friends
» Pongü's
Travel Friends
China > Places & Sights > Dali
Wedged between the Erhai Lake and the Cang Shan Mountains at an altitude of 1,975 meters above sea level, Dali is one of the main backpacker hangouts in China.
Dali has a mild climate, with an annual mean temperature of 15 degrees Celsius and only about 56 days of frost and an average annual rainfall of 1,100 millimeters.
Already inhabited in Neolithic times, Dali became an important market place just off the Burma road during the time of the Han dynasty. As early as 109 BC, the Han Emperor Wu Di set up administrative institutions.
The King of the Menshe tribe founded the state of Nanzhao (Southern Princedom) in 739. Nearly two centuries later, in 937, Duan Siping, chief of the Bai, overthrew Nanzhao and founded the Dali kingdom, which lasted until Kublai Khan conquered it in 1253 and integrated it into Yunnan province.
In the region of Dali live mostly Bai. Especially the women dress in a very colourful style. A good time to visit is when one of the many festivals is due.
Guanyin Tang (Temple of the Goddess of Mercy)
|
Festivals The San Yue Jie (Third Moon Street Fair) is held between the 15th and 21st day of the third lunar month (usually April.) Originally a Buddhist festival, nowadays there are dances, races and singing, and a big market with many goods to trade or buy. During the Rao Shan Lin (Walkabout Festival), from the 23rd to the 25th day of the fourth lunar month, people dance and sing from one temple to another. In the height of the summer, on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month, the Huo Ba Jie (Torch Festival) is held. There are dragon-boat races, and in the evening fireworks are displayed and people carry blazing torches around the town and its surroundings. |