Dali Ancient Town is a quiet and simple place in contrast to the noisy and prosperous Xiaguan City. The main street from south to north is paved with slab stones. Residential houses, shophouses, and workshops in old-style link each other on both sides. The town is pleasant with an antique atmosphere, fresh air, and a warm climate. A typical Bai's house is either a compound with rooms on three sides and a screen wall or a quadrangle with five yards. The former has one main room, two wing rooms, and a screen wall, which makes the whole compound bright even in the late afternoon by reflecting the sunlight.

In Xiaguan, a windy city, the main room usually faces east to keep away the westerly wind. People in Dali love flowers. Such famous flowers as camellias, azaleas, and orchids are grown in every household. At the Flower Festival in the 2nd lunar calendar, pots of flowers are presented in front of each house to form a flowery lane. Creeks from the Cangshan Mountain flow through the streets and lanes around the city into the Erhai Lake in the east. So tourists will enjoy beautiful blooms and clear creeks here and there in the town.

The main street is flanked by a myriad of marble stores offering a rich variety of commodities from screens, and pen holders, to vases. Marble, available in the 19 peaks of the Cangshan Mountain, is smooth in surface, refined in texture, and beautiful in patterns. It was put into use as early as the period of the Nanzhao Kingdom in the Tang Dynasty. Many famous Chinese statues are made of marble, such as the relief pedestal and breast boards of the Monument to the People's Heroes.

Three-course tea, a traditional custom of the Bai to entertain their guests on festive occasions, connotes three stages of life. The first is plain tea. Procedures are as follows: boil water, heat a small teapot on slow fire, put tea leaves into the pot, turn the pot to make tea leaves get even heat, pour boiled water into the teapot when the tea leaves turn yellow and smell caramel odor, then the tea can be served. The second, flavored with brown sugar, milk fan, walnuts, and sesame, has a sweet aroma. The third, aftertaste tea, is seasoned with honey, ginger, Chinese prickly ash, cinnamon, and walnut.

Dali Ancient town lives up to the reputation as a "famous historical and cultural city", and becomes a popular tourist destination for recreation, recuperation, and sightseeing.

Photo Resource: Internet

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