The city of Dali - Traveling in my own country China

Most people don’t realize this laid-back lakeside city was once the capital of a mighty ancient kingdom in southwest China. Over 1,300 years ago, the ancestors of the Bai people founded the Nanzhao Kingdom here, which later gave way to the Dali Kingdom. Together, these two dynasties ruled Yunnan and vast surrounding areas for more than 500 years. Think of it as an independent medieval European kingdom — it had its own writing system, laws, culture, and army. Even the powerful imperial dynasties of central China treated it with serious respect. Right in the heart of the old town stands Wuhua Tower, the most living piece of Dali’s long history. First built during the Nanzhao era, it served as the royal guesthouse and meeting hall — basically the kingdom’s official state guest house. Envoys from the Chinese imperial court and noble leaders from all across the region would gather here for banquets and state affairs. The old town isn’t large, but it’s home to Buddhist temples, a Confucian temple, Taoist shrines, a mosque, and even a Catholic church. People of different faiths and ethnic groups have lived side by side here for hundreds of years, respecting one another and existing in peace. The most iconic landmark from Dali’s history is the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple. Backed by Cangshan Mountain and facing Erhai Lake, they blend architectural styles from central China, Tibetan Buddhism, and Southeast Asia. The most amazing part? They’ve stood for over a thousand years, surviving countless storms and major earthquakes. It’s a small but incredible miracle of ancient engineering. This temple complex is basically Dali’s Statue of Liberty — the instantly recognizable symbol of the city. Commissioned by the Nanzhao king over 1,000 years ago, it was the core of the royal Buddhist temple, and behind it lies the full legend of Dali’s “Buddhist Kingdom of the Southwest.” Out of the 22 kings of the Dali Kingdom, 9 voluntarily gave up their throne to become monks right here at this temple. This wasn’t because they were forced out by coups. Most stepped down willingly in their later years, trading their crowns for monk’s robes and a quiet life of devotion. It just shows how deeply Buddhism was woven into the royal family — and the entire culture — back then. The tall central pagoda is called Qianxun Pagoda, built between 833 and 840 AD — that’s nearly 1,200 years old. Standing 69.13 meters tall with 16 stories, it’s one of the tallest surviving Tang Dynasty brick pagodas in China. Its style shares roots with the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an, but with softer, more graceful lines. Shaped like a spindle — narrower at the top and bottom, gently wider in the middle — it feels both solid and elegant all at once. The Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture Museum holds over 16,000 artifacts, nearly 500 of them classified as rare and precious. There are a few must-see treasures here that are totally worth going out of your way for: First, the Gilded Bronze Statue of Acuoye Guanyin. This is the crown jewel of Dali’s Buddhist art and the museum’s most famous piece. Acuoye Guanyin was a unique Buddhist figure worshipped only in the Dali Kingdom, known as the “Blessing Star of Yunnan” — basically the kingdom’s very own patron saint. It has a slender, graceful figure, flowing thin robes, and a calm, gentle expression. It looks nothing like any other Guanyin statue you’ll find elsewhere in China. Most of these statues were hidden away inside pagodas for over a thousand years before being rediscovered. Very few still exist today, and every single one is a national treasure. Next, the Nanzhao Granary Stele. This plain-looking stone tablet is basically a mini Rosetta Stone for studying Nanzhao history. Unearthed at the site of the ancient Nanzhao capital Taihe City, it has only 7 lines and 70 characters total, yet it clearly records the kingdom’s official ranks, grain storage rules, and weights and measures system. As you might expect, very few written records from the Nanzhao and Dali kingdoms have survived. This little tablet is like a key that unlocks the inner workings of this mysterious ancient kingdom — its historical value is truly unmatched. Last, the Gilded Bronze Phoenix from the Eastern Han Dynasty. This 2,000-year-old artifact was cast in one single piece using the lost-wax method, fully gilded, and inlaid with gemstones. The level of craftsmanship is absolutely stunning. It was seen as a symbol of good fortune, and it also proves that as far back as the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Dali region already had deep technical and cultural ties with central China. It was far from the “wild, uncivilized land” that old historical texts sometimes made it out to be.