North Gate and South Gate of Dali

Two major remnants of ancient Dali are its North Gate（bei men ）and South Gate（nan men），with their Qing-styled towers rising above the gateway in vibrant hues.

Leading from the North Gate is the main thoroughfare，Fuxing Lu，along which lies the Tower of the Five Glories（wuhua lou）.This central bell tower was once the south gate of the original town.Huguo Lu，known to locals as Foreigner’s Street（yangren jie），is another Dali attraction.This stretch pulses with souvenir shops，guesthouses，internet and food cafes-this backpackers’haven that has spilled into neighboring streets like Bo’ai Lu and Fuxing Lu.

The weather in Dali is mild every season.Summers are comfortably warm and winters are only slightly chilly.

A festive spirit spreads throughout the streets during special occasions.The Sanyue Jie（sanyue jie），beginning in April，lasts a week and commemorates a visit by Guanyin，the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy，to the Nanzhao monarch，and is also known as theGuanyin Festival（guanyin jie ）.The markets go into overdrive as people trade wares and smiles.The three-day Three Temples Festival（raosan ling）is another vibrant event in May.A procession starts from Dali’s South Gate（nan men），to Xizhou’s Sacred Fountain Temple（shengyuan si），where merrymaking rocks the village until dawn.The troupe heads to Jingui Temple（jinzhu si）near Erhai Lake before going back to Dali.If you spot torches and firework displays through the night in July thenyou’ve come during the Torch Festival（huoba jie）.Held usually in July or August，celebrations include dragon boat racing，an event that has spread all over Asia.

Dali tie-dyed tapestries have complex and beautiful designs.

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