Dali Ancient City, also called Yeyu City, Forbidden
City, Zhonghezhen, lies 3 kilometers north from Xiaguan, the
capital of Dali Prefecture. Embracing Erhai Lake in the east and
adjoining Cangshan Mountain in the west, Dali City was first
established in the early period of the Ming Dynasty, and then an
administrative organ called "wei" was set up. The one who was in
charge was granted the title "Commanding Envoy of the Dali Wei".
Now in dali, the place name "the Gate of Wei" is still used among
the people. In the Qing Dynasty, the military commander of Yunnan
was stationed in Dali. Yixidao, Dalifu (Dali Prefecture) and
Taihexian (Taihe County) were established. In the second year of
the Republic of China, Dali was renamed Taihe County. Now it is
called Zhonghe Town of Dali City.
The circumference of Dali Ancient City was 6
kilometers long. The City Wall is 8 metres high and 7 meters
thick. The interior of the wall was filled with rocks and the
surface was bricked over smoothly. The four gate towers in the
east, south, west and north are named Chen En, Tong Hai, Cangshan
and An Yuan respectively. There are also 45 battlements and 1560
crenels on the walls. A defensive river was surrounding the city.
The streets and avenues in the city now are crisscrossing each
other, typical of chessboard pattern. The buildings are all
covered with dark blue tiles and pebble-staked walls. All look
very pristine and delicate. The residents all like to plant trees
and flowers. There are garden in every house. The famous Dali
camellia, azalea and orchids are competing to show their beauty,
blooming against snow on Cangshan mountain. Red flowers and green
grass are coming out from wall, making up flowers streets. Streams
from Cangshan mountain come into the city, going across the
streets and visiting every family with their happy sound and sweet
taste, running eastwards to Erhai lake. The whole city looks fresh
and wet, without any dust.
In the city, historical relics such as the
headquarters of Du Wenxiu, leader of a peasant uprising, and
relevant stone steles still remain today. The headquarters is
virtually a city within the city of Dali, called the "Forbidden
City". The south and north gate-towers, some sections of the wall
and some parts of Du Wenxiu's headquarters can still be seen
today. The magnificent towers, elegant streets, small and
exquisite courtyards, colourful flowers blooming in profusion give
people a feeling of antiquity, serenity and elegance. Today, this
famous ancient city is attracting more and more tourists. |