Experience the best of Dali

Dali lies on a plateau in north-west Yunnan, between the 4,000-metre ridge of the Cangshan range and the long blue Erhai Lake. The old town has Ming-style walls, cobbled lanes and Bai houses with whitewashed walls and carved eaves, while the three pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, dating from the ninth to the eleventh centuries, are the symbol of the region. Dali was the heart of the Nanzhao and Dali kingdoms until the Mongol conquest of 1253.

A local saying names Dali's four great sights: the wind of Xiaguan, the flowers of Shangguan, the snow of Cangshan and the moon over Erhai. Cable cars and walking paths climb the Cangshan range to waterfalls and viewpoints, a boat crosses the lake to the island of Xiaoputuo, and cyclists ride the shore road. Xizhou, to the north, has grand Bai courtyard houses.

Bai cooking features rushan, thin sheets of dried milk curd that are fried or rolled, and Erhai lake fish, and the three-course tea ceremony moves from bitter to sweet to a lingering aftertaste. Markets sell tie-dyed cloth from nearby Zhoucheng. The climate is mild, with a rainy season in summer; spring and autumn are clear and comfortable.