Located in the northwest part of Yunnan Province, Dali Ancient Town is the economic and cultural center of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture. With Erhai Lake to the east, Cangshan Mountain to the west, the Old Town is regarded as one of the "three ancients" of Dali and the must-see destination during the tour in Yunnan.

According to the ancient record, Dali Ancient Town has a 8.3 meters tall city wall. There are four city gates leading to the city on four directions each of which has a tower and a turret. Inside, the distribution of the old town looks like a chessboard - all the roads are from the east to west or from north to south. The city consists of 5 main streets from south to north and 8 main streets from east to west. The marketplaces were neatly arranged and has remained the the original appearance until today. A typical house has a principle room and two wing-rooms and facing the principle room there stands the wall screening. Different from other ancient towns in China, the traditional Bai ethnic folk houses make Dali Ancient Town distinctive atmosphere. Follow the strict order, the whole city looks simple but traditional and delicate.

When walking along the cobble-paved roads in Dali Ancient Town, visitors will be invoked by a sense of original and elegant appearance and the antique flavor. Besides the Bai ethnic minority traditional folk houses, all the houses in the old town are with grey-green roof tiles including peculiar workshops, temples, schools, churches, etc. If you are interested in the traditional artworks, you have countless choices: artworks made of marble, pencil vases, striped screens, a variety of woven handicrafts, etc. In order to better serve the foreign visitors, Dali Ancient City creates a "Foreigners' Street" called Huguo Road, which goes east to west. The Chinese and western restaurants, souvenir shops and craft stores are settled in this street. To attract foreign visitors, the ads along this street are written in English.

With the grand city wall, traditional Bai ethnic minority folk houses and culture and the marvelous and tranquil scenery, Dali Ancient Town is listed as the top attraction in Yunnan attracting large numbers of tourists from all over the world every year. Wandering along the old paths, eating and drinking in the beautiful decorated restaurants, it is a good way to keep you relaxed for a lifetime.