Yunnan
/ Dali / The City
For many
centuries, Dali was the principal city of Yunnan, far more
important than Kunming. Dali was the capital of the Nanchao
Kingdom which made its power felt deep into China. Much later,
in the mid-19th century, Dali was a Muslim stronghold
from were the Yunnan capital of Kunming had been raided several
times.
Still now,
Dali is predominantly inhabited by Bai people, one of the
strongest ethnic minorities in Yunnan province. The Bais
are closely related to the Thais of Thailand, as
well as to another ethnic minority in Yunnan province, the Dais.
Actually,
the Thais of Thailand only became an ethnic group distinct from
the Bais and Dais of Yunnan after Kublai Khan had defeated
the Nanchao Kingdom. At that time, a large number of the
Nanchao aristocracy, together with many of their subjects, migrated
south, into Southeast Asia and present-day Thailand where
they dislodged the Khmers who at that time were ruling
over much of Southeast Asia.
The Thai group
of people now classified as Thais, Dais, Bais, and under various
other names, had been settling the Dali area for more than 3,000
years. Even today, there is much awareness among Thais that
Yunnan is where they originate from.
Like Kunming,
Dali, some 400 kilometers to the west, is located near a major
lake, Erhai Lake. And like Kunming, Dali lies at an altitude
of about 1,900 meters.
The main attraction
of Dali is probably the surrounding countryside. To the west lies
the Cangshan Mountain Range with peaks well above 4,000
meters and a large number of most picturesque Buddhist temples.
Unlike the Han Chinese, the Dais and Bais of the Dali area
are Hinayana Buddhists, so one may see saffron-robbed monks.
