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59-531: The Dali Kingdom takes its name from Dali City . Famed for its high quality marble, Dali (dàlǐ 大理) literally means "marble" in Chinese. Dali marble is famous throughout Asia and among collectors of gemstones all over the world. For a few square inches of Shuimohuashi, a particularly precious type of marble, dealers in Hong Kong or Shanghai can charge up to $ 20,000. For more than 1,000 years Dali has been known as

118-474: A darughachi and a civilian official. He instituted a native chieftain system that came to be known as tusi which assigned ranks and posts to native chieftains. Under this institution of "rule based on native customs" the locals retained much of their autonomy with the exception of three obligations. One, they would provide surrendered troops to the Yuan government. Two, local chieftains would provide tribute to

177-523: A capable successor to maintain the throne for the Lý dynasty. Finally, being an intelligent and vivacious boy, Lý Dương Hoán was made by Lý Thần Tông the crown prince of the Lý dynasty at the age of two in 1117. In December 1127, Lý Nhân Tông died at Vĩnh Quang Palace and was succeeded by the Crown Prince Lý Dương Hoán, now Lý Thần Tông. Immediately after the coronation, Thần Tông began to regulate

236-693: A fierce battle. The Duan family were then taken captive and escorted to the Ming capital of Nanjing . Under the influence of Chinese officials present from early times, the Dali elite used Chinese script supplemented by Bai characters, which were themselves constructed based on Chinese characters. The Dali court granted hereditary fiefs to pre-existing clan chiefs, in particular the Duan, Gao, Yang, and Dong clans, to win over their support. Some administrative units were designated semi-autonomous military divisions. Similarly to

295-463: A horse like this not be considered a good horse? In 1094, the former prime minister Gao Shengtai forced King Duan Zhengming to relinquish the throne to him and renamed the Dali Kingdom to "Dazhong Kingdom". Gao Shengtai ruled briefly until his death in 1096, after which the throne was returned to the Duan family. Duan Zhengming's younger brother, Duan Zhengchun, became the new ruler and restored

354-550: Is connected to Kunming and points east by the Hangrui Expressway (G56), which also runs west to Ruili on the Burmese border. The Dali Expressway (G56₁₁) is a spur connecting it with Lijiang . The road to the old town is China National Highway 214 , which connects to the expressway to Lijiang north of the lake. It also runs south from Xiaguan to Menghai near the Burmese border . Long-distance busses run from

413-560: Is connected to Kunming with a modern high-speed train link with a frequency of one train per hour. As the railway network expands in Yunnan, train service will become available to Shangri-La County and Ruili in the future. The standard gauge line from Kunming , China to Kyaukphyu port opened in 2021, with a station at Dali. Dali is one of Yunnan's most popular tourist destinations. Sights include: Ly Than Tong Lý Thần Tông (1116–1138), personal name Lý Dương Hoán ,

472-584: Is located in western Yunnan , approximately 250 km (160 mi) northwest of the provincial capital of Kunming . Dali is situated in the transition area between the dramatic valleys of the Hengduan ranges on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau and the distinctive mountains of the western Yungui Plateau . The county-level city surrounds Erhai Lake between the Cang Mountains to

531-459: Is not confirmed by Song or Dali sources. A significant change from Nanzhao is apparent in Dali rulers’ naming practices, which generally do not follow the patronymic linkage system. This suggests that the Dali elites presented themselves as more “Chinese” than their Nanzhao counterparts. Dali's relationship with the Song was cordial throughout its entire existence. Dali congratulated the Song dynasty on

590-602: Is sometimes referred to as Dali New Town ( 大理新镇 ) to avoid confusion. Dali Town ( 大理镇 ), formerly known as Tali , is another division of Dali City, located 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Xiaguan. This town, commonly referred to as Dali Old Town ( 大理古城 ) to distinguish it from the city seat in Xiaguan, is usually the Dali referred to in tourist publications. The old town is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Yunnan, known for its natural scenery, historical and cultural heritage, and vibrant nightlife. Dali City

649-537: Is the county-level seat of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in northwestern Yunnan . Dali City is administered through 12 township-level districts, two of which are also commonly referred to as Dali. Xiaguan ( 下关镇 ), formerly transliterated as Hsia-kuan, is the modern city centre and usually conflated with Dali City by virtue of being its seat. This town is the destination of most long-distance transportation heading to Dali and

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708-521: The Panthay Rebellion against the Qing from 1856 to 1863. It was severely damaged during a massive earthquake in 1925 . Rail and then air transport have permitted the area (particularly Dali Old Town) to become accessible to tourists in the 20th century. It is now one of China's official tourist cities and, along with nearby Lijiang , one of the most popular towns. In order to preserve

767-668: The Song dynasty and the Kingdom of Champa . At that time, the Đại Việt's borders were fairly stable except for some skirmishes with the Khmer ruler Suryavarman II , starting in 1128, and Champa, which were driven out by the Lý army without difficulty. Besides the Emperor, the victory over Champa was also attributed to the protection of the Buddhist and Taoist deities, an opinion that

826-526: The conquest of Later Shu in 965 and voluntarily established tribute relations in 982. It was however essentially an independent state. At times the Song even declined offers of tribute. The Song founder Song Taizu declared all land south of the Dadu River to be Dali territory and did not desire to pursue any further claims to avoid the Tang dynasty's disastrous efforts against Nanzhao. Dali relations with

885-534: The era name to Thiên Thuận (1128–1132) and made his adoptive mother Lady Trần Anh the Empress Mother of the Lý dynasty. During the reign, the Emperor changed the era name one more time to Thiên Chương Bảo Tự (1133–1138). Although he had been not long on the Lý throne, Lý Thần Tông at once made several major changes in the royal court such as relaxing strict laws, appointing officials for important positions and maintaining diplomatic relations with

944-467: The 26th day of the ninth month of 1138 at the age of 23 and was succeeded by Lý Anh Tông . Lý Thần Tông entitled his empress, the Empress Consort Lệ Thiên (Lệ Thiên Hoàng hậu) Lý thị in 1128. At the same time, Lý Thần Tông also married the niece Lê thị of the chancellor Lê Xương, who was entitled as Lady Minh Bảo (Minh Bảo phu nhân). The first son of Lý Thần Tông and Lady Minh Bảo Lê thị

1003-583: The 9th century. The last king of Nanzhao established Buddhism as the state religion and many Dali kings continued the tradition. Ten of Dali's 22 kings retired to become Buddhist monks . Fan Chengda (1126-1193) encountered a Dali trade mission and noted that they sought Chinese literature, medical texts, Buddhist scriptures, and dictionaries in return for horses. He marveled that "these people all possessed proper etiquette, and carried and recited Buddhist scriptural books." Dali City Dali City ( Chinese : 大理市 , Bai : Dallit sil or Guiphet )

1062-685: The Bai. The earliest references to "Bai people", or the "Bo", are from the Yuan dynasty . During the Ming dynasty , the Bai were also known as "Minjia" (civilians). A Bai script using Chinese characters was mentioned during the Ming dynasty . According to Stevan Harrell, while the ethnic identity of Nanzhao's ruling elite is still disputed, the subsequent Yang and Duan dynasties were both definitely Bai. A version of Buddhism known as Azhali existed in Yunnan since

1121-577: The Jinsha River, Kublai's army crossed the river during the night and routed the Dali army. In late 1253, the three columns converged on the city of Dali. The king of Dali, Duan Xingzhi, fled to the town of Shanchan (near modern Kunming ) and rallied pro-Dali forces to oppose the Mongol invasion. It took another two years of fighting before the Mongols captured the cities of Dali and Shanchan. However

1180-499: The Ming dynasty. The Ming appointed the first Gao Ce 高策 in recognition of his meritorious military service in 1389, and the eleventh Gao Shichang 高世昌 inherited the position of Vice Magistrate of rank four in 1630. According to a Vietnamese stone inscription, in 1096 a Dali magician was said to have plotted a conspiracy to murder King Lý Nhân Tông . After the death of Nhân Tông in 1127, his adopted son (by concubine) named Zhizhi had escaped to Dali, changed his surname to Zhao, and assumed

1239-407: The Mongols feared the power of Duan Gong and killed him. Duan Sengnu raised Duan Bao to take revenge against Basalawarmi for the killing of Duan Gong. A play was made based on these events. According to Yuan documents, the Duan family were originally ethnic Han from Wuwei commandery, Gansu. Other Duan families also originated from Wuwei. In 1381, the Ming dynasty dispatched 300,000 troops to crush

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1298-475: The Nanzhao military, the Dali military consisted of a standing army, townsfolk peasant-soldiers and indigenous militia. The rulers of Dali continued the traditions of Nanzhao, such as the royal title piaoxin (Lord of Pyu ), the use of the same tall crowns, and taking Acuoye Guanyin as their tutelary deity. They also used the title emperor ( huangdi ). Extant sources from Nanzhao and the Dali Kingdom show that

1357-563: The Shanchan region in support of an anti-Mongol rebellion led by Sheliwei. At the same time, Uriyangkhadai was called away to invade Đại Việt under the Trần dynasty . Fierce fighting continued between the Mongol-Dali forces and the Shanchan resistance until Sheliwei was killed in a Mongol ambush in 1274. The Duan family governed Yunnan's various indigenous peoples for eleven generations until

1416-601: The Song differed markedly from Nanzhao-Tang relations. When the first Song emperor, Taizu, came to power, he declared that, in light of Tang difficulties in the Southwest, he would forfeit the Yue and Sui Commanderies and use the Dadu River as the border with Dali. His successors followed this policy, so contact between the Song and Dali was minimal. Song records show reluctance to engage with Dali directly in any way, even through

1475-440: The Yuan court. Three, they would follow the rules of appointment, succession, promotion, degradation, reward, and punishment of native chieftains created by the Yuan court. In the Shanchan region of central Yunnan, Sayyid' Ajall created eight routes: Zhongqing, Dengjiang, Lingan, Yuanjiang, Guangxi, Qujing, Wuding, and Weichu. They were ruled by a new post, the tuguan (native official). The tuguan were official representatives of

1534-417: The Yuan dynasty but retained much autonomy, including the right of passing their hereditary post to their offspring, and autonomy to govern so long as they did not harbour criminals or behave in an anti-Yuan manner. The tuguan were obligated to pay taxes in the form of horses, precious metals, and finished goods. They also had to provide military support when requested. The Yi kingdoms to the east were assigned

1593-419: The Yuan remnants in Yunnan. The Duan clan, who helped the Yuan dynasty against a Red Turban Rebellion attack from Sichuan, also fought against the Ming army. Duan Shi , the 13th and the last hereditary Governor-General of Dali, refused to surrender by writing to Fu Youde, making it clear that Dali could only be a tributary to the Ming. In 1382 Lan Yu and Mu Ying's forces attacked and crushed Duan's realm after

1652-463: The agriculture of the country was not affected by military activities. In 1136 Lý Thần Tông contracted a severe disease that his physicians could not cure, so a monk named Nguyễn Minh Không stepped up and helped the emperor survive his disease and recover. There was a legend said that Nguyễn Minh Không learned the disease's antidote of disease from his master Từ Đạo Hạnh before he died. Nevertheless, Lý Thần Tông survived for only two years, he died on

1711-414: The appeal of the old town, industrial development is restricted to newer townships such as Xiaguan . Building codes mandate that new construction in the old town and surrounding countryside must conform to the traditional Chinese style , with tiled roofs and bricks, plaster, or white-washed walls. Much of the local economy now revolves around tourism and services catering to travelers. Historically, Dali

1770-461: The days still generally warm up to 16 °C (61 °F) or more. During summer, a majority of the days features some rainfall and daytime temperatures rise to 25 °C (77 °F). A great majority of the year's rainfall occurs from June to October. December 2013 was particularly marked for its high snowfall. Dali City has 3 subdistricts, 9 towns and 1 ethnic township. The Dali area was formerly known as Xiemie ( 苴咩 ; Xiémiē ). The old town

1829-497: The end of Mongol rule. They willingly contributed soldiers to the Mongol campaign against the Song dynasty. In 1271, they aided the Yuan dynasty in putting down a Mongol rebellion in Yunnan. In 1274, Ajall Shams al-Din Omar was assigned by Kublai to stabilize Yunnan. He repaired the road connecting Dali and Shanchan and a network of 78 postal relay stations was established from Dali to the town of Shicheng (modern Qujing ). Instead of

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1888-599: The fall of the Northern Song. They were described by a Song official in the following passage: These horses possess a shape [that is] quite magnificent. They stand low with a muscular front, very similar to the shape of a chicken. The diaphragm is broad, shoulders thick, waist flat, and back round. They are trained to squat on their rear ends like a dog. They easily climb steep terrain on command and possess both speed and agility in chase. They have been raised on bitter buckwheat, so they require little to maintain. How could

1947-608: The governors served in Kunming . After the Ming conquest of Yunnan , the members of the Duan clan were scattered in various distant areas of China by the Hongwu Emperor . Uriyangkhadai remained in Yunnan to oversee Duan's rule of Dali and to push further east into the Song dynasty. By mid-1256, 20 military brigades had been established throughout Dali and military units had been sent to attack Ziqi . Mongols and Central Asians filled brigade commander positions while members of

2006-491: The highway and its postal stations for the government. Yuan rule also introduced a significant Muslim influence into Yunnan. The 10th Governor-General of Dali Duan Gong was married to the Mongol Borjigin Princess Agai , daughter of the Yuan dynasty Prince of Liang , Basalawarmi . They had a son and a daughter, Duan Sengnu. their children were also called Duan Qiangna and Duan Bao . However

2065-467: The historian Lê Văn Hưu did not agree with since the historian thought that the victory in battlefield was solely due to the ability of the commander. In the first month of 1129, the Emperor bestowed his real father and mother Marquis Sùng Hiền and Lady Đỗ thị on titles the Retired Emperor (Thái thượng hoàng) and the Empress Mother (Hoàng thái hậu) of the Lý dynasty. The decision of Lý Thần Tông

2124-533: The kingdom's former name. The Gao of Beisheng claimed descent from Gao Shengtai 高昇泰, who usurped the throne of the Dali kingdom c.1094 for approximately one year. According to the Yuan History, Gao Zhisheng 高智升 sent his grandson, Gao Dahui 高大惠, to administer the area after the fall of the Nanzhao kingdom. The Gao served as the Native Officials of Beisheng sub-prefecture for eleven generations during

2183-539: The local elite staffed the subbrigade battalions. Uriyangkhadai rewarded locals who had supported the Mongol invasion and created a new elite to rival the old pro-Dali elite. In late 1256, Uriyangkhadai forced the local collaborators in Shanchan to attack the Yi kingdoms in eastern Yunnan and western Guizhou . Those who refused were killed. The Song supported the Yi kingdoms by sending them 10,000 taels of silver and instructing them to defending Ziqi. The Song backed forces invaded

2242-458: The military brigades established by Uriyangkhadai, Sayyid' Ajall established political units similar to those in China with circuits, routes, prefectures, and counties. The Yunnan Branch Secretariat was divided into ten circuits, each headed by a pacification commissioner ( xuanwei shi ). Prefectures and counties were governed by a route commander. Directives by each administrative unit was cosigned by

2301-452: The modern historian Trần Trọng Kim wrote in his Việt Nam sử lược that Đại Việt was able to witness a peaceful era during the reign of Lý Thần Tông thanks to some capable mandarins such as Trương Bá Ngọc, Lưu Khánh Đàm and Dương Anh Nhị and the policy of "ngụ binh ư nông" which meant conscripting farmers into the army for a period of six months and release them for the remaining six months so that they could resume their farming work and thus

2360-659: The old town (1 hr). Tourists often rent bicycles from one of the many rental stores in the old town and explore the region by bike, for instance on a special bike trail around the Erhai lake. Dali Fengyi Airport (DLU) is a domestic airport about 13 km (8.1 mi) east of Xiaguan on Weishan or Airport Rd. Taxis run about 60  RMB to Xiaguan or 90  RMB to the old town. It services (as of 2014) Kunming (20 min), Xishuangbanna (25 min), Chongqing (70 min), Chengdu Shuangliu (80 min), Shanghai , Beijing , Shenzhen , Guangzhou , and Guiyuan . Dali (i.e., Xiaguan )

2419-433: The old town's west gate to Kunming (about 4½ hrs), Lijiang, and Shangri-La . Every Monday, service is also available to Shaping for its market. Long-distance busses run from Xiaguan's stations on Jianshe Road. Dali has its own railway station with daily services to Kunming and Lijiang . Service to Kunming used to consist of one train during the day and two trains running overnight, with sleeper cars. Per July 2018 Dali

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2478-500: The region. In Shanchan, he oversaw hydraulic projects such as dam and reservoir construction, river and canal dredging for transportation purposes, and draining swamps for land reclamation. He established 55 schools in Yunnan based on a Chinese curriculum and hired Han Chinese instructors to staff them. However most of them were defunct by the beginning of the 14th century. Farming households and garrisons were set up as far south as Dechang to expand agricultural production and to maintain

2537-618: The reign of his predecessors. However, Lý Thần Tông died at age 22 before passing the throne to his crown prince Lý Thiên Tộ . Lý Dương Hoán was born in the summer of 1116 as Lý Dương Hoán to Lady Đỗ and the Marquis of Sùng Hiền ( Vietnamese : Sùng Hiền hầu ) who was son of the Emperor Lý Thánh Tông and younger brother of the Emperor Lý Nhân Tông . According to the Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư , Lý Dương Hoán

2596-534: The resistance against the Mongols continued to the east of Shanchan with the assistance of the Yi kingdoms and the Song dynasty. In 1256, Duan Xingzhi surrendered and presented to Möngke with maps of Yunnan . Duan Xingzhi of Dali was enfeoffed as Maharaja (摩诃罗嵯), and the Duan imperial family continued to hold the title of Maharaja in Yunnan as vassals to the Mongols under the supervision of Borjigin imperial princes and Muslim governors. The Duan family reigned in Dali while

2655-413: The royal court and the royal family in order to keep the stability of the Lý dynasty in the wake of Nhân Tông's death. This action of Lý Thần Tông was criticized by contemporary historians Lê Văn Hưu and Ngô Sĩ Liên who thought that Lý Thần Tông should have been in mourning for his predecessor for a longer period to show his respect for the departed emperor. After the enthronement, Lý Thần Tông changed

2714-482: The ruling elite used Chinese script. The vast majority of Dali sources are written in Classical Chinese . However the ruling elite also used Bai language for communication, but no attempt was made to standardize or popularize the script, and it remained an unofficial writing system. Today, most Bai people trace their ancestry to Nanzhao and the Dali Kingdom, but records from those kingdoms do not mention

2773-508: The same posts and given similar terms. The tuguan were given a certificate of appointment ( gaochi ) that was publicly displayed at the tuguan' s administrative headquarters. They were also given a seal ( yinzheng ) to issue orders as representatives of the Yuan state. A tiger tally was granted to authorize maintenance of horses for military mattes. Gold and silver tallies were issued to mobilize military resources. Sayyid 'Ajall introduced new agricultural techniques and published handbooks in

2832-462: The standard tributary relationship of vassal (Dali) and lord (Song). Because of Song officials’ wariness, Dali was only allowed to offer tribute at the Song court on three occasions. Their requests to offer tribute were repeatedly rejected on the grounds that they would cause trouble for Song, as Nanzhao had for Tang. Dali's primary importance to the Song dynasty was its horses, which were highly prized and sought after as military assets, especially after

2891-495: The title pingwang (peaceful king). When he learned that his older brother, King Lý Thần Tông , had died in 1137, Zhizhi returned to Đại Việt and attacked Lý Anh Tông with 3,000 Dali troops. However, he was defeated and executed. Möngke Khan sent envoys requesting the surrender of Dali. The king of Dali murdered the envoys and when Möngke received word of this, he placed his brother Kublai in charge of invading Dali. Kublai split his army into three columns. The western column

2950-535: The town of marble; indeed, the Chinese word dali means “marble.” Nanzhao was overthrown in 902 and three dynasties followed in quick succession before Duan Siping seized power in 937, establishing himself at Dali . The Duan clan professed to have Han ancestry. Yuan dynasty records said the Duan family came from Wuwei in Gansu: Yuan records claim that the Dali kingdom’s Duan rulers originally came from Wuwei Commandery in modern-day Gansu Province, but this

3009-649: The west and Mount Jizu to the east. The county seat at Xiaguan is located at the outlet of the lake into the Yangbi River . Dali Old Town is situated on a fertile plain between the Cang Range and Erhai. This plain has traditionally been settled by the Bai and Yi minorities. Its low latitude tempered by its high elevation, Dali has a mild subtropical highland climate ( Köppen Cwb ) with short, mild, dry winters and warm, rainy summers. Frost may occur in winter but

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3068-400: The young age of the emperor, Ngô Sĩ Liên and Lê Văn Hưu often pointed their criticisms to Lý Thần Tông's officials who were considered ( by the historians ) lacking ability and being flatterers. However, Lý Thần Tông was later considered in the Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư a skilled ruler who was able to choose and use talented officials and hold the stability of the Lý dynasty. On the other hand,

3127-479: Was Lý Thiên Tộ who was born in the fourth month in Lunar calendar of 1136. Initially Lý Thiên Tộ was not chosen the crown prince of the Lý dynasty because his father preferred Lý Thiên Lộc who was son of his favourite concubine and born before Lý Thiên Tộ in 1132. In the ninth month of 1138, the ill emperor decided to make Lý Thiên Tộ his successor and downgraded Lý Thiên Lộc to Prince Minh Đạo (Minh Đạo vương) after

3186-508: Was able to control some of the trade between India and China and independently famed for the woodworkers of the town of Xizhou and for its high-quality marble , used both for construction and decorative objects. It was so prominent in the latter that the modern Chinese word for marble is literally "Dali stone" ( 大理石 ; dàlǐshí ). There is also local tea . Local transport includes buses, taxis, bicycles, and boats on Erhai Lake . Local busses 4 & 8 provide service from Xiaguan to

3245-599: Was born right after the death of the monk Từ Đạo Hạnh , one of the most important figures of the Early Lý dynasty, which implied that Lý Dương Hoán might be the incarnation of Từ Đạo Hạnh. At that time, the Emperor Lý Nhân Tông was unable to have his own child, and thus he decided to adopt sons of the Marquises Sùng Hiền, Thành Khánh, Thành Quảng, Thành Chiêu, Thành Hưng, so that the emperor could choose

3304-534: Was led by Uriyangkhadai , who was the son of Subutai , and he was instructed to march from Lintao through Kham into Dali. Wang Dezhen led the eastern column through Sichuan . Wang's column rejoined Kublai's middle column at Jianchang in southern Sichuan. Kublai planned to engage Dali's main army at the Jinsha River , leaving Dali vulnerable to Uriyangkhadai's forces to the northwest. After several skirmishes where Dali forces turned back Mongol raids across

3363-512: Was met with criticism from Lê Văn Hưu because of its unorthodoxy according to the feudal tradition in which the Emperor should accept only one origin, in this case was the late Lý Nhân Tông and his empress. Lê Văn Hưu, together with Ngô Sĩ Liên, again criticized Lý Thần Tông for his order in the first month of 1130 that every daughter of the mandarins in the royal court had to be available for the emperor's selection of concubines and ones who were not chosen could only get married afterwards. Because of

3422-449: Was the fifth emperor of the Lý dynasty , reigning over Đại Việt from 1127 to his death in 1138. Becoming the ruler of Đại Việt at the age of twelve, Lý Thần Tông successfully maintained the order of the royal court and strengthened the stability of the country with the assistance of capable officials. For that reason, Đại Việt under Lý Thần Tông was able to witness a peaceful period like during

3481-516: Was the medieval capital of both the Bai kingdom Nanzhao (779–902) and the Kingdom of Dali (937–1253). That city was razed and its records burnt during its conquest by China 's Yuan Dynasty . The present old town was organized in the late 14th century under the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty . The area became significantly Muslim ( Hui ) under the Yuan and Ming and was the center of

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