Dali Ancient City

Between Cangshan and Erhai, Wuhua Tower recalls the state guesthouse of Nanzhao and Dali, while the Ming brick-and-stone south gate anchors the old capital.

Here the sixteen-tier Qianxun Pagoda of Tang-era Nanzhao rises beside two Song pagodas, at a temple where nine Dali kings became monks.

Streams from Cangshan flow through this famous street, where Bai houses mingle with the cosmopolitan culture of international backpackers.

This late-Qing shrine to Guizhou military commander Jiang Zonghan now also hosts what is billed as one of China's first film-themed museums.

Part of Dali Ancient City's history: Creation of the Provincial System. Grandson of Chinggis Khan who became Great Khan in 1260, named his dynasty Yuan in 1271 and completed the conquest of the Southern Song in 1279

Part of Dali Ancient City's history: Creation of the Provincial System. Founding chancellor of the Yuan Dynasty who designed the imperial capitals (Daidu and Shangdu) and shaped the provincial administrative system.

The Qianxun Pagoda was built during the reign of Nanzhao King Quanfengyou (824–859) and is the earliest of Dali's Three Pagodas.

Creation of the Provincial System

Establishing the Branch Secretariat (Xingsheng), creating the lasting territorial template for Chinese provinces.

In 1274, the Yuan established the Yunnan Provincial Secretariat, appointing Sayyid Ajall as its chief administrator and shifting the center from Dali toward Zhongqing, present-day Kunming.