Dali is one of the renowned historical and culturally famous cities in China's southwest Yunnan Province. During the Tang (AD 618-907) and Song (AD 960-1279) dynasties, it was the capital of Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms as the political, economic and cultural center of Yunnan but also an important gateway of cultural exchange and trading with southeastern Asian countries. It was an important corridor of the ancient "Silk Route of the South". It has long enjoyed the reputation as "a land of letters" but more recent fame as "Noted Cultural City" with wind, flowers, snow and moon that can be enjoyed in the scenic resorts of Cangshan Mountain or Erhai Lake.

Dali is situated in the southwest of Yunnan at the intersection of the Yunnan-Burma Highway and Yunnan-Tibetan Highway. It is 400 kms away from Kunming and one day's bus ride will bring you to Dali via Chuxiong Prefecture. Dali municipality covers an area of 1,457 square kms and is inhabited by 400,000 people, composed of the Bai, Han, Hui, Yi, Lisu and other nationalities, among whom the Bai nationality comprise 64% of the total.

As "a land of letters", Dali was the cradle of the Bai culture in compact communities where the passionate folklore of the Bai people is preserved. From ancient history, the ancestors of the Bai and the Yi groups had created the exceptional Erhai Culture that produced numerous enlightening historical and cultural relics. Within the boundaries of Dali, there are many ancient pagodas, stone monuments, frescoes and places of historical interest as recollections of the past.