In 738 AD the Nanzhao Kingdom was established with Dali as its capital and covered a large area of Yunnan and northern Burma and parts of Sichuan and Guizhou. The kingdom survived almost 200 years, after several decades of chaos the Kingdom of Dali emerged in 937.
Erhai Lake and the wind power 洱海生活, 风力和太阳能是重要能源
By Depth of Field Guesthouse Dali 恬野文化摄影家庭客栈
People by the fishing village, washing dirt off vegetables before selling them in the market 洱海人家，市场早上一场，下午五六点一场，卖菜前菜民现在湖里把菜洗干净;
I've only seen this blue outside Beijing 晴空•春耕.
Dali Old Town is between Cangshan mountain and Erhai lake, known for its traditional architecture, minority cultures, embroidery and weeds (once, but no longer).
Spring festival performance in the town square, people watching, girls waiting 去双廊的路上经过马久邑村，正逢广场春节演出，围观村民，等待上台的舞者。
Local houses, new year traditions 白族民居, 春节习俗 - 长香和春联;
Embroidery& Indigo 古老的刺绣和近代扎染
The market - we missed the major market dates this time
One of the Bai delicacy was pig face sashimi 生猪头肉是白族特色菜之一，午餐看见每桌都有个拼盘，我也误点了，其实很新鲜很好吃，蘸酱把所有生肉味道都掩盖了，只是心理作用还是感觉怪怪.
This is the town where I saw kids running down a narrow street paved with large stones, dark clouds floating from nearby mountains, towards a 5-metre high ancient city wall, and I thought at that time, how beautiful. Reminds me of my childhood, that probably was my first travel, exact 10 years ago. I believe that is Yuanfen/Kama/destiny. 一些人，一些事，一些地方，注定你会遇到，似曾相识，有归属感，这就是缘分.
第一次经过这个小镇的时候是03年春节，正好十年前，那时在上大二。从西双版纳坐了16小时的长途车到大理，晕车，一路颠簸，半醒半昏。
除了小时候从海南搬家到开平，从开平到北京上学，那次应该是我人生中第一次真正的旅途。对祖国了解不多，所知道的大多信息也仅限于来自教科书电视和家人。那时的同伴对中国的了解比我更少，一起计划旅途目的地的时候我只知道桂林和西双版纳，最终我们决定去西双版纳，从广州坐了一天多的火车，硬座。然后从版纳去大理，信息来源于他在上机前随手从法国机场书铺买下的中国旅游指南书。
所以到达大理前我对这个小镇一无所知，住宿也是从汽车站拉客的人找到的，安静幽美的院子，现在想起应该是在南门外。那几天经常经过南门，门内有几匹俊美的白马，穿着民族服饰售卖苍山索道票的年轻白族女孩，银饰店，小西餐厅。
那时候我不知道大理依山，也不知道它傍水。所以那一次也没去洱海，步行至一些村落穿过田园的时候看见这一片蓝。不过我记得的是，夕阳西下时走向城门，乌云从山边涌来，孩童在大石路上奔跑至城门，欢笑。那一刻我在想，真美，让我想起热带的童年。然而我完全没有想到有一天我会搬到那里。至到有了一个能奔跑和欢笑的宝宝，我顺其自然地想起了那一幕。
Shaxi, along the tea road 茶马古道上的沙溪
Depth of Field Guesthouse Dali 恬野文化摄影家庭客栈