National Parks of ChinaOverview
| Designation | National Park of China (first batch) |
| Province | Yunnan |
| Location | Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, western Yunnan |
| Latitude, longitude | 25.7, 100.2 |
| Nearby cities | Kunming |
| Highlights | Wind, flowers, snow and moon |
| Area | 1,016 km² |
| Elevation | 1,966 m |
| Highest point | 4,122 m |
| Nearby sites | Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Lijiang, Tengchong Geothermal Area and Volcanoes, Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan, Stone Forest of Lunan, Mount Emei and the Leshan Giant Buddha, Huangguoshu Waterfall |
| Themes | Ancient towns, Pagodas & towers, Lakes, Snow mountains, Stamps |
About
Dali, in the Bai Autonomous Prefecture of western Yunnan, lies at the foot of the Cangshan range on the shore of Erhai Lake and was the capital of the ancient Dali kingdom. It is famed for “wind, flowers, snow and moon”: the wind of Shangguan, the flowers of Xiaguan, the snow of Cangshan and the moon over Erhai.
The scenic area, 1,016 km², has five parts: Dali, Cangshan and Erhai; Shibao Mountain at Jianchuan; the Buddhist mountain Jizu; the Taoist temples and forest park of Weibao Mountain at Weishan; and the Cibi Lake hot springs. The main sights are the old town of Dali, Cangshan, Erhai, Butterfly Spring, the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, Jizu Mountain, the Shizhong Mountain grottoes, Weibao Mountain and the old town of Weishan.
The Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple date from the Nanzhao kingdom: the main pagoda is square and hollow, nearly 70 m, with 16 tiers of close-set eaves; the two smaller pagodas behind it on either side have 10 tiers and stand about 42 m.
Cangshan belongs to the Yunling range and is rich in plants; its summit, 4,122 m, is snow-capped all year. Butterfly Spring lies at the foot of its Yunshou Peak.
Erhai is an alpine freshwater lake at 1,966 m with three islands and four shoals. The largest island, Jinsuo in the east, is about 2 km long; the Nanzhao kings had a summer palace on it in the Tang dynasty.
Dali averages 15 °C with 1,056 mm of rain a year.
Stamps
On 19 April 2000 China Post issued 2000-8 “Scenery of Dali”, four stamps: Cangshan and Erhai, the Three Pagodas, Jizu Mountain and Shibao Mountain.
The second stamp of the 1958 set S21 “Ancient Pagodas of China” shows the Qianxun Pagoda at Dali.
