Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture

Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture (Bai: Darl•lit Baif•cuf zirl•zirl•zox) is an autonomous prefecture of northwestern Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China. between longitudes 98°52′ to 101°03′ east and latitudes 24°41′ to 26°42′ north, it has a subtropical plateau monsoon climate with distinct dry and wet seasons. Most areas do not experience extreme heat in summer or severe cold in winter, covering a total area of 29,459 square kilometers. By the end of 2023, the permanent population of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture was 3.342 million people. As of March 2023, the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture governed one county-level city and 11 counties, with 110 townships, and the People's Government of the Autonomous Prefecture is based in Xiaguan, Dali City.

The Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture has a long history. As far back as the Neolithic Age, the ancestors of ethnic minorities such as the Bai people and Yi people and thrived here. During the Tang and Song dynasties, local governments such as the "Kingdom of Nanzhao" and the "Kingdom of Dali" emerged. In 1956, the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture was established. The capital, Dali City, is the intersection of the Yunnan-Burma Road and the Yunnan-Tibet Road, historically an important transit point for the "Shu-Sindu Road" and the "Tea Horse Road," and now is planned by Yunnan Province as the central city of Western Yunnan, a regional transportation hub, and the logistics center of Western Yunnan.

The Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture boasts more than 130 scenic spots and historical sites, including the Buddhist holy land of Mount Jizu, the famous Taoist mountain of Weibaoshan, the magnificent stone carvings of Shibaoshan, and the plateau pearl of Erhai Lake. The Cangshan and Erhai are national-level scenic spots, and "Cangshan Nature and the Cultural Relics of Nanzhao" are dual national natural and cultural heritages.

In 2022, the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture achieved a regional gross domestic product (GDP) of 169.96 billion yuan, growing by 2.4% compared to the previous year.

Historical Evolution
In the twenty-sixth year of the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (221 BC), the Dali region was incorporated into the unified feudal state of the Qin Dynasty.

In the second year of the Yuanfeng(元封) era of the Han Dynasty (109 BC), the Western Han Dynasty dispatched tens of thousands of soldiers from Ba and Shu to attack the Laojin(劳浸) and Mimu(靡莫) tribes, "advancing with troops to Dian,"(以兵临滇) where the "King of Dian"（滇王）submitted to the Han. The Western Han Dynasty established the Yizhou Prefecture in the area ruled by the "King of Dian." In the same year, the Han Dynasty sent Guo Chang(郭昌) and Wei Guang(卫广) to attack the "Kunming" tribe in the Dali region that had obstructed the Han envoys. In the fourth year of the Yuanfeng era (107 BC) and the sixth year of the Yuanfeng era (105 BC), Guo Chang led troops twice more to attack the "Kunming" tribe, and "a few years later, they also annexed the land of Kunming." Four counties, Ye Yu(叶榆), Yunnan(云南), Xielong(邪龙), and Bisu(比苏), were established in the Dali region, under the jurisdiction of Yizhou Prefecture, and since then, the Dali region was officially incorporated into the territory of the Han Dynasty.

During the Eastern Han period, the Dali region was under the jurisdiction of Yongchang(永昌郡) Prefecture, with the four counties of Ye Yu, Xilong, Yunnan, and Bisu established during the Western Han period remaining unchanged, and a new county, Bo Nan (now Yongping County), was added.

During the Three Kingdoms period, what is now Yunnan, Guizhou, and the southwestern part of Sichuan were known as Nan Zhong and were part of the Shu Kingdom.

In the seventh year of the Tai Kai era of the Western Jin Dynasty (271 AD), the Jin Dynasty divided the four prefectures established by the Shu Han in Nan Zhong, establishing Ning State(宁州).

During the Southern Dynasties, as the Central Plains were in a situation of feudal division, Yunnan was successively ruled by the Song, Southern Qi, Liang, Northern Wei, Western Wei, and Northern Zhou dynasties.

In the fifth year of the Kai Huang era of the Sui Dynasty (585 AD), Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, dispatched Wei Chong as the governor of Nan Ning(南宁州) State, and established Gongzhou(恭州), Xiezhou(协州), and Kunzhou(昆州) in Yunnan.

In the fourth year of the Wu De era of the Tang Dynasty (621 AD), the Tang sent envoys to the Erhai region to appease the various tribes of the "Kunming" Man. In the seventh year of Wu De (624 AD), the chief commander of the prefecture, Wei Renshou,(韦仁寿) led five hundred soldiers to the Western Erhai River, "by imperial authority, established eight prefectures and seventeen counties, and appointed their leaders as chiefs and governors." From the eighth year of Tianbao (749 AD) to the thirteenth year of Tianbao (754 AD), the "An Lushan rebellion" broke out between the Tang and Nanzhao dynasties. In the following 40 years, Nanzhao continued to expand outward, expanding its territory and establishing a multi-ethnic state that included eastern Guizhou, northern Vietnam, southern Xishuangbanna, northern Myanmar, northwestern Tibet's Shenchuan神川 (now Lijiang), and northeast to Xuzhou戌州 (now Yibin) in Sichuan.

In the second year of Tianfu of the Later Jin Dynasty (937 AD), Duan Siping, the military governor of Tonghai of the Later Jin, joined forces with the thirty-seven eastern regions to march on Dali, overthrew the Dayining Kingdom(大义宁国), and established the Dali Kingdom.

In the first year of the Baoyou era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1253 AD), Kublai Khan led the central road army, crossed the Dadu River, "traveled through the mountains and valleys for more than 2000 miles," passing through present-day Yanyuan and Yongsheng, and directly reached the Jinsha River, "crossing by leather bags and rafts," arriving in the territory of Lijiang today. Kublai Khan led his troops to capture Jianchuan and Heqing, and pressed on to Dali City from Shangguan. The city was broken, the Prime Minister of Dali, Gao Xiang(高祥), was killed, and the King of Dali, Duan Xingzhi(段兴智), fled to the Dian Lake area. In the second year of Baoyou (1254 AD), Uriangqada continued to march, successively pacifying the five cities, eight prefectures, four counties, and 37 departments of the Bai and Black Man of the Dali Kingdom, and captured the King of Dali, Duan Xingzhi, in Kunze(昆泽) (now Yiliang), and the Dali Kingdom fell.

Demography
Ethnic groups in Dali, 2000 census

Local holidays
In addition to the national public holidays observed throughout China, Dali prefecture has local public holidays. Residents get three days off, from the 15th to the 17th day of the third month of the Chinese calendar, for the Third Month Fair (三月街), a traditional festival of the Bai people. Residents also get two days off, on November 22 and 23, for the Anniversary of the Establishment of the Autonomous Prefecture (自治州成立纪念日).