The Pingyunnan Stele of Emperor Yuanshizu

The Pingyunnan Stele of the Emperor Yuanshizu is in the center of March Street Square in the western part of the ancient City of Dayushi, at the foot of Zhonghe Peak in Cangshan Mountains. The stele was built in 1307, the 11th year of the reign of Yuan Dynasty Emperor Chengzhong. It is 4.44 meters high and 1.65 meters wide. It is made of two huge pieces of granite standing on the back of a stone turtle, hence its other name of Turtle Stele. It records how Yuan Emperor Khublai Khan pacified Yunnan and divided it into counties. Also it explains how Yunnan Province was established.

The Dehua Stele in Nanzhao

The Dehua Stele in Nanzhao is at the foot of Fading Peak of Cangshan Mountains in the middle of Dali and Xiaguan and is six kilometers from Xiaguan City proper. It faces Erhai Lake, with its back to the Cangshan Mountains. The stele was built in 766, the first year of the reign of Tang Emperor Dehua. It is 3.02 meters high, 2.27 meters wide and 0.58 meter thick. Made of sandstone, the stele records the political and military affairs of Nanzhao State and the cause of the Tianbao Battle between Nanzhao and Tang forces. Most important is the fact that the stele records Yunnan Province and the relations between these groups.

The Qingbi Stream

The Qingbi Stream is also named as the Green basin Water. The Qingbi Stream is located between the Shenying Peak and the Malong Peak of the Cangshan Mountains, which are located in the southwest of the ancient city of Dali, Yunnan Province. The mountain spring wells up just from the root of the rocks. It looks like gushing pearls and pouring jades in a shape of a big basin. There are 3 levels of the basin, where the water is very clear and the stones are beautiful, making a unique combination of green and blue, so it was called Qingbi Stream. The Qingbi Stream is one of the top 18 streams in the Cang Mountains. The 3 pools of the Qingbi Stream are attracting innumerable tourists with its unique fascinations.

Ming Dynasty's Xu Xiake, the greatest traveler in the Chinese history, climbed up the real world of the mountains in spite of all the dangers and sufferings and left behind him excellent diaries of his tour and poems for us. What the great painter Xu Beihong praised of the stream is that "No one of the peaks, gorges, forests and springs can's be expressed in the paintings", and regarded the appreciation of the scenes here as the utmost enjoyments of "the satisfaction of soul".

The Horse-washing Pond

The Horse-washing Pond lies between the Yuju and Zhonghe peaks in the Cangshan Mountains. It is 4,000 meters above sea level and is a high-latitude drift pond of the Quaternary Period. A legend says when Khublai Khan made an expedition to Dali, he crossed the Cangshan Mountains and washed his horses here. In late spring and early autumn, the weather is clear, the snow has melted and the flowers are blossoming. So both late spring and early autumn are the best seasons to visit the Horse-washing Pond.

The Dragon-eye Cave

The Dragon-eye Cave is on Piyu Cliff, located on the southern slope of Longquan Peak in the Cangshan Mountains, to the west of the ancient city of Dali. The towering cliff is like a rampant blue dragon. A path along the cliff leads to the Dragon-eye Cave at the top. By the mouth of the cave, there is a stone bridge called the Immortal Bridge. Across the bridge comes the Mouse Road, which leads to the Xuandi, Wendi and Yuhuang pavilions.

Next