Soaking up the serenity of Dali(2)

2008-04-21 14:25:03 [ Big Normal Small ]    　Comment

China's hurtling economy has transformed many places into tourism hot spots. But while it is popular, Dali is different. Rather being constructed of modern glass and concrete, the city is still made of stone. There are cobblestone streets and old stone homesteads with green courtyards.


Perched on the shores of Erhai Lake, Dali is a pretty and peaceful place where it is easy to identify locals and non-locals by their dress. But everyone, residents and tourists alike, seem comfortable.

We were told many tourists who visited Dali did not want to leave. And rather than taking hundreds of pictures and getting excited about the scenery, they simply wanted to walk, relax, soak up the ambience and "live.'' The whole city is "restful,'' filled with cozy coffee houses, book bars, book stores, CD stores, other small stores and vendors selling trinkets you don't need but feel compelled to buy.

Our first lunch was in a small Westernized pizza house on Foreigners Street, and we sat outdoors to enjoy the sunshine. It was probably the only obviously commercial part of the city and reminded us of other typical tourist spots.

We were constantly approached by old ladies in ethnic dress - dark blue dress, red kerchief, silver accessories - trying to sell silver jewelry and handicrafts: "You want to buy some accessories, beautiful ones? Try it on, you will love it," they would say.

Although wearing traditional local dress, the old ladies are not all native Dali people. Locals say some came from nearby Sichuan Province, which has five ethnic groups.

Since we showed no signs of buying, one old lady shifted her attention to three Australian youngsters at the next table. The kids loved it when the old lady tried the silver accessories on their hair and she hospitably took them to her home to examine more silverware.

The Australian parents showed no signs of concern for the welfare of their children and felt relaxed enough to sit and chat with us.

They only started to look for their kids after 15 minutes when they had finished their lunch. Fortunately, it only cost them 40 yuan (US$5.7) for a small necklace to get the kids free of the old lady.

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