Discover Dali
Dali Museum
大理市博物馆
A free museum inside a Qing-dynasty governor's compound in the ancient town, covering the Nanzhao and Dali kingdoms that ruled this region independently for five centuries. It is the quickest way to understand why Dali's history is not simply Chinese history.
The story
What makes this place special
Dali Museum occupies the former residence of Du Wenxiu on Fuxing Road in the old town. In the eighth month of 1856 Du Wenxiu's rebel forces took Dali, proclaimed him Generalissimo, and converted the Qing provincial military commander's office into his headquarters; the building reverted to the Yunnan commander's office in 1872 after the rising was crushed. It was handed to the local government and converted to a museum in 1986, opening on 1 October 1988, and has been permanently free to the public since 18 May 2009. It is a national third-grade museum.
What you’ll discover
A Qing official compound of courtyards and tiled halls, which is itself part of the interest, with galleries arranged around it: archaeological and historical objects from the Dali basin, a Buddhist art room, a photographic exhibition on the Du Wenxiu rising, galleries of classical and modern painting and calligraphy, and a room on the succession of Qing military commanders. Material includes stone tools, pottery, bronzes, ceramics, jade, stone and wood carving.
A little local insight
Good to know before you go
- It is free and it is on the main street. The reason to come is the building: it is the only substantially intact Qing official compound in the old town, and the rest of Fuxing Road is reconstruction and shops.
- The Du Wenxiu photographic gallery is the only place in Dali that explains the 1856-1872 rising, which is why the old town, the Three Pagodas and Lijiang's Mu Palace all have gaps in their fabric. Read it before visiting those.
- Labelling is mostly Chinese, with thin English. A translation app on the object labels pays for itself here.
- If your interest is specifically Nanzhao and Dali Kingdom archaeology, the larger Dali Prefecture Museum in Xiaguan has the stronger collection; this one is the historic building plus a general local collection.
- Allow 45 minutes to an hour. It is the right thing to do with a wet afternoon in the old town.
When to come
Any time it is open; it is roofed and indifferent to weather, which makes it the obvious rainy-day stop. Closed on Mondays in most reports, so check before planning a Monday visit.
Getting around
A single-storey courtyard complex on flat ground in a flat town, which helps, but it is an unmodified Qing building: thresholds are raised stone sills and courtyards are linked by one or two steps rather than ramps. A wheelchair user can get into the compound and some galleries with help at the sills; a bad knee will have no real difficulty.
Worth knowing before you go
Labelling is mostly Chinese, so read up on the Nanzhao kingdom first; the courtyard buildings and stone carvings are worth the visit even if you skim the cases.
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