Weishan Ancient City

Weishan Ancient City is situated in western part of Yunnan Province, 50 kilometers (30 miles) away from Dali Ancient City. The whole city centers on Xinggong Tower and contains 25 streets and 18 lanes whose layout resembles the shape of a chessboard. Inside it, there are many well preserved buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1912). 

Paying a visit to Weishan Ancient City is a good chance to experience a slow-paced life, learn about local culture and taste delicious local snacks. When visitors are stepping into Weishan Ancient city, the first impression they have of this ancient city is white wall, grey tile, carved wooden doors, stone roads and big black signs with golden characters. There are many small stores selling snacks, souvenirs, or antiques along the street.
 

Gongchen Tower is on the north gate of Weishan Old Town. There are two boards with inscriptions hanging up on its south and north respectively. When visitors stand in the tower, they will have a panoramic view of Weishan Ancient City. 
 

Menghua Old House is the largest and best preserved ancient residential house in Weishan Old Town. The whole building complex inherits the style of folk houses in central China while adopting some unique features of local ethnic architecture. It was once used as residential place as well as commercial shops containing one screen wall, three lanes, five courtyards and six wells.
 

Mengyang Park is the largest park in Weishan Ancient City. At first glance, a large scale of trees with thick leaves appear. When stepping into the park, you can see many delicate pavilions shaded by trees. Moreover, the Confucius Temple and Weishan County Library both lie inside the park.
 

There is a special street dedicated to selling local dishes. In the morning, many people enjoy having fried eggs as breakfast. Guojiang Ersi, like noodles with meat, is also a popular choice. When it is time for lunch, noodles are highly welcomed. You may feel amazed that the boiled noodles are cut from a long handmade noodle, which is wrapped on a plate before boiling. The local desserts are also worth a taste, and this kind of local cake with three colors: green, yellow and white, are made from green bean, corn and rice.
 

Despite what is mentioned above, visitors can also see a series of remaining sites dating back to Ming and Qing Dynasties, including Guandi Temple, God of Fortune Temple, the Sun Palace and so on. All these buildings are built in a delicate style and show the prosperity of the old city and the superb architectural artistry.
 

Take a long-distance bus at Dali Xingsheng Passenger Station heading to Weishan. It costs about CNY 15 and takes around one and a half hours. This bus departs every 15 minutes from 07:30 to 19:00 based on passenger flow. 

After arrival at Weishan Passenger Station, walk to the east and turn right at the first turn; then walk along the street and turn left at the second turn to arrive at the old town. The total walking distance is about 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles).

 Nearby Attraction: Donglianhua Village