DALI MAGAZINE

Dali articles and local reading

A magazine-style reading room for Dali Trip: the group itself, guides, friends, wild places, journeys and lived-in rooms.

73 articles

Latest articlePhoebe | See First, Then Record: Nature Observation and Nature JournalingFrom a slow walk at the foot of Cangshan Mountain to about half an hour of nature journaling after a tea break. Phoebe shares how she fell in love with observation and introduces this experience suitable for both adults and children, with a complete FAQ and three journal works from guests.Read article　→

01

Cangshan House

How this small group began, what it is trying to do, and how the tools and trips grew together.

From Dali, Go to Nujiang for Two Different DaysStroll through Mangkuan's vegetable market, wait by the Nujiang River as the sky darkens, and soak in a farmhouse hot spring at night. The next day, walk into the Gaoligong Mountains and visit a coffee drying yard to see where a cup of coffee begins. Two days and one night to discover another side of Yunnan life.怒江 · 芒宽

Erhai Fishing Lights: Not a Light Show, but a Galaxy on the Lake During the Annual Fishing SeasonRead article　→Jason | Today the Mini Program Moves & Some ThoughtsRead article　→Jason | Build Your Own Mini-Program/Website with AIRead article　→Learn AI Programming TogetherRead article　→Where We Come From | Cangshan Hiking HomeRead article　→

02

Festivals and field notes

Torch festivals, sea lanterns, green plums, grasslands and markets: seasons met in place.

Attend a Thousand-Year Lantern Promise at the Source of Erhai Lake - Dali Qingsuo Village Sea Lantern FestivalEven though I had been to Dali countless times before and now live here year-round, this was the first time I had ever heard of the Sea Lantern Festival. When I asked friends who have lived here for many years, not many knew about it either. This ancient, native folk custom - the Qingsuo Village Sea Lantern Gathering - many people confuse it with the fishing lights of Erhai Lake's fishing season opening. My first thought was also the Fishing Season Opening Festival, but it is completely different! Fishing lights are a commercial night scene, while the Qingsuo Sea Lantern Gathering is a native Bai ethnic custom passed down for a hundred years in Dali's Shangguan, happening only one day a year. There are no commercial performances, it is entirely a tradition upheld by villagers generation after generation. On the Ghost Festival day, release a lantern...Read article

Celebrate the Torch Festival in Nanzhao's Last VillageRead article　→Huanxi Coffee's Sister Eleven | Green Plum & HoneyRead article　→Tuohulasu GrasslandRead article　→Cattle, Horse, and Sheep Grand BazaarRead article　→Yizhao HighwayRead article　→

03

Wild food and nature

Wild vegetables, mushrooms, forests, streams and the bodily joy of being outside.

Soda | Autumn Walk Through the Mountains · 2026 Yunnan Journal · Hiking MuxiangpingSoda's autumn journal at Muxiangping: walking into the rainy mountain forest with friends, observing mushrooms, moss, and wildflowers on the grassy slopes.苏打 · 山野、采摘与自然

Phoebe | Shining Days · Baohe TempleRead article　→Phoebe | Year-End and New YearRead article　→Phoebe | Shining Days · ShizhuRead article　→Phoebe | Shiny Days · Just Like a KidRead article　→Going into the Forest to Seek Wild Mushrooms: Which One Suits You?Read article　→

04

People and stories

Guides, friends, guests and people met on the road, held as warm portraits.

A Jin | A Story Within a StoryLast year in Wayuan, I didn't yet have the awareness to write stories; I only occasionally recorded some bizarre dreams. One morning when I got up, I shared with Yuanjun a story I wrote on a whim: 'The Art of Riding Waves,' based on our mutual friend Xiao Hei, about a teenager how to control the waves. Xiao Hei defecates and farts in the water, doing anything in the water—that's his life. Yuanjun was very excited and described how he felt after hearing the story, and encouraged me to continue creating. Later, I began to consciously choose to listen to the stories of friends around me, based on their real experiences, and started writing. Originally my goal was thirty; Ban Xie said that was too few, eighty would be enough for publication. So far I have written...阿金 · 阿山和阿金

Summer Notes: Reflections on the Role of 'Captain'Read article　→Tangtang | The things you casually write down will meet the right people in time.Read article　→Phoebe | Off-Season · Friends in DaliRead article　→Phoebe | Shining Days · Dinner at You's HomeRead article　→AB Double Butterfly | Encountering a Folded WorldRead article　→

05

Diaries and journeys

Kyoto, Chiang Mai, Iran, Akita, and ordinary days that suddenly shine.

Qi Lin | April · MangkuanForeword: Two years later, I invited a favorite guest to write again. The text Qi Lin sent back brought the wind of the Nu River, along with our longing for Huang Ping. Over a month ago, the evening breeze of the Nu River blew. At that time, little Huang Ping was too small, looking up at me, unable to climb onto the rock where I sat. Wangwang, April 2026大理生活 · 旅行线路

DD | Back in Dali for Five DaysRead article　→Wangwang | End of Summer SongRead article　→Jason | 'Time Never Returns'Read article　→Phoebe | January MiscellanyRead article　→Phoebe | Shaoying's Visit · After New Year's DayRead article　→

06

Shops, yards and rooms

Coffee, bread, courtyards, bars, bedding and books as forms of local life.

Zacaijing | handpokeWhen Zhiyin left, she said: "You can tattoo yourself, and maybe you'll learn a new skill." And then, I really did tattoo myself. More杂草景 · 杂草景

Chen Bali | Courtyard Renovation NotesRead article　→San Nei CroissantRead article　→Wangwang | Bed Sheets, Quilts, and BooksRead article　→

07

Unsorted notes

Short pieces that are still waiting for their shelf.

Shaxi: The Only Surviving Ancient Market Town on the Tea Horse Road, and the Story of How It Was SavedShaxi is the only surviving ancient market town on the Tea Horse Road. In 2001, it was listed as a World Endangered Architectural Heritage Site, and later a Sino-Swiss cooperation project gradually saved it. This article tells its history, the restoration story, and what can still be seen today.文化历史 · 攻略