The last time I visited Dali was 18 years ago in the blink of an eye. I visited the old place again, feeling a little cordial and feeling. That time, I followed a tour group and came and went in a hurry. I didn't go to the Three Towers of Chongsheng, didn't live near the Erhai Lake, and didn't know how to take photos. Tourism is like going to a market. I have visited Yunnan many times over the years, and I am often deterred from hearing about Dali's right and wrong.

The ancient city is still the same ancient city. I remember that it was also built on the city wall. It seems that there is no grass that grows on the city wall. After the city gate was renovated in the 1980s, it should have remained unchanged. I just heard that a fire broke out in the ancient city the year before last. Fortunately, there was no serious problem.

The commercialization of the ancient city is inevitable. After all, it was the old capital of Nanzhao State in the Tang Dynasty, and later the capital of Dali State. It has been vigorous for 300 years. It is large in scale and developed early in tourism. It cannot be like some remote ancient towns, which still maintains its original customs.

So the focus was chosen on Chongsheng Temple, heading north along the Erhai Lake, passing through the open small plain, facing the Erhai Lake in the east, and Cangshan in the west. It is the Chongsheng Temple called "Tianlong Temple" in Jin Yong's martial arts novel "Eight Parts of the Dragon". The ancient temples in the early years were all destroyed by wars and natural disasters in the past, and were rebuilt in 2003.

The three pagodas of Chongsheng Temple are the original ones, but they have been renovated and are located at the entrance of the scenic area. They are particularly eye-catching. The three pagodas are composed of three pavilions, one big, two small ones. The local people call it the "Wenbi Pagoda". Historical research was built in Nanzhao Quanfengyou period and is a witness to Dali's history. Judging from the architectural style of this is somewhat different from most temples in Yunnan, but very similar to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, with a slope-shaped structure in the Western Regions. It is estimated that Nanzhao Dali Buddhism was closely related to Buddhism in the Central Plains at that time, and it absorbed mainland skills and culture. There are many, which also shows that the Cangshan Erhai region had a developed economy and high productivity and technical levels at that time.

The predecessor of Dali State, Nanzhao State, advocated Buddhism. After arriving in Dali State, Buddhism has become the state religion, and temples are spread all over the country. Dali State governed the country by Confucianism and governed the heart by Buddhism. Chongsheng Temple has become the center of Buddhism. In the national temples of Dali State, monks receive generous treatment and can also take the imperial examination.

In fact, the reason for building the pagoda is not only to promote Buddhist culture, but also that Dali was a country in ancient times and was prone to floods, so the pagoda was built to control it.

Many people's understanding of Dali comes from Jin Yong's novels. In "Eight Parts of the Dragon", for the needs of the plot of the novel, Master Jin Yong gave Emperor Baoding and Master Yi Deng some lofty reasons to become a monk. He defended Tianlong Temple and became a monk. He has no attachment to the beauty of the mountains and rivers, which is really admirable. But in fact, the kings of the Duan family were very sad. The Dali Kingdom, which lasted for 300 years, was controlled by the Gao family, the prime minister, and played in the hands of his subordinates. The king became a puppet, and becoming a monk was just a helpless move.

The prototype of Duan Yu in "Eight Parts of the Dragon" is Duan Heyu in history. In the second year of Daguan of Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty, he succeeded his father Duan Zhengchun as the 16th king of Dali State. He reigned for 39 years and was the longest-serving king among the kings of the Later Li Kingdom. Duan Heyu was a successful monarch. He understood that establishing friendly relations with the Song Dynasty was the foundation of building a country. Although the relationship between the Song Dynasty and the Dali State was alienated due to the policy of Emperor Taizu of Song Dynasty of "not having time to travel far", the Dali State still submitted to the Song Dynasty, paying tribute to local specialties such as Dali horses, musks, bezoars, and fine felt. It also sent fantasy musicians to perform in the Song Dynasty. He was deeply honored by Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, and conferred the title of Doctor Jin Ziguang Lu, Yunnan Jiedushi, King of Dali, etc. until the 17th year of Shaoxing of Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty, He Yu Yu was a monk.

Subsequent kings of Dali could not escape the fate of becoming monks. Among the 22nd generations of kings of Dali State, nine went to become monks in Chongsheng Temple, including the 16th King of Dali, Duan Yu in Jin Yong's "Eight Parts of the Dragon".

Choose a hotel facing Cangshan Mountain. The Nordic-style room has an oversized balcony, overlooking Cangshan Mountain and having a close view of Erhai Lake. Get up early at sunrise and sunset with colorful clouds. Come out of history and quietly stare for two days.

In the border area called Nanyi by the Central Plains, there are also many unknown swords and swords in history, love, hate, and hatred. Look at the wind and clouds on the other side of the Cangshan Mountain, the coast is brightly lit, and the sea has long become a mulberry field.