When talking about Dali, it is difficult for us to break out of the cliché of "romantic and romantic". Cangshan and Erhai Lake seem to be our inevitable tourist destination. Visit the ancient city of Dali, visit the three pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, or go to the Erhai Lake to see seagulls.

But today, I want everyone to get to know another Dali from the life experience of an "old Internet celebrity". This old Internet celebrity is called Duan Yu. Yes, Duan Yu (Duan Zhengyan), the protagonist of "Eight Parts of the Dragon", is the 16th emperor of Dali Kingdom. The Dali State founded by his ancestor Duan Siping was established on the original site after defeating the Nanzhao State. Today, what we are going to is Nanzhao, the predecessor of Dali State.

Today, Nanzhao State is long gone, and only "Nanzhao Town" is left in the world. The current "Nanzhao Town" is the seat of the county capital of Weishan Yi and Hui Autonomous County in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture. The famous Weishan Ancient City is here. It is also a relic of the birthplace of Nanzhao Capital.

|Day and night in Weishan Ancient City|

The ancient city is centered on the "Gongchen Tower" and has a standard well-shaped structural layout. The buildings on both sides of the north and south main axis completely preserve the style and style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Those living in these buildings are all the aborigines of Weishan, who have lived here for generations. Because of this, the ancient city of Weishan is known as "the last living ancient city in China." Here, I don't smell much commercial flavor, only human flavor and original life. This alone is enough reason to visit.

Here, the best way to integrate into Weishan is to find a suitable place to live, live there, and use day and night to slowly understand it. Before 2021, there will be only a few inns in this ancient city. This midsummer, the opening of Dali Yihe Yunxi Jinshi Di Cultural Boutique Hotel allowed people to finally find a perfect destination in this ancient city.

I think I need to tell you the name of this boutique hotel, because before I checked into the hotel, it took me a lot of time to barely remember it. But if you break it down, you will not only simply remember it, but also understand it more.

Yihe is the brand management party of the hotel. This is also the first time that Yihe brand has left its birthplace in Nanjing, and managed the first hotel. The Yihe brand, which became famous in the World War II of Nanjing Yihe Mansion and Lorraine Château, is now one of the models of the new national brand. Looking back at having stayed in Yihe, I realize that dreaming in the hotel with the most "Jinling flavor" can be so cool! You will know that I like this brand from the bottom of my heart.

|Yihe's four hotels in Nanjing|

Yunxi is a hotel brand carefully created by the owners Yang and his wife. It is full of cultural atmosphere and also represents the owners 'expectations for the future of the hotel. Perhaps this brand new brand will be encountered in other destinations soon. Jinshi Di originated from the ancient courtyard where the hotel is located. It was renovated from the old residence of Zhao Guotai, a Jinshi who participated in the Guangxu Rinjen Science Hall Examination in the 18th year of Guangxu (1892).

4+1 Courtyard

Change scenery in spring, summer, autumn and winter

The hotel door on the North Street of the ancient city is not eye-catching, and it is easy to miss this old house built in the winter of 1895. It took seven years to polish it from the time the Yang couple purchased it to the time the first scholar of Yihe Yunxi was unveiled in front of the world. During this period, Master Chen Yifeng, chief architect of the China Design Institute, spent three years personally taking charge of the moving line and exterior design. After that, Mr. Zhang Guangde of the Hong Kong BHD team, Amman's interior designer, designed the interior beams.

|Entering the corner of the lounge area, facing North Street|

The five-entry Chinese-style courtyard surrounds four courtyards: "Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter", which connects the entire hotel with the four seasons of beauty.

|Overlooking four courtyards from the sky|

The first courtyard I met after entering the door was the "Winter" Courtyard, with faint bamboo and bamboo, outlining the outline of the welcome path. The small road is made of stone millstones and roof tiles, and gurgling springs emerge from three volcanic rock cores transported from Zhangzhou, as if injecting new vitality into the ancient house.

After walking through the Winter Courtyard, they arrived at the hotel lobby. The ancient traditional residential structure with century-old hand-painted exterior walls still remains on the outside, but the space under the sloping roof has long been completely new. The floor-paved bricks of the same craftsmanship as the Forbidden City Imperial Kiln bricks continue to extend to the rear courtyard, while on both sides are the front desk for sit-down formalities.

After tasting the welcome tea, you get the sensor chip wooden key covering the Yi tie-dyed cloth "coat", and then touch the wooden hollow flower wall made of tenon and tenon structure. An immersive Nanzhao life journey officially kicked off.

Crossing this threshold, you will see the "Xia" Tan-Jixi Courtyard in front of you. The word Ji Xi comes from the Book of Songs·King Wen, which means light, as if facing the projection of the summer sun.

The reason why it is called Xiatan is because it is the only waterscape courtyard in the Four Seasons Courtyard. A towering ancient tree, a humble black pine tree, and a shallow pool reflect the blue sky of Weishan Mountain, which instantly calms people down.

On the other side of Xiatan is a tunnel hall. Like "Jixi", the word "Youtunnel" also comes from the Book of Songs. This is the hotel's coffee shop.

Yunnan is China's largest coffee producing area. Try a cup of authentic freshly ground Arabica coffee here and serve it with a piece of milk fan sikang that combines local characteristics. It is like a Yunnan-style afternoon tea. This small coffee shop has also become the empty space I have spent the longest time in the hotel.

Passing through the tunnel hall, you come to the "Spring" courtyard-Feifang courtyard, which is the largest and most abundant among the four seasons courtyards.

In the Spring Courtyard, there are green and moss on the stone roads like dry mountains and rivers. I have already begun to imagine the scenery when cherry blossoms bloom all over Fifang Courtyard next spring. On the north side of the courtyard, there is the only newly built modern-style building in the hotel (with a gym inside). This white hollow building reminds me of the glass pyramid designed by I.M. Pei for the Louvre. It is both abrupt and integrated, becoming a unique scenery.

The "Autumn" Courtyard-Ruyi Courtyard is the deepest courtyard in the entire hotel. There is a tall persimmon tree in the courtyard, which will be extremely beautiful when the autumn day bears fruit.

However, there is no direct connection from "spring" to "autumn". It must pass through the ancient tree courtyard "Luming Garden" on the south side of the main building road. This is why I call them "4+1" courtyards.

|Overlooking Lu Mingyuan|

Lu Mingyuan surprised me! In this small courtyard, a large number of Chinese garden landscaping techniques are presented, and modern craftsmanship is even integrated to show completely different styles during day and night.

Lianchi koi, Zhaobi white walls, stone bridge rockery, Zhinuan Pavilion built against the water broke the convention and chose jade as the material and embedded lighting lights. Therefore, Luming Garden at night was due to the translucent Zhinuan Pavilion. And has another beauty.

Three century-old trees and an ancient well that can still produce water are preserved in Luming Garden. The best protection is the best protection.

The hotel's only restaurant is also in this courtyard. It has a sunken semi-open design and stands next to the water, giving it a unique style.

16 rooms Homes

Dream back to Nanzhao in one room

When I finished walking through the Four Seasons Courtyard, I had actually swept all the guest rooms. In an area of 1300 square meters, the hotel has only 16 rooms, which are distributed around the three courtyards of "spring, summer and autumn". Each room is a courtyard view room. Due to the layout of the corridor building, most rooms can enjoy the beautiful scenery of both courtyards at the same time.

In the Yihe Yunxi Jinshi Hall, which focuses on culture, each guest room is also given a name. Most of them come from ancient books such as the Book of Songs and Han Feizi, and all focus on the theme of obtaining fame. According to differences in area, landscape, etc., it is divided into four main room types, cleverly arranged in Jixi, Feifang and Ruyi three courtyards. Among them, the guest rooms of the front and two houses are the old houses of Jinshi Di, which completely retains the original architectural pattern. Ruyi Courtyard is a newly built antique courtyard.

The type with the largest number of rooms is the garden-view luxury room, which is distributed in all three courtyards, with an area ranging from 33 to 42 square meters. One of the most distinctive rooms is Qingyou on the first floor of Feifang Yuan.

This is the only room in the hotel that is close to the water. When you push open the three ancient flowered windows, you can see the lotus pond koi carp. Or, it is quite pleasant to sit on the leather chair at the door and relax and see the beautiful scenery of Fifang Courtyard.

On the second floor of Ruyi Courtyard, there are two luxurious rooms with different garden views. Xingjian is a twin-bed room with a small terrace facing the autumn courtyard at the entrance.

Yinyuan is a queen bed room with an island-style layout, with both sides facing a courtyard, giving a full feel of vacation.

There are two characteristic suites with garden views in Ruyi Courtyard, one on the first floor and the other on the second floor. They have an area of 46 square meters. They adopt an open-plan suite layout and provide living and leisure space.

|Left: Looking at the attack jade from the autumn courtyard, right: Looking at the autumn courtyard from the attack jade|

|Left: The bedroom for attacking jade, right: the living space for attacking jade|

The smallest room is the courtyard tatami room on the first floor of Ruyi Courtyard. There is one queen bed and one twin bed. It enjoys the courtyard and shares a living room. It can be connected to a characteristic family two-bedroom suite to meet the needs of family customers. As mentioned before, Ruyi Courtyard is a newly built courtyard and the only courtyard that can be completely independent. Therefore, the eight guest rooms in this courtyard, together with the Guanzhi Hall multi-function room on the basement level, constitute a Ruyi conference suite, which can fully meet the individual needs of small groups of business guests.

But when it comes to my favorite room type, it is still Zhenlin, Fuquan Suite located on the second floor of Fei Fang Yuan. Through this suite, you can also see the hotel's many details in its interior design.

This suite has a spacious space of 63 square meters, and a reversible TV cabinet separates living and sleeping space. There are landscape wooden windows on both sides of the bedroom, with beautiful scenery in the west and Ruyi in the east, and one room enjoys the Spring and Autumn Festival. Under the roof of the tenon and tenon structure that has been preserved as it is, the all-wooden guest room gives people more stability to return to the tradition. The occasional squeaking sound when stepping on the wooden floor with bare feet tells the story of more than a century of vicissitudes. history.

The bathroom space is also very spacious, with a bathtub next to the window, and the hardware is made of a very matching retro silver model that is unobtrusive. Kohler's classic smart toilet is standard in the guest room, and the hairdryer in the suite is also equipped with Dyson.

I have to say that the spare part selected by the hotel,"Dafu Dangui", is a cooperation product of Yihe and Xihuguo brand Jianzhi. It is very Chinese. The ingredients include extracts such as cloves, cinnamon, ginger, patchouli, etc. It is moisturized to use. It is very high, very comfortable, and smells a little high, but after washing, the body exudes a faint aroma of traditional Chinese medicine, which is really special.

What may be hard to imagine is that this room full of traditional Chinese flavor is equipped with a lot of modern technology. All rooms are equipped with floor heating, as well as air conditioning and fresh air dual circulation systems, which is very in line with the current environment's pursuit of healthy methods. The touch panel of the guest room is also quite advanced, and the control of air conditioning, lighting, etc. is no problem. What's even better is that the range of lifting and lowering curtains can be accurately controlled according to a percentage. It is really meticulous.

More convenient facilities blend Chinese and Western, whether it is a Chinese tea set, a Western-style capsule coffee machine, or even wine if you want it. Drinks and snacks in the minibar can be enjoyed for free (there is Chu Cheng's juice in it!), There is also free turn-down sweet soup in the evening, and it feels like every aspect is taken care of.

In the design of guest rooms, you will also see a symbol being used constantly, from the decoration of bathroom spaces to the patterns on chandeliers, and even the design of room number plates. This symbol is the store logo specially designed for this hotel. It originates from an ancient building with national protection level in Weishan (will be introduced later). It can be said that in the soft decoration design of the entire hotel, this element exists in almost every corner like a brand. If you don't believe it, you can flip through the photos, and see flowered windows, cafes, rain-listening buildings, and even wooden hollowed-out flower walls., everywhere.

N-Dao Food

Thousands of possibilities for a restaurant

When it comes to eating, I have to mention the delicious food of Weishan. Different from other places in Yunnan, it can be said that it is a place where delicious food is gathered. Residents of different ethnic minorities and different historical origins are living here, and they also bring a variety of local delicacies. Therefore, catering is also crucial for the hotel to have a foothold here. As mentioned before, the hotel's only restaurant, Qiongyan Hall, is located in Luming Garden. Although the restaurant is not big, the layout is not small.

Yihe brand's pursuit of catering quality is obvious to all. Nanjing Yihe Mansion is one of the few domestic hotel alliances Lorec Château that are known for their delicious food, and the Mansion's Wanguochun Chinese Restaurant is also a frequent visitor to Black Pearl. As far as I know, Yihe Yunxi Jinshi Hotel is also interested in applying to join Lorec Château, which shows its confidence in the quality of catering. Master Liang, a young chef born in the 1990s, comes from Weishan and knows how to present special local ingredients to the eyes of gluttonous customers in a high-quality way.

|Liang Chef who returned to the hotel with fresh pumpkin flowers in the morning|

During the dinner period, there are two good options, Qionglin Banquet and Three-Drop Water Table.

If there are few people, you can choose the former. Three to five small dishes will taste local ingredients, which is very cost-effective. The so-called Qionglin Banquet refers to the banquet held by new scholars after the palace examination. It is also a very suitable occasion and a good meaning. The ingredients come from seasonal local specialties, such as milk fans, poached beans, cake meat, etc. Of course, in summer, fungi are indispensable. Can't you get a first-class matsutake sashimi?

Qionglin Banquet (some dishes)

If there are many people, don't miss the three-drop water seat. Three drops of water are the representative of traditional food culture and the highest-level banquet of Weishan's neighbor Baoshan. The complete three-drop water mat consists of three parts, which is generally difficult to taste completely. However, at the Yihe Yunxi Jinshi Hotel, this tradition has become a delicacy in front of us.

The first drop of water is mainly appetizers, including cold dishes, sugar water, etc. I tasted Nanzhao four-cold dishes led by cold-water rainbow trout and sweet white wine dumplings paired with milk fans. Among them, the must-taste grasshopper sauce in Weishan sounds and looks a little scary, but the crisp and fragrant taste in one bite makes me unable to stop eating it. The Langwo Mountain matsutake fried with Tibetan butter has also completely forced out the aroma of matsutake and has endless aftertaste.

The second drop of water is eight bowls, that is, all local famous and special entrees can be served. Yihe Yunxi treats them according to soup, meat, mushroom, fish, and vegetable dishes, and serves exquisite Weishan famous dishes in a hierarchical manner, and almost every dish is a combination of local ingredients and specialty ingredients. The soup is made of blood pigeons in a steaming pot made of morels and kudzu roots. It is very nourishing. The Tibetan pork ham steamed with fresh wild ginger highlights the original meat aroma; the mutton stewed with poached beans transforms the essence into a mouthful of soft waxy. The two meat dishes each have their own merits.

The protagonists of mushrooms are chicken fir and matsutake, and Tacheng ham is used to give off the aroma of chicken fir; the companion of matsutake is the famous dish of Yihe Wanguo Chun, chrysanthemum tofu. For the catch, mushroom is used with wild yellow spicy diced; Weishan bait silk is used to wrap fresh shrimp, which is both interesting attempts. Finally, the local specialty vegetarian dish, roasted tofu, looks like a street food, but is made with black truffles, which really reaches a climax in an instant.

The last third drop of water is the finishing point of the Qing supply. The sweet and salty products produced here complement each other. The salty one is handmade rice noodles in mushroom soup, and the sweet one is the local specialty fruit, Fairy Fruit Old Dad (i.e. cactus fruit), mixed with old yogurt. Father Fairy Fruit is really a unique and has high nutritional value. It blends with yogurt with a unique sweet aroma and has a special taste of fruit seeds, telling the end of this wonderful gourmet journey.

Of course, after enjoying a meal, don't forget to try the breakfast here. By adopting the set meal system and a single order mode of staple food, you can taste the authentic bait silk, and you will never miss local snacks such as green bean cakes and hot oil powder.

If you think this is all about hotel catering, you are naive. A good hotel can not only maximize the food in the store, but also provide guests with more exclusive food experiences outside the store. In this regard, the benchmark of resort hotels, Amman, has always been a strong point. What I didn't expect was that I would have a similar surprise experience in Weishan. The following dishes are all from a farmhouse called Xinyi.

Xinyi Farmhouse

After the half-day tour of Weibao Mountain provided by the hotel, we were hungry and taken to this farmhouse at the foot of the mountain by the housekeeper. I thought I was just tasting a few ordinary farm dishes, but I didn't expect that the hotel clerk had been waiting there for a long time. Later, I learned that the chefs here were still the same, but the hotel had improved and guided the dishes, and provided exclusive tableware, which were arranged according to the hotel's standards, so that high standards and good taste could be presented here. Farm food. Moreover, the environment here is also good. After dinner, you can go to the orchard to pick some seasonal fruits and try them. It's really comfortable.

Various ways to play Journey

The concierge recommended measuring Weishan

Weishan is not big. If you stay in the hotel for three days and two nights, you can basically have a general view of the place. However, to have a deeper understanding of this country's famous historical and cultural city, you must stay more time and experience it slowly. In addition, don't underestimate the energy of the hotel concierge, which may make your trip more surprising.

Concierge car night tour

Take the hotel's exclusive courtesy car and tour Weishan Ancient City at night under the guidance of the housekeeper to master the context of the ancient city as quickly as possible. During this relaxing trip, I quickly got to know this place and made me more targeted for in-depth visits.

Yi costumes experience

As one of the main birthplaces of the Yi people, a large number of Yi customs are still preserved in Weishan, a Yi and Hui Autonomous County. So why not try putting on a set of Yi costumes and show off well? The hotel provides a full set of costumes and decorations for guests to use, both male and female students!

Tie-dyeing experience

Dali's tie-dyeing skills became a national-level intangible cultural heritage in 2006. The South Street south of Xinggong Tower in Weishan Ancient City is a tie-dyeing street. It is only a three-to-five minute walk from the hotel. Naturally, it should not be missed.

This experience workshop is a carefully selected cooperation by the hotel. The owner and family are very nice and will teach them hand-by-hand, and will also help with some particularly complex processes, ensuring that I can make a decent work. Look, this "bright moon grows on the sea" towel. The finished product is not bad, right?

Custom Museum Tour in Ancient City

In the ancient city of Weishan, there are many national-level key cultural relics protection units and many museums. It is worth visiting and having a deeper understanding of this place. The hotel provides customized museum tours led by the housekeeper to Nanzhao Museum, Wenhua Academy, Miss Liang Courtyard B & B Museum, etc. The hotel's butlers are all familiar with Weishan, and the chats and explanations along the way really benefited me.

|Panoramic view of Nanzhao Museum from high altitude|

During the visit, I was also saddened by the fact that no clear cultural relics had been found in Nanzhao history to provide an ironclad demonstration. However, this also made Weishan a "lost beauty", perhaps another kind of fulfillment.

|Two main buildings of Nanzhao Museum|

For tourists, being able to discover special marks that belong to the local area on ancient buildings, or feeling the whimsy of ancient craftsmen for wooden buildings is the biggest gain of this trip.

However, I actually found a treasure in the Jade Emperor Pavilion and Wenhua Academy buildings. The familiar pattern on the flower window is actually the source of the hotel logo! This cultural connection may be a reflection of the unique charm of this hotel.

Weibao Mountain Half-day Tour

After leaving the ancient city of Weishan, about 15 minutes 'drive, the hotel concierge took me to the famous Taoist mountain in the south of the city. Taoist temples have been built on this mountain since the Tang Dynasty. It is also a sacred place for the Yi people to worship ancestors. It is now one of the four most famous Taoist mountains in China. The main part of the half-day tour is Qianshan, among which Taoist temples such as Wenchang Palace, Qingxia Temple, and Sanhuang Temple are worth tasting carefully. On the way back, you might as well ask the housekeeper to take it to Xinyi to try out an unusual farmhouse (reservations are required in advance).

Half-day tour of Donglianhua Village

If you book the hotel's Dali Airport shuttle, you can enjoy a free tour of Donglianhua Village. This Hui village is halfway between Dali City and Weishan County. Due to the caravan trade of the three brothers of the Ma family, Donglianhua Village was built very prosperous and is known as the "Little Paris". Nowadays, the Horse Band Museum in the village is worth visiting, and the half-day tour also includes tasting local specialty noodles. To be honest, this is my first time eating this Hui cuisine. It is bold and delicious and very charming.

Of course, for more time, I recommend that you slowly measure with your footsteps and feel this living ancient city with your heart. Maybe you will find an unforgettable snack bar like me (such as my favorite local breakfast restaurant, Su Lao Yigu Noodles, which is very close to the hotel. Yigu Noodles is just a noodle. It looks and tastes amazing!), Even playing chess and chatting with local people... This is life in Weishan.

As we agreed, I will wait for you at Weishan, and I will wait for you at Yihe Yunxi!