The Governor of Dali Prefecture in Yunnan Province, Chen Zhenyong, recently delivered a speech at the “Hello Dali” Cultural Tourism Investment Promotion Conference entitled “Come chase the wind and the moon in idyllic Dali. Live the Dali lifestyle.”
In his speech, the Governor said that Dali offers endless scenery, endless stories, and endless romance. If you come to Dali alone, you’ll find romance, poetry, and exotic sites; if you come to Dali as a couple, you can take your vows with the sea and the rocks as witnesses to your love; realize your dreams!
The full text is as follows.
Come chase the wind and the moon in idyllic Dali. Live the Dali lifestyle
—Speech given at the “Hello Dali” Culture and Tourism Investment Promotion Conference
Chen, Zhenyong- Deputy Secretary and Governor of Dali Prefecture
February 19, 2023
Distinguished leaders, guests, entrepreneurs, and friends from the media,
Good morning!
Dali is held in the hearts of many as a poetic, faraway place. Today, we are organizing the “Hello Dali” Culture and Tourism Investment Promotion Conference and the Dali Beautiful Life Fair to promote Dali’s culture and tourism, introduce life in Dali, showcase the deep bond between Shanghai and Yunnan, and so that we can all experience the charm of the tranquil life in Dali. On behalf of the Dali Autonomous Prefecture Committee and Government, I would like to extend a warm welcome and heartfelt thanks to all of you!
Dali is an intriguing, lively, and fun destination. As the pandemic has dissipated, we’ve come to understand the true meaning of life – What is most important? What is it that our hearts long for most? I think we find the answers to those questions in Dali.
Dali is not just a travel destination, but a place to live a different sort of life, a tranquil place, a Utopia on earth, a place to slow down and return to nature, to the countryside, to your heart, and to your true self. Dali is a place where you can quiet your body and mind, and a place to enjoy romantic love, as well as a place to experience the simple flavors of daily life. The Dali lifestyle.
Dali is not just about looking at the scenery, it’s about changing your state of mind ; not just about finding peace and tranquility, more importantly it’s about cultivating your inner self. You will find enjoyment and fun to your heart’s content. Each day in Dali opens a new door for you to rediscover your younger self and sail toward your dreams.
The Dali lifestyle is worth pursuing, experiencing for yourself, feeling, and returning to. Where the heart is at peace, this is my hometown.
Sunset over Erhai Lake (Photo by Yang, Jipei)
Dali is a place of legends and love. Cang Mountain is where alliances are made and Erhai Lake is where vows are taken. These are the best places in China to confess your love. The Bai love story ‘Five Golden Flowers’ made Dali famous, the martial arts love story ‘Eight Dragons’ brought Dali to the world, and the urban love story ‘Meet Yourself’ set Dali ablaze on the internet. Everyone has a different love story in mind, but what remains the same is romance.
But there’s more to the story of Dali than that. The Old Cities within Dali, Weishan, and Jianchuan showcase legendary historical stories every day, bearing witness to all of the stories that took place there; Shaxi ‘s Old City, Shuanglang’s Old City, and Xizhou’s Old City are host to a cozy ideal life every day, enjoying the hustle and bustle of hurried passers-by; Dali March Street, Butterfly Spring Park, and Longnian Ancient Ferry tell beautiful love stories every day, singing thousand-year-old love songs.
Dali is a paradise on earth to witness love, family, and friendship, a monologue of true love and sincere confession. You can enjoy the warmth of family and friends here. Perhaps romance is waiting for you by Erhai Lake. Let’s go all the way west to Dali.
Cang Shan and Erhai Lake (Photo by Zhang Kun)
Dali is a poetic habitat of character and color. With an average annual temperature of 16.1°C, Dali is the first choice for quality tourism, healthy living, wellness, and making dreams come true.
“There’s no ink, but for a thousand years Cang Shan has looked like a painting; there are no lutes, but for ten thousand years Erhai Lake has made music.” This is the truest reflection of Dali. Dali, every year is so pleasant and every day is so relaxed that you can experience a refreshing mood, cool weather, and fresh days. The sky is blue, the mountains are green, the water is clear, and the people are smiling. No sorrow, only joy.
When you ride along the ecological corridor of Erhai, you can play with seagulls, talk with water birds, dance with the sea cauliflower, and live in harmony with nature. Your stress will be released to the fullest. Walking through the quaint streets and alleyways, you can taste rose-scented flower cakes, creamy milk fans, the crispy and sweet Xizhou baba, the spicy and fragrant hot and sour fish, and in the bazaar filled with heavenly aromas you’ll find other tasty snacks. Your taste buds will be most satisfied. If you get tired of walking, you can relax in European style at the waterfront Linhai guest house in Utopia, or the Hideaway Hotel in the mid-levels of the mountains. Your body and mind will experience complete relaxation.
This is the wonderful life in Dali. If you have a house of your own by Cang Shan or Erhai, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, you can cook tea around the stove, taste coffee in the wheat fields, drink among the flowers, slow down and quiet down your body and mind from the clutter of life, and enjoy your own good time.
Reflection of the Three Pagodas (Photo by Jiang, Hongqi)
Dali’s green industry provides racetracks. The green industry is the trend of the future economy and is the “next big thing” in investment.
Dali is sticking to a high-quality path of development with green as the base color and is making every effort to speed up the modernization and upgrading of the development of the 100 billion yuan industrial system, FOUR 100 billion yuan industries of cultural tourism, modern logistics, advanced manufacturing, and modern agriculture with highland characteristics, FOUR 50 billion industries of digital economy, green energy, new materials, and big health, FIVE 10 billion industries of biomedicine, environmental protection industry, financial services, the tobacco industry, and real estate, and is establishing the first 2 billion yuan industrial development fund, which will consolidate the leading position of traditionally advantaged industries while creating new competitive advantages.
At the same time, Dali is courageously opening up new fields and winning new tracks, focusing on FOUR industrial chains, namely silicon photovoltaic, new energy battery, aluminum deep processing, and biomedicine, with a total investment of over 100 billion yuan. Dali is accelerating the construction of TWO 100 billion industrial parks in the Dali National Economic Development Zone and the Xiangyun Provincial Economic Development Zone as well as FIVE special industrial parks such as Hecheng Green Aluminium Industrial Park.
Investing in Dali means investing in a whole new energy industry chain and investing in the industry of the future.
Pear Blossoms in Qifeng, Heqing (Photo by Xi, Xijun)
Dali is ideally located and offers opportunities for the future. Dali is an important transportation hub in southwest China, connecting South and Southeast Asia. With the opening of the western line of the Trans-Asian Railway and the operation of the new China-Myanmar Indian Ocean Corridor, it connects Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and India, and reaches Kyaukpyu port directly by land for 1,200 km, bypassing the Strait of Malacca and saving 10,000 nautical miles to enter the Indian Ocean, facing the vast market of 2.5 billion people in Central Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Dali has a total installed power capacity of 16.53 million kilowatts, with more than 30 million kilowatts of clean energy installed and 100% of green power.
Investment in Dali has national and provincial policy support, a broad domestic and international market, mature supporting parks, and obvious advantages in electricity cost, which is highly suitable for the national carbon neutral and carbon peak strategy.
Dali and Shanghai are thousands of miles apart, but Dali is deeply indebted to Shanghai. Since Shanghai has been helping Dali, it has poured in genuine support, real investment and real effort. A large number of cadres have dedicated themselves to Dali, making important contributions to the fight against poverty and the revitalization of the countryside. As a token of our gratitude to the people of Shanghai, we are offering a “1,000 yuan discount for three nights in a row” and a $30 million travel subsidy to encourage more people from Shanghai to experience the good life in Dali.
Dali has endless sights to see, stories to tell, and romance to enjoy. If you come to Dali alone, you’ll find romance, poetry, and exotic sites; if you come to Dali as a couple, you can take your vows with the sea and the rocks as witnesses to your love; if you come to Dali as a family, you can stroll around and experience the nostalgia of Cang’er; if you come to Dali as a group, you can catch the wind and realize your dreams!
There’s always something for you in Dali! Dali is waiting for you!
