Dali City, the capital of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, is located in the west of Yunnan Province, in the Erhai Plain on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, at the foot of Cangshan Mountain, and on the shore of the Erhai Sea. It is the capital of the ancient Nanzhao and Dali states. It has been the political, economic and cultural center of the ancient Yunnan region for more than 500 years. In 2021, the total registered residence population of Dali City will be 652700, and the minority population will be 492607, accounting for 75.5% of the total population, of which the Bai population will be 442890, accounting for 67.85% of the total population.

In 1982, Dali was listed by the Chinese government as one of the first 24 national historical and cultural cities. Dali is the first of the first ten attractive cities in China. It is a minority inhabited area dominated by the Bai nationality, with a total area of 1815 square kilometers. As of October 2021, Dali has jurisdiction over 3 streets, 9 towns and 1 township, and Dali Municipal People's Government is located in Xiaguan Town. Scenic spots and historic sites include Weishan Scenic Spot, Taihe City Site, etc.

Dali was listed as the first batch of national comprehensive pilot areas for new urbanization. In November 2018, it was listed in the "2018 China's Happy 100 Counties List". On October 22, 2018, it was included in the list of pilot zones for the integrated development of the national rural primary, secondary and tertiary industries in 2018. 2019 Top 100 counties and cities in western China. In October 2021, it was selected into the list of "Top 100 Smart Cities in China in 2021".

In 2021, Dali's GDP will reach 51.743 billion yuan, an increase of 6% over the previous year. In terms of industries, the added value of the primary industry is 2.836 billion yuan, and the added value of the secondary industry is 16.237 billion yuan; The added value of the tertiary industry is 32.67 billion yuan, and the tertiary industrial structure is 5.48 ∶ 31.38 ∶ 63.14.