We enjoyed Lijiang more than Dali. Be aware that Lijiang is very, very touristy, though the tourists are almost all Chinese. There are a couple of smaller heritage towns very close to Lijiang (30 minutes by taxi) that are also worth exploring -- sorry, I don't recall the names at the moment. In the wilderness area near Lijiang is a pageant celebrating the local minority group. It was staged by Zhang Yimou, the famous film director, and is an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. Kunming is a typical smaller industrial Chinese city. There is a theater there that stages a show of minority dances -- that was also fun.