[1]: 75 The word "khit" (Chinese: 杙; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Khi̍t) means a tiny wooden post, referring to the time as a port city.
[2] After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China in 1945, Dali was organized as a rural township of Taichung County.
[3]: 3 The current administrative divisions can be traced back to the 1920s under the Japanese administration, during which the local government set the village, (Ōsato village (大里庄, Ōsato sō)), under the Taiton district, Taichū Shyō (臺中州, Taichū Shyō) (Taichung today).
[4]: 389 After the handover of Taiwan from Japan, it has changed into Dali Township (大里鄉) under Taichung Country.
Each villages are:[5][3]: 3 Tunghu, Xihu, Dali, Xinli, Guoguang, Shuwang, Xiangxing, Neixin, Zhongxin, Tungsheng, Dayuan, Jiatian, Renhua, Rende, Jianmin, Tucheng, Tungxing, Daming, Yonglong, Rixin, Xirong, Zhangrong, Jincheng, Liren, Lide, Xinren and Ruicheng Village.