Serene and Jovial Life Under the White Wall

Mo Tingting

Bai people， an ethnic group in Chinas southwest frontier， mainly reside in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province while the rest live in other areas of Yunnan， Guizhou and Sichuan， China. In Chinese， “Bai” means “white”， and Bai people prefer white clothes， hence its name. Being the 15th largest ethnic minority in China， they enjoy a profound history and have their own culture. By chatting with them and visiting their houses， you can gain a better understanding of the history of these ingenious people.

Romantic themes hidden in daily life

Bai people adore the white color. Clothes made in this color are regarded as the most dignified ones and their styles vary slightly. Man in the central area generally wraps a white or blue headcloth round their head. They wear a white shirt with front opening inside and black unlined garment outside， which are matched with white or blue trousers.

Womans clothes vary in different regions. In Dali， a woman generally wears an embroidered or multicolor headpiece. They have white upper garment matched with a small red mantle; or they have light blue upper garment inside and black velvet unlined garment outside， with an embroidered loincloth around the waist. Head wears of Bai women implicate a well-known idiom， i.e.， wind， flower， snow and moon — the romantic themes. The pendant of the hat represents wind; the gorgeous floriation on it symbolizes flowers; its white-colored top resembles snow; and its arched shape signifies the moon.

The majority of Bai people are fond of alcohol and its production is a major sideline for Bai families. Due to different materials and techniques adopted， there are many types of homebrews， among which Yao and Gan liquors are the best and most traditional ones. Tea drinking is another hobby of Bai people， who attach importance to the morning and afternoon tea. The morning tea， known as the "refreshing tea" is heated and drunk by all adults when getting up. The afternoon tea， also called "tea for relaxation"， is mixed with fried rice and fan-shaped cheese， and even favored by children.

On festive occasions， except for preparing must-have food， Bai people also worship the Buddha， offer sacrifice to heaven and pay attribute to their ancestors. Among all festivals， the grandest one is Bais “New Year Festival”， similar to the “Spring Festival” of  Han people.

Since the twelfth month of the lunar year， each household starts to purchase stuff for the New Year Festival， kill pigs for food， make bean curd， and smash rice and glutinous rice. On New Years Eve， the host of each household would bring dishes， tea and liquors which are placed on a tray to worship in sequence the heaven and earth， the gate， the well， the kitchen god， and memorial tablets of their ancestors， which is followed by a family reunion dinner.