Dali (大理) is a city located in the northwestern of Yunnan province.
House of Bai (白族民居)
According to the guide, the main ethnic minority group in Dali is Bai (白族). The tradition can be illustrated as follows:
1. When receiving guests, the host has to offer them 3 cups of tea. The first cup tastes bitter (苦) reminding the hard working life (回味人生). The second tastes sweet (甜蜜) and the third, spicy (麻辣).
2. Pregnancy comes before the wedding in order to prove fertility. If you do not see a child in a married couple home, it is weird.
3. The bride wears a pair of sunglasses. She receives her blessings by getting her cheeks pinched. The harder the better it is. The pain she cries reminds her how hard her parents raised her.
4. When the daughter gets married, the mother gives her a bowl of rice to bring it to the groom side. This gesture means that the daughter does not married the groom for his rice.
5. White walls in the house represent the cleanliness.
6. Instead of "madam", the woman is called by different names according to their age:
1. 金花 Golden Flower
2. 铜花 Silver Flower
3. 银花 Bronze Flower
4. 鐵花 Iron Flower
5. 狗尾巴花 Dog Tail Flower
7. Instead of "sir", the man is called: 阿鹏哥 (a peng ge)
8. Their communication is only through speaking their dialect and no writting. 有语言没有文字
9. There are 2 types of bracelets: silver, worn on the right hand side, is for the humidity and jade, on the left hand side, absorbs bad energy.
10. The Golden Flower has to marry a man. It is the man who chooses the Golden Flower. The Golden Flower has to know how to do cross stitching. The husband does not work; he smokes and plays mahjong. The wife works. The husband has to offer his wife 3 bracelets: the first one at her 16, then at 20 and at 30. In exchange, the wife gives her husband a cross stitching wallet.
11. The months of July & August are the mushrooms picking season.
12. The flavor of the food is sour and spicy.
Celestial Dragon Cave - Tianlongdong (天龍洞)
This cave has a solution channel in which you climb. Then, you descend the exterior stairs, enjoying the landscape. This cave became famous because of the teleseries: Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (天龍八部), based on the martial hero novel written by Jin Yong.
Old Town (古城)
Built in the Ming Dynasty, the town was settled down in a strategic location, between Cang Mountains (苍山) and Er Lake (洱海). It brought an agricultural abundance. Nowadays, the Old Town is a popular place to hang out at the bars during night time.
- Mooncake (月饼)
This was my first Mid-Autumn Festival in China. This is not the traditional mooncake; it is the Dali's style mooncake.
- Rubing (乳饼)
Literally meaning "milk cake", this dish is made out of goat cheese.
Sources: dali.gov.cn, gokunming.com
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