Bai Architecture

They have three styles of houses. These are known as “one house with two cottages”, “three rooms and one wall screening”, and “four houses and five courtyards”. The “one house with two cottages” design is the least popular and simply consists of a two-storey main room flanked by two smaller rooms.

The exteriors are beautifully decorated with hexagonal honeycomb patterns made up of white, black, and dark blue glazed tiles, proving that beehives are a source not only of honey but of architectural inspiration! The interiors are similarly bedecked with colourful paintings, marble ornaments, and elaborate stone inscriptions, making Bai homes some of the most stylish in China.

Three rooms and one wall screening

The “three rooms and one wall screening” style is the most popular and is probably the most complicated. The house is made up of one main room and two long side rooms, which are arranged in a U shape. The front entrance is covered by a fourth wall, known as the “wall screening” or “shining wall”. This wall is designed to reflect light back into the main room at sunset and provide a little extra privacy.

Four Houses and Five Courtyards

The “four houses and five courtyards”” style is made up of four long rooms that have been arranged in a square shape. In each of the square’s four corners there will be a courtyard and the space in the middle of the square makes up the fifth, largest courtyard. The walls of all these homes are made using slaked lime and are painted white, giving them their characteristically bright appearance.

Three Pagodas: Bai’s Pride and Joy

Perhaps the most spectacular architectural achievement of the Bai people is the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple overlooking Erhai Lake with Cangshan Mountain behind. It was built sometime between 823 and 840 AD and has survived numerous natural and man-made disasters over a period of more than 1,000 years. Towering over Dali at over 70 metres (227 ft.) in height, the central pagoda is one of the tallest of its kind in China!

Sipping Tea on Erhai Lake

On the boat, we were greeted with a warm and unique ceremony; being offered three cups of tea in succession. The first cup of tea is made from local bitter tea leaves. It tastes medicinal. The second looks like soup. It is made from walnuts, cheese and sugar. It tastes sweet. The third cup of tea is made by mixing prickly ash, ginger and Chinese cinnamon with honey and bitter tea. It is pungent, with a distinct aftertaste.

The Three Cups of Tea are very meaningful to the Bai. The three cups of tea are symbolic of the three stages of one's life journey: going through all kinds of hardships when young, feeling the joy of life when old, and recalling both bitter and happy experiences. In the Bai language, the word for “pungent” sounds the same as the one for “affectionate”. The tea is a bond of friendship.