Travelling some 27 kilometres south of Dali we come to a popular beauty spot known locally as the "Butterfly Spring". Situated at the foot of Mount Shenmo, the spring rises to form a square shaped pool that is shaded by the dense foliage that lines its banks. The pool is some 50 square meters overall and above it is an ancient tree which continues to grow though it is lying on the ground. This is the famous "Butterfly Tree", so called because in the short interval when spring turns to summer; its fragrant blossoms attract thousands of butterflies.
This spectacular sight has inspired a local festival where the Bai people gather at the tree on April 15th for the "Butterfly Meet". The romantic spectacle of the butterflies feeding and mating in such abundance has made the day one set aside for courtship and each Bai youth will seek to win the love of his life by joining in with the traditional antiphonal singing.
At a pavilion near the spring, we find Mr. Yang, a local Bai musician who plays folk music for visitors.
At 40 years old Mr. Yang can play all kinds of instruments, especially the Suona and short flute. When he was 17, he was sent to study with a renowned local musician, Yan Xuezhong. He studied for three years and then started his own successful career. Now Mr Yang has five students of his own, including his own son, and plays in the park for visiting travellers.
"Now I am at a tie-dying cloth factory not far from the Butterfly Spring Park and here, I can watch the procedure for making a beautiful tablecloth. The workers are dyeing the cloth with paint made of Banlangen, which is a kind of Chinese herbal medicine. The paint is purely natural and is good for your skin and health. "
Tie-dying is the traditional handicraft of the Bai people. The tie-dyes are not merely their daily attire, but also considered as precious relics of Chinese art. One factory worker shares with us the process involved in tie-dying.
The first step involves drawing the different designs on each piece of cloth. The second step is to tie the cloth with thread - not too tightly not too loosely. Thirdly, it involves dyeing the cloth and finally, the threads have to be removed and the cloth hung out to dry.
Tie-dying has a very long history, dating back over 1,000 years. Originally, Bai people carried out tie-dying in their own homes. Gradually, home-based workshops appeared and became so common that nearly every family had one. The designs and the colour choices are now richer than before - not just single blue but blue, green, red, brown and so on. You can see flaming tie-dyed tablecloths, handkerchiefs, door hangings and clothes hung out in the courtyards, waving in the wind.
Another must see place in Dali is the Ancient City. The City was established in 1382 AD during the Ming Dynasty as the capital of the Dali kingdom. The layout of the ancient city resembles a chessboard. There are five streets stretching from south to north, and 8 lanes from east to west, all paved with blue slab stones. Along them are typical Bai houses which have stone walls and dark blue tile roofs. Streams from the Cangshan Mountain flow through the streets and lanes and around the city into the Erhai Lake.
A stroll through the ancient city is like unrolling a poetic scroll. The streets are lined with shops selling Bai ethnic batiks, preserved fruits and tobacco. In the Jade market you can always find a group of visitors fascinated with Dali's marble handicrafts, particularly those fashioned into the four treasures of the study ?C the writing brush, ink stick, ink slab and paper, as well as standing and hanging screens, vases, wine cups, incense burners and other decorations.
(Now I am on a boat sailing across Erhai Lake, which is another place symbolic of Dali. Erhai Lake is the largest highland lake in Yunnan only next to Dianchi, as well as one of the seven biggest fresh water lakes in the country. Erhai in Chinese means, "sea shaped like an ear". The name implies that the lake is ear shaped and as large as a sea.)
The lake covers an area of 250 square kilometers and is located about two kilometres east of Dali. Seen from Cangshan Mountain it lies like a crescent between Cangshan and Dali city. On a sunny day, the crystal waters of Erhai Lake and the snow mantled Cangshan Mountain radiate light, evoking their time honoured description "Silver Cangshan and Jade Erhai".
On the boat, we are 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.
23-year-old Jiang Yanghua is one of the leading performers on the boat. Along with her fellows she sings, dances and performs on the boat as well as offering the Three Cups of Tea service. She tells us that 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."
To sit and drink the tea, which is served in such a traditional manner, is a rewarding cultural experience, as well as very relaxing and enjoyable. Once you have tasted the third cup of tea, you will not forget the warmth and hospitality of the Bai people.
Dali really is a place one must see during your lifetime. But what is Dali? It is hard to give a clear definition of a place with so many amazing features. I believe one thousand different travellers to Dali would see one thousand different versions of Dali and every one of them would be wonderful. So what is Dali in your eyes? If you have not yet visited Dali, you must come and see it for yourself!
(CRI March 26, 2009)
