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Introduction to Dali, China

Introduction to Dali, a famous historical and cultural city in Yunnan

Dali City, located in the western part of Yunnan Province, China, is the capital of the prefecture-level administrative region of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture. Dali City is located in the Erhai Plain on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, at the foot of Cangshan Mountain and the shore of Erhai Lake. It was the capital of the ancient Nanzhao and Dali countries. As the political, economic and cultural center of ancient Yunnan, it lasted for more than 500 years.

In 1982, Dali was listed by the Chinese government as one of the first batch of 24 national historical and cultural cities. Dali City is the first of the first ten attractive cities in China. It is a minority inhabited area with the Bai nationality as the main body.

It has jurisdiction over 10 towns, 1 ethnic township, 20 neighborhood committees and 109 administrative villages. Dali Municipal People’s Government is stationed in Xiaguan Town. The scenic spots and historical sites include Weishan Scenic Area, Taihe City Ruins and so on.

Dali history and culture

The characteristics of diet

Dali food has its own characteristics. It is backed by Cangshan Mountain. With the advantages of Cangshan Mountain, the production of dried mushrooms, tree head vegetables, and matsutake mushrooms is abundant, which is extremely fresh and has a unique taste.

Dali’s snacks are also very distinctive, such as the famous milk fans, wonderful bait pieces, crispy cakes, and smooth and tender cold chicken rice noodles. The “Meizijing Restaurant” on Renmin Road is a time-honored restaurant in Dali.

Dali’s special snacks include casserole fish, Xizhou Baba, three-course tea milk fan, carved plum, Dali hot and sour fish, Eryuan milk fan, Xiangyun “Sister Seven Spicy”, fire-roasted pork, fried snail and yellow tree head vegetable, fried ham, and live boiled fish. , Frozen white tofu fish, milk fan, Gaohe dish, Nanjian pot croton powder, etc.

In addition, in Dali, there are various kinds of small pot with silk and rice noodles, snow-white millet cake, broken crispy cake, hot bean flour, bean curd, roll roll, steamed cake, powder cake and other local snacks.

When it comes to Dali, “Three Courses of Tea” and Eryuan Milk Fan cannot be ignored. The three types of tea are bitter tea, sweet tea and aftertaste tea. Bitter tea, also known as Xianglei tea in the folk, is mostly roasted and has a bitter taste; sweet tea, walnut slices and brown sugar are added to the tea, and the mouth is sweet after drinking; the third course, add honey, pepper, and some add milk Fan, so it is called aftertaste tea. The three-course tea in the Dali Ancient City Literature Building, Dali Nanzhao Cultural City, and the Yan Family Courtyard in Xizhou are all relatively authentic, and there are also ethnic singing and dancing performances.

2. Folk folk art

1. Bai tune

Bai tune is a tune that Bai people sing casually when singing and dancing. It is sung in Bai dialect and has a strong flavor of life.

2. Chanting tune

The chanting tune is the tune played by the Bai people when they are worshipping the deity and chanting sutras. The main musical instruments are wooden fish, etc. The tunes are solemn and harmonious, appearing ancient and deep. But it is not the same as the ancient music of Dongjing, and there are certain differences between the two in tone and tune.

3, this sub-song

This song is actually a kind of Bai nationality tune, which is divided into solo and duet. When singing solo, in addition to the first paragraph at the beginning, the second paragraph is often repeated indefinitely, and only slightly adjusted in terms of rhythm and emotion; when singing duet, each person repeats eight sentences.

4, blowing cavity

It is one of the ancient operas of the Bai nationality, commonly known as “bench opera”. Chuichui is bounded by Dali, the south of Dali is called the southern school, and the north is called the northern school. Both styles have their own characteristics. The chirping style pays attention to rhythm, with diverse styles, vivid performances and strong local colors.

5, Ohonkyoku

Dabenqu, also known as Benziqu, is a unique folk rap art of the Bai people. This sub-song is often sung by a person, and one person is accompanied by a sanxian. The content of the lyrics is mostly Bai folk stories and Han literary works, such as “The Story of the White King”, “Big Brother Lan Jizi Hui”, “Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai” and so on.

In the course of development, Benziqu has gradually formed the southern tune, the northern tune and the Haidong tune. The southern accent is tactful and gentle, the northern accent is straight and smooth, and the thirteen accents are loud and rough.

6. The ancient music of the cave scriptures

The ancient music of Dongjing was originally a kind of Taoist music. In the Ming Dynasty, it was introduced to the southwest from the mainland. Later, in the long historical evolution, this kind of Taoist music was gradually accepted by the ethnic minorities in the southwest, and gradually integrated into the ethnic music and musical instruments, forming the ancient music of Dongjing with the characteristics of ethnic minorities.

Weishan Cave Classical Music and Dali Cave Classical Music are two branches of Cave Classical Music. The music of Weishan Cave Classics incorporates the classical and solemnity of Nanzhao music; the music of Dali Cave Classics incorporates the beauty and appeal of Bai folk music. Although there are occasional differences in the timbre, the instruments used are the flute, gong, drum, erhu, sanxian, round, bell, etc. as accompaniment.

Cave Sutra music is often played during chanting. The chanting tone moves with the music, blends with each other, and is extremely solemn. It is like a hymn to the ancient heroes. It can be said to be the sound of nature, melodious and elegant.

7. Dali tie-dye

Tie-dyeing is a traditional craft of the Bai people with a long history. The wax is applied to the soil cloth with a wax knife, and then tied with cotton cloth on different parts of the soil cloth, and then dyed with dye. After drying, remove the bundled cotton cloth, and there will be tie marks with different patterns on the soil cloth.

Pure handmade products, simple and elegant, elegant and dignified. Since different cotton bundling parts will result in different patterns, the tie-dyeing techniques are diverse and changeable. Products made of tie-dyed home-made cloth are very rich, such as: tablecloths, door curtains, clothing, ethnic bags, hats and so on.

8. Jianchuan woodcarving

Jianchuan woodcarving has fine workmanship, diverse shapes, vivid and beautiful images, and hard and flexible texture.

3. Architectural Features

Dali City is an ethnic minority area dominated by the Bai people, who account for 65% of the population of Dali City. The Bai nationality is colorful, and its customs and habits have distinct local ethnic characteristics.

The Bai people’s residences have always been neat, solemn and generous in appearance, with white walls and blue tiles, simple and generous. The house is built with a large amount of stone. The wall foundation, door head, window head and beam are all made of stone.

The inner courtyards of residential houses are often exquisite, which often vary according to the wealth of the household. There are generally four forms: one is “two rooms and one ear”, that is, two buildings are perpendicular to each other, and there is a room at the intersection; the second is “three rooms and one ear”. “Fang Yi Zhaobi”, that is, three buildings, opposite the main house is the wall; the third is “four-in-five patios”, that is, there are four buildings, each intersection has a side room; four is “six contracts spring”, that is, there are There are two courtyards, each with three buildings, and the corridors on each side are connected to each other, and the passage is unobstructed, which is called “Zuo Ma Zhuanjiaolou”.

Bai people are particularly concerned about building gatehouses, usually in the form of “one drop of water”, which is an ordinary sloping house, simple and generous, while another form of “three drops of water” shows a kind of splendor. Angled, magnificent.

The Zhaobi in the Bai people’s dwellings also shows the characteristics of the dwellings. Zhaobi is a decorative building that symbolizes good luck, prosperity and well-being. Various screen walls also reflect the owner’s wishes and expectations, which can be called exquisite works of art of Bai people’s residential buildings.

4. Religious belief

The religious beliefs of the Bai people are reflected in the worship of the Lord. According to the investigation, the religious beliefs worshipped by the Lord were formed in the Nanzhao period, and have been continuously improved with the development of society, and the content has become more and more abundant.

The worship of the main god is a kind of polytheistic worship, each village has its own main god, and there are several or dozens of villages that jointly believe in one main god. There are also many kinds of gods, such as: natural gods include stones, buffalo, monkeys, etc.; gods, gods, mountain gods, grain gods, sun gods, etc.; heroes, Du Chaoxuan, Duan Chicheng, etc.; Buddhism and Taoism, Guanyin , Li Jing, etc.

The main belief is different from Buddhism’s afterlife, and Taoism’s immortal transformation. It is just a hope for the harvest and good weather in the present world. “Those who are diligent with death will be worshipped, those who have worked hard to fix the country will be worshiped, those who can resist major disasters will be worshiped, and those who can withstand major disasters will be worshiped” is the general principle of the worship of the Lord. The worship of the Lord is a religious expression of the Bai people’s longing for a better life, and it has not declined to this day.

5. National costumes

Bai costumes are mostly red and white in color, and contrasting and bright color blocks are used to reflect the coordination of tones. Women’s clothing is gorgeous and simple, the upper body clothing and headgear are more complicated, and the lower body skirt decoration is relatively simple and simple. Moreover, the clothing of young girls is more gorgeous, and the clothing of older women is more elegant.

The young girl likes to braid, the headdress is folded into a long strip and covered on the head, and the red rope is wound around the braid, forming a pattern of dragon and horse horns on the top and dragon and phoenix tails on the bottom. fluttering. “Cangshan green, Erhai green, moon white, camellia red, willow branches swaying in the wind, and white snow reflecting the red” is a true portrayal of the costumes of the Bai nationality.

1. Bai streamer

Bai nationality cross-stitched handicrafts. Popular in Dali, Yunnan. Straps around the waist. The end of the belt is in the shape of a flat spear, the belt surface is wide and narrow, and the joint with the waist is the narrowest. Middle-aged and elderly women often use black and blue fabrics, and a few use colored silk, which is long and wide.

Teenage girls like to use white and blue, and generally use shorter and narrower fabrics. All are decorated with cross-cut flowers, mainly white lines, and less red lines. Young people’s streamers are rich in flower patterns, including hundreds of flowers and birds. The patterns are ever-changing, and the ends of the belt are embroidered with butterflies.

2. Bai jewelry

White metal crafts. It is popular in Bai nationality areas such as Dali, Yunnan. historical. As early as the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, there were 16 shops in Dali alone, such as “Three Treasures”, “Sanyuan”, “Hengfeng”, “Fumei”, etc., which could make women and children of Bai, Han, Yi, Miao and other ethnic groups in the surrounding area. Wearing gold and silver jewelry.

There are dozens of twisted silk bracelets, almond bracelets, scissors, eight immortals, hat flowers, rings, earrings, three whiskers, five whiskers, needles, ear spoons, toothpicks, crown needles, waist cards, butterflies, dragons and phoenixes.

3. Bai nationality beanie

Clothing crafts. Popular in Yunnan Danan, Eryuan, Jianchuan, Heqing, Yunlong and other areas. Headwear for boys and girls. Taking the fishtail cap as the mother body, it has evolved into various forms such as tiger head cap, cat head cap, lion head cap, rabbit head cap, frog cap, mouse cap and so on. All are decorated with colorful embroidery.

Common patterns are plum, chrysanthemum and so on. Both ends of the cap are decorated with round silver ornaments, and the front and top are decorated with amber, agate frogs, Buddha statues or silver ornaments of various shapes. Some have spring hydrangea on both sides of the top of the head, and silver bells at the end of the cap.

4. Bai nationality headscarf

Bai nationality headdress crafts. square. for women. Popular in Yunnan Dali, Eryuan, Jianchuan, Heqing, Yunlong, Lijiang, Lanping and other places inhabited by Bai people. According to the process can be divided into four categories:

Cross floral headscarf. The blue cloth background is crossed with white threads, and various patterns are selected with geometric stitches. Young people’s headscarves are colorful and varied. With age, floral patterns continue to simplify. The color of the reverse-color thread cross-cut with white thread on a blue background is the most prominent feature of the Bai women’s headscarf.

Embroidered headscarf. Popular in Eryuan Xishan, Qiaohou and other mountainous areas. With sky blue or light green cloth as the base, zigzag colored threads on the sides, embroidered with mountain flowers and weeds in the middle, the colors are highlighted by bright red and green.

Tie-dye headscarf. Mainly popular in the Zhoucheng area of ​​Dali. Tie-dye with indigo on white cloth. Simple and bright.

Layered headscarf. Popular in Jianchuan Sanhe, Lijiang Jiuhe and other places. In addition to the relatively simple cross-stitching on the blue background, the turban is often used to wrap the shape and the number of layers to distinguish the old and young. The headscarves of teenage girls are single-layered and tied with red thread in the shape of rabbit ears; teenage girls use red thread to tie the double-layered headscarf on their heads for a week and drape them over the back; married women wear multi-layer headscarves, at least eight layers. , as many as ten layers. Regardless of the number of layers, the top layer is set to be blue, and white flowers are selected. The number of layers of the headscarf for the elderly is reduced to three or five layers, and the pattern is crossed with black lines.

5. Bai embroidered shoes

Embroidery crafts. Popular in Dali, Yunnan. There are three main categories:

One is boat-shaped embroidered shoes. Prevalent in Dali Haidong, Xiaguan Mountains, Eryuan and other places. Named after the shoe body resembles a wooden boat. Taking the shape of a boat as the mother body, cockscomb shoes and fish-shaped shoes have evolved. The common features are: the toe has high wings, the tail has a tail buckle, and the upper is all embroidered. Common patterns are bergamot, pomegranate, plum, chrysanthemum, peach and other flowers and fruits and butterflies, frogs, roosters, crabs and other animals. Bright and eye-catching.

The second is embroidered shoes with round mouth. That is, lace-up round mouth cloth shoes, which are popular everywhere. Only embroider a set of patterns on the toe, such as plum, peach, camellia and other flowers, symmetrical left and right. The above two categories are worn by women. The girl has been learning since she was a child, one pair after another, accumulated over time, by the time of marriage, there have been dozens or even hundreds of pairs. There is a special person in the team that picks up the bride to pick shoes, showing that the bride is industrious and capable.

The third is embroidered sandals, worn by young men and women. The snow-white cloth surface is bonded to the cloth shell, cut into the desired shape of the upper, rolled on top, embroidered with geometric patterns or two-sided continuous patterns, above the leather bottom, and finally nailed with hydrangea on the toe cap. Usually only worn for festive galas or market dates.

6. Folk dance

The Bawang Whip Dance is a characteristic representative of Bai folk dance. The colorful sticks used in the dance performance are made of mangosteen, with a string of three or two strings of six copper coins threaded through the bamboo. During the dance, the dancer holds a colored stick in the right hand, moves the two ends of the whip with the left hand, and taps each joint of the body with the whip.

The crisp and melodious sound of the Bawang Whip matches the rhythm of the music, making it even more beautiful. There are hundreds of whipping methods in Bawang Whip Dance. The dance moves are coherent, light and vigorous, and can often be matched with other dances to form a variety of movements, forming formation patterns such as “one dragon” and “four plum blossoms”.

The Bawang Whip Dance is suitable for all ages, and the more people there are, the more enthusiastic the atmosphere is. During national festivals, people often enjoy such interesting, beautiful and light dances in Bai villages.

7. Traditional festivals

1. Playing the sea

Time: Shangguan and Xizhou areas begin on the 23rd day of the seventh lunar month, and Dali and Xiaguan areas begin on the eighth day of the eighth lunar month.

Introduction: The next day, the people of the Bai nationality, dressed in costumes, gathered on the banks of the Erhai Lake, took colorful boats to travel around the Erhai Lake, sang folk songs, and matched the tune. The situation was no less than the Spring Festival. Grand dragon boat races are also held in Dali and Xiaguan areas, and the festival usually lasts for three to five days.

Legend: According to legends in Dengchuan and Xizhou areas, the sea-playing party was to commemorate Mrs. Bo Jie who threw herself into the Erhai Sea during the Nanzhao era in Dali; it was said in Dali and Xiaguan that the sea-playing party was to salvage the people who died in the seabed during the Nanzhao period. The hero Duan Zhicheng is also known as the “corpse fishing festival”.

2, around the three spirits

Time: April 23rd to 25th of the lunar calendar

Introduction: The Bai people have a special saying about the three spirits: “Travel to the north on three days, go to the south on four days, and return to home on five days.”

During the festival on the 23rd, people gathered at the Shengyuan Temple under the Wutai Peak of Cangshan Mountain to pray for the song. On the 25th, the crowd went along Erhai Lake to the main temple of Majiuyi, east of Chongsheng Temple in Dali, where they prayed and celebrated and returned home.

3. March Street

Time: 15th to 21st of the third lunar month

Introduction: On that day, people flocked to the foot of Cangshan from all directions. Sanyue Street is the grandest traditional festival of the Bai people. It is not only a grand event for material exchange, but also a center for various cultural and sports performances such as horse racing, Yunnan opera, and lanterns.

4. Shi Baoshan Song Party

Time: July 26th to August 1st of the lunar calendar

Introduction: The elders of the Bai nationality believe that stretching their singing voices on Shibao Mountain that day can bring good luck and well-being. Therefore, on the festival day, the surrounding Bai people will gather in Shibao Mountain in Jianchuan, Dali from all directions to sing antiphonal songs and go sightseeing.

8. Famous people

Duan Siping, the first king of the Dali Kingdom of the Bai nationality, is a famous politician in the history of the Bai nationality.

Zhang Shengwen, a famous Bai court painter in the period of Bai nationality and Dali kingdom

Zhao Fan Bai is a famous poet, scholar and calligrapher of Bai nationality in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China.

Li Yuanyang, a Bai thinker, writer, and historian of the Bai nationality in the Ming Dynasty, known as Zhongxi, a native of Dali

Wang Wenwen, the Bai nationality, the nursing governor of Sichuan in the late Qing Dynasty, and a native of Cangping Street in Dali City

Li Xiexi, a Chinese composer

Yang Jie Bai nationality patriotic general, military scholar, revolutionary martyr, courtesy name Geng Guang, native of Dali

Zhang Bojian is a native of Jinhua Town, Jianchuan County, Dali Prefecture.

Zhou Baozhong, a general of the Han nationality in the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Forces, a native of Dali Wanqiao Township

Wang Desan, a martyr of the Han nationality, in January 1930, served as secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China

Yang Liping, a famous dance artist of Bai nationality in China

Dali fun place

1. Tourist Attractions

1. Cangshan and Erhai Lake

The Cangshan and Erhai Lake in the territory is a national nature reserve. Cangshan is the green ecological barrier of Dali City. It belongs to the Yunling Remnant of the Hengduan Mountains.

Erhai Lake is one of the seven famous freshwater lakes in my country. It is known as the “Pearl of the Plateau”. It is 405 kilometers long from north to south, 3 to 9 kilometers wide from east to west, with a maximum water depth of 20.7 meters, an average water depth of 10.2 meters, and a water storage capacity of 30 kilometers. One hundred million cubic meters.

2. Dali Tianlong Babu Film and Television City

Dali Tianlong Babu Film and Television City is located in the center of the national key scenic spot Cang’er Scenic Area and the beautiful Shanli area of ​​Dali provincial tourist resort. It is adjacent to Erhai Lake in the east, 1.5 kilometers away from the ancient city of Dali in the east, 0.5 kilometers away from the Dali Sanyue Street venue in the north, and 2 kilometers away from the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple. Film and television shooting base.

Dali Tianlong Babu Film and Television City covers an area of ​​more than 700 acres. The main building has a city wall and so on. The entire Tianlong Babu Film and Television City consists of three major areas: the first part is Dali State, including Dali Street, Dali Palace, and Zhennan Palace; the second part is Liao State, including Liaocheng Gate and Da Xiaoliao Street; the third part is Xixia Palace and Jurchen tribes Dali Tianlong Babu Film and Television City According to the characteristics of Dali, the characteristics of the Song Dynasty, and the principle of combining the film and television shooting of “Qingming Shanghe Garden” with the tourist scenery, Dali is another large-scale tourist attraction.

3. Amorous Island

Fengqing Island is one of the three islands in Erhai Lake. It is located in the golden area of ​​Cang’er National Scenic Spot—Shuanglang Township at the northeast end of Dali City.

The island is surrounded by bad water, with Jizu Mountain, a famous Buddhist holy place in the east, Shibao Mountain in the north, Dali in the south, and Cangshan and Erhai Lake in the west. Because of its unique tourism resources, it is known as “the scenery of Dali is in Cang’er, and the scenery of Cang’er is in Cang’er. The reputation of “Double Corridor”.

Nanzhao Style Island is listed as one of the 25 tourism boutique projects in Yunnan Province, and is the designated reception unit of the 99 Kunming International Horticultural Exposition.

4. Foreigner Street

Foreigner Street bears the brunt of any renovation and reconstruction of the ancient city. On the surface, the current Foreigner Street is no different from other streets, but the bars and shops in it still stubbornly adhere to their own characteristics. many Internet cafes.

5. Butterfly Spring Park

Butterfly Spring got its name because there was a unique sight of butterflies flying in groups. But it is famous with the help of the movie “Five Golden Flowers” in the 1950s. Now the spring water has dried up and the butterflies have disappeared.

2. Scenic spots

1. Ruins of Nanzhao Ancient City

The ruins of the ancient city of Nanzhao, Nanzhao Dehua Stele is a masterpiece of Tang steles. Spending some time here will help you learn more about the history of the city.

2. The ancient city of Dali

Dali Ancient Town is one of the first batch of famous historical and cultural cities in the country, with relatively well-preserved residential buildings dominated by Bai people. The entire ancient city is backed by Cangshan Mountain and faces Erhai Lake. The streets in the city are distributed in a chessboard pattern, and the houses on the top of the slate pavement with green tiles are in the architectural style of the Bai nationality.

There are houses, shops, temples, museums, churches and schools in the ancient city, and the traditional folk customs are still preserved, and you can feel the long history and culture of the Bai nationality in it. Although it has been repaired several times, it still retains its original layout. There are complete towers in the north and south of the ancient city, and there is a plaque on the towering south gate, which reads “Document Name State”.

3. Chongsheng Temple Three Pagodas

It used to be a symbol of Nanzhao and is now an iconic attraction of Dali. The Three Pagodas were originally part of a group of large-scale Buddhist buildings in the Nanzhao period. Later, due to wars and other reasons, other buildings were destroyed, leaving only the Three Pagodas, which became the basis for future generations to pay tribute to history.

The main tower is also known as Qianxun Tower. The Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple are the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units.