The Bai is an ethnic group recognized by the central government of China. According to the 2010 nationwide census, the population of Bai is about 1.93 million in total. The Bai people mainly live in Dali Bai’s Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. They speak their own language which belongs to the Sino-Tibetan Family of Languages. The ancient Bai people created a writing system for the language in the 9th century. However, it was not widely used by the Bai people. The Han Language has been spoken and written by the Bai people for over 1,400 years. Nowadays, most of them are bilinguals.
The History of Bai Nationality
The Bai Nationality has various origins. Historians hold that the Bai Ethnic Group originated from the ancient Kunming people who intermarried with migrants from the Qinghai-Tibet High Plateau and some other places. Those migrants included the Ancient Qiang, the Han, the Yi and others. In the year of 937, the Dali State was established by the ancient Bai people. In the early 12th century, the Dali State paid tribute to the Song Kingdom and became a vassal state. The Dali State was conquered by the Mongols in 1254. The king of Dali was Duan Xingzhi. He was captured by Mongke Khan’s troops and escorted to the north. Mongke Khan summoned him and granted him a hereditary title as the Feudal Lord of Dali. His homeland was divided into several prefectures. Yunnan has become a province since the Yuan Dynasty(1279-1368).
Dali Bai’s Autonomous Prefecture was founded in 1956. It is inhabited by the Bai, the Han, the Yi, the Naxi, the Hui, the Zhuang and others. The population of Dali Prefecture is about 3.63 million. The Bai Nationality accounts for 34.14% of the population.
The Folk Customs of Bai People
There is a long-standing tradition among the Bai people that juniors always respect the old. Yong people should take initiative in greeting the elderly, giving their seats to the old, and offering them tea and cigarettes.
The Bai people are hospitable to guests and strangers. The hosts usually provide the guests the Three-Course Tea, when they meet and greet each other. It shows their respect to the visitors.
During the Dali State period(937-1254), Buddhism was quite popular among the ancient Bai people. They have also practiced their native religion for centuries, which features the so-called Benzhu Worship. Benzhu means one’s lord in English. The lords are worshiped as the protectors of villagers, including heroes, Buddhas, saints of Confucianism, Taoist gods and others. A small number of Bai people are Taoists or Christians.
The Sanyuejie Festival
The Sanyuejie Festival is also known as the Third-Month Temple Fair or the Avalokitesvara Temple Fair. It is the grandest festival celebrated by the Bai people. It is held by the natives on the 15th day of the 3rd month of the lunar year. A tale about its origin goes that Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva came to Dali to preach the word of Buddha once a year during the Nanzhao State period(649-902). Nowadays, it has become an event combined religious rituals with trade fair, competitions and performances, such as dancing, singing, horse racing and so on.
The Torch Festival of Bai
The Torch Festival is a common festival shared by some minorities in southwestern China, like Yi Nationality, Bai Nationality, Naxi Nationality and others. The festival is held at different time by different ethnic groups. In Dali Prefecture, the Torch Festival is celebrated on the twenty-fifth day the sixth month according to the lunar calender. It originated amost 1,300 years ago from the worship to a woman whose name was Lady Bai-Jie. Before the Nanzhao State(738-937) was established, Yunnan was occupied by six tribes. They were ancestors of some modern ethnic groups, such as the Yi, the Naxi and the Bai. Piluoge was the chieftain of the Mengshe Clan. He was determined to annex the other five tribes. One day, Piluoge convened a meet of the chieftains at the Songming Building. After the five chieftains arrived, the building was burnt to the ground. All the five chieftains were killed. Lady Bai-Jie was the wife of Dengdan, one of the five chieftains. Before her husband made the decision to attend the meeting, she tried in vain to persuade him not to go. The wife gave her husband a silver bracelet and asked him to wear it. After the five chieftains were murdered, she identified the body of her husband at the ruin by the bracelet. The murderer knew that Lady Bai-Jie was smart. He wanted to marry her. Lady Bai-Jie refused. She took her husband back and buried him. Then the lady launched a war against the murderer, but failed. In the end, Lady Bai-Jie jumped into a river and committed suicide. At the festival, the Bai people dress traditionally and butcher pigs and goats for a feast. They light a big torch for soul of Lady Bai-Jie so that she could find her way back to her homeland. Young people usually participate in either horse race or boat-race. Children often dye their fingernails red.
The Food of Bai People
The natives consume rice, wheat, corn(maize) and potato as their staple food. They love spicy dishes and pickles. The Bai’s cuisine features a mixed flavour, which tastes sour, spicy and sweet. The dishes popular among the Bai people are the Fish Casserole, the Tofu Casserole and the Cured Pig’s Liver.
The Traditional Costume of Bai
Bai means white in English. The white is the favorite color of the Bai people. They believe that the white represents a high social status and their dignity. In fact, the natives also dress themselves in various colors. The clothes for men are characterized by a white shirt, a jacket with a black collar, a pair of white or blue trousers and black cloth-soled shoes. They often wrap their head with white headband. Women generally wear a white or light-blue shirt, a red sleeveless jacket, a pair of white or blue trousers, a waist-wrapper or a blue apron. Their clothes are embroidered with beautiful patterns and decorated with silver accessories.
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Author: Tina Luo
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