---
title: "The Bai people of China: Dali, tie-dye and three-course tea"
url: https://popularinchina.com/culture/ethnic-groups-in-china/bai
section: "Culture"
type: answer
updated: 2026-11-02
next_review: 2027-02-02
status: checked
author: "The Popular in China desk"
fact_checker: "Alex Liu"
publisher: Popular in China (https://popularinchina.com)
license: Quote with attribution and a link to https://popularinchina.com/culture/ethnic-groups-in-china/bai
---

# The Bai people of China: Dali, tie-dye and three-course tea

_The Bai are the people of Dali, the old lakeside city between the Cangshan mountains and Erhai Lake in western Yunnan. About 2.1 million strong in the 2020 census, they are known for indigo tie-dye, whitewashed courtyard houses and a tea ritual served in three cups: bitter, sweet and reflective. Here is who they are and where to see their culture._

**Verdict: The people of Dali and Erhai Lake** (白族) — About 2.1 million people, most in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan

## Short answer

The Bai (白族, Báizú) are one of China’s 56 officially recognised ethnic groups: 2,091,543 people in the 2020 census, most of them in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan. Visitors know them through Dali Old Town, indigo tie-dye from Zhoucheng, whitewashed courtyard houses, three-course tea and the Third Month Fair.

## At a glance

- **In Chinese:** 白族 (Báizú), ‘the white people’; one Bai self-name is Baipzix
- **Population (2020 census):** 2,091,543, the 13th-largest ethnic minority in China
- **Where they live:** Mostly Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan; also Lijiang, Kunming, Chuxiong, Baoshan and Lincang in Yunnan, Bijie in Guizhou and Sangzhi county in Hunan
- **Language:** Bai, a Sino-Tibetan language whose exact place in the family is debated; much of its vocabulary is close to Chinese
- **Known for:** Indigo tie-dye, three-course tea, white courtyard houses with screen walls, rushan cheese
- **Main festival:** The Third Month Fair (三月街), 15th–21st day of the third lunar month, Dali

## Who the Bai are and where they live

The 2020 census counted **2,091,543 Bai**, which makes them the 13th-largest of China’s ethnic minorities. Their Chinese name, 白族, means ‘white people’, and the Bai word for ‘white’ appears in their own names for themselves, such as Baipzix, reflecting a strong Bai liking for the colour.

Most Bai live in the **Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture** (大理白族自治州) in northwest Yunnan, around Erhai Lake and the Cangshan range. Smaller communities live elsewhere in Yunnan, including Lijiang, Kunming, Chuxiong, Baoshan and Lincang, and outside the province in the Bijie area of Guizhou and **Sangzhi county** in Hunan.

Dali has a long history as a capital. **Dali Old Town**, on the plain between the Cang mountains and Erhai Lake, was the capital of the **Nanzhao** kingdom (779–902) and the **Kingdom of Dali** (937–1253); the plain has traditionally been home to Bai and Yi people.

Sources: [1][2][3][10]

## The Bai language

Bai is a language of the Sino-Tibetan family, but where exactly it sits is still debated. It has been described as a sister language of Chinese, as a separate branch of the family, and in other ways. On the surface its vocabulary and grammar are close to Chinese, while it also shares words with the Lolo-Burmese languages.

At festivals such as Raosanling you will hear **Bai tunes** (白族调), folk songs sung in the Bai language.

Sources: [3][7]

## Tie-dye, three-course tea and Bai houses

**Bai tie-dye** (白族扎染, Báizú zārǎn) is the craft most visitors take home. White cotton, or cotton-linen, cloth is drawn on and tightly tied, then dyed with indigo from a local plant, steamed, dried and untied to reveal the pattern. The patterns are small natural motifs spread evenly over the cloth, and more than a thousand designs have built up over time. **Zhoucheng**, 23 km north of Dali Old Town and the largest Bai village in Dali with about 1,500 households, is the centre of the craft. Bai tie-dye was on China’s first national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006.

**Three-course tea** (三道茶, sān dào chá) is a Bai tea ritual, most common around Dali and served at festivals and weddings. The first cup is **bitter**: Cangshan green tea roasted over charcoal in a small pot, which crackles when the boiling water goes in. The second is **sweet**, with thin slices of walnut and brown sugar. The third, the **aftertaste** cup, is made with honey, a little Sichuan pepper and cinnamon. Together they are said to stand for the bitterness, sweetness and reflection of a life. The custom traces back to the Nanzhao period, and it joined the national heritage list in 2014.

Bai **courtyard houses** have whitewashed walls and grey tiles, carvings and painted tiles of flowers and animals. A classic layout is ‘three houses and a screen wall’ (三坊一照壁): buildings on three sides of a courtyard and a large white wall on the fourth that reflects light into the house. **Xizhou**, a mostly Bai town about 20 km north of Dali Old Town between Erhai Lake and the Cangshan mountains, has hundreds of these courtyard homes; the Yan family compound on the town square is now a museum of local history and Bai architecture.

Sources: [3][4][6][8][9]

## Bai festivals

Dates follow the lunar calendar, so the Western dates change from year to year. [3][5][7]

| Festival | Chinese | When | What happens |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Third Month Fair | 三月街 (Sānyuè Jiē) | 15th–21st day of the third lunar month (April), seven days | A great fair said to date back to the Tang dynasty, held at Dali Old Town at the foot of Cangshan. Folk-song duets, music, flower shows, costume shows, crossbow shooting, swings, wrestling, horse racing and dragon boats, with stalls selling everything from medicinal herbs and livestock to jewellery and local food. |
| Raosanling | 绕三灵 (Rào Sān Líng) | 23rd–25th day of the fourth lunar month | A three-day walk of more than 40 km from Dali Old Town north along the foot of Cangshan and down to Erhai Lake. Villages go as groups, with dancers and musicians performing the whip, money-drum and fan dances and singing Bai songs. |
| Torch Festival | 火把节 (Huǒbǎ Jié) | 25th day of the sixth lunar month | Villagers light torches at their gates and walk through the fields, wishing for good health and a good harvest. |

The Third Month Fair (2008) and Raosanling (2006) are on China’s national intangible cultural heritage list.

## Where to see Bai culture around Dali

| Place | Chinese | Why go |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dali Old Town | 大理古城 | Former capital of the Nanzhao and Dali kingdoms, between Cangshan and Erhai Lake; venue of the Third Month Fair. Fuxing Road has shops selling marble and tie-dye. |
| Three Pagodas | 三塔 | About 1.5 km north of the old town. The tallest, the Qianxun Pagoda, is 69.6 m high and was built in the 9th century under Nanzhao. See our guide to the [Three Pagodas](/culture/buddhism-in-china/temples/three-pagodas). |
| Xizhou | 喜洲 | Bai courtyard houses and the Yan family compound museum; try **Xizhou baba**, a local dough pie served sweet or savoury, in the town square. |
| Zhoucheng | 周城 | The largest Bai village in Dali, 23 km north of the old town, and the home of Bai tie-dye. |

Also try **rushan** (乳扇, rǔshàn, ‘milk fan’), a dried cheese of the Dali region that is also used in the sweet course of three-course tea.

## Questions

**Who are the Bai people?**

One of China’s 56 officially recognised ethnic groups: 2,091,543 people in the 2020 census. Most live in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan, around Erhai Lake and the Cangshan mountains.

**Where do the Bai live?**

Mainly in Dali Prefecture, Yunnan, with smaller communities in Lijiang, Kunming, Chuxiong, Baoshan and Lincang, in the Bijie area of Guizhou and in Sangzhi county, Hunan.

**What does Bai mean?**

白 (bái) means white, so 白族 is ‘the white people’. The Bai word for white also appears in their own names for themselves, such as Baipzix.

**What is Bai three-course tea?**

A Bai tea ritual of three cups: a bitter roasted green tea, a sweet tea with walnut and brown sugar, and an ‘aftertaste’ tea with honey, Sichuan pepper and cinnamon. It is served at festivals and weddings, and is on China’s national heritage list.

**Where can I see Bai tie-dye?**

In Zhoucheng village, 23 km north of Dali Old Town, the centre of the craft, and in shops in the old town. The cloth is tied and dyed with plant indigo, and more than a thousand patterns are used.

**When is the Third Month Fair in Dali?**

From the 15th to the 21st day of the third lunar month, which usually falls in April. It is held at Dali Old Town, with horse racing, folk songs, dancing and a huge market.

**What language do the Bai speak?**

Bai, a Sino-Tibetan language whose exact classification is debated. Its vocabulary and grammar are close to Chinese on the surface, though it also shares words with the Lolo-Burmese languages.

## Sources

1. [National Bureau of Statistics of China, Communiqué of the Seventh National Population Census (No. 2) (11 May 2021)](https://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202105/t20210510_1817187.html) — accessed 2026-11-02
2. [Wikipedia, List of ethnic groups in China (2020 census column)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_groups_in_China) — accessed 2026-11-02
3. [Wikipedia, Bai people](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bai_people) — accessed 2026-11-02
4. [China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn), 白族扎染技艺, national list item Ⅷ-26](https://www.ihchina.cn/project_details/14304.html) — accessed 2026-11-02
5. [China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn), 大理三月街, national list item Ⅹ-106](https://www.ihchina.cn/project_details/15246.html) — accessed 2026-11-02
6. [China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn), 茶俗（白族三道茶）, national list item Ⅹ-107](https://www.ihchina.cn/project_details/15248.html) — accessed 2026-11-02
7. [China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn), 白族绕三灵, national list item Ⅹ-41](https://www.ihchina.cn/project_details/14999.html) — accessed 2026-11-02
8. [Colorful Yunnan (Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism), Top 10 ancient towns in Dali](https://visityunnanchina.com/node/238) — accessed 2026-11-02
9. [Wikipedia, Xizhou, Dali](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xizhou,_Dali) — accessed 2026-11-02
10. [Wikipedia, Dali City](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dali_City) — accessed 2026-11-02
11. [Wikipedia, Three Pagodas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Pagodas) — accessed 2026-11-02

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