Zhoucheng is the largest village in the Dali area and is dissected by the Yunnan – Tibet highway. The village architecture represents the traditional Bai aesthetic of wood-earth compounds made up of three sides and a screen wall.
The art of Bandhnu (tie-dying) came out of the central plains of China about 1,000 years ago and Zhoucheng has become established as an important centre for this dying skill. Floral patterns are made in the cloth by a process of pinching, and creasing and knotting. Knots are initially soaked in clear water before immersing them in the dye. After the fabric has dried, the whole process is repeated. The most common colour scheme is white for the flowers and blue for the background. The blue pigment is derived from the Istasis root, which is supposedly kind to the skin.
The small town of Xizhou remains an un-spoilt gem on the shores of Lake Erhai. The town is famed for its traditional Bai architecture which is characterized by ornate gateways, hexagonal honeycomb patterns, spacious courtyards and a carefully maintained balance between structural simplicity and elegant detail. These colourful wooden structures with their tiled roofs and upturned eaves remain some of the finest examples of Qing dynasty architecture in China.
Over a hundred homes in the town are registered cultural relics, once owned by dominant clans like the Yins, Yans and Dongs. The construction of these impressive courtyard residences was driven by an emergence of a prosperous merchant class in the late 1800s trading in tin, silk, musk and other goods. Such traders would often take caravans of mules into the Tibetan regions of North West Yunnan and beyond to Sichuan’s Kham region. They would return with goods and more wealth to invest in ever more opulent homes. The Linden Centre is a fine example of such a property. This ancient residence, once occupied by the People’s Liberation army during the Cultural Revolution, was originally owned by Yang Pinxiang.