Dali, Three elegant pagodas, Tea Ceremony, Xizhou Bai Minority’s Village

Once again, I really had no expectations for my time in Dali. The Old Town was quite similar to Lijiang, but you could spot differences that separated the two. We started off our day here by going to the Three Elegant Pagodas. Other than their natural elegance, the Pagodas demonstrated insight into Chinese architecture that I always pictured when I thought of China. There was something about this landmark that gave off the impression of detail and precision. I think these are two qualities the Chinese care deeply about, which is why they always seem to put their best quality work into everything they do.

                The next day we went to a Tea Ceremony that was very different from anything I had ever experienced before. There is really nothing in America I can compare this to. We drank three teas and watched young men and women sing and dance in very traditional looking outfits. Tea is very important in China. It seems to be much more than a good drink to the people. Tea can also serve as a health supplement that provides natural and organic reliefs for certain ailments. Once again, I think detail, care, and precision go into making tea and drinking it. These are qualities that are highly revered, and although they might not be said out loud, it became obvious to me through the different experiences of these two days. Detail, precision, and care are defining qualities of the Bai minority group.

                We also visited some craftswomen during this day. We went to a shop where a young girl and her mother were sewing and making tapestries. The tapestries were quite beautiful in deep blue colors with many different patterns on them. Most had animals of some kind on them, like fish and butterflies, but each were unique in their own way. The tour guide gave an overview of how they are made, and it was really quite impressive. It can take months to sew in the patters on the fabric, and then when that is finished, you have to undo all your work by cutting out all the stitches. Once again, detail, precision, and care were prevalent in their creations.