Yunnan
Nationalities Villages
 The
Yunnan Nationalities Village (Yunnan Minzucun)
is located on the northeastern shore of Dianchi
Lake and is a good place to show visitors to Yunnan
the cultural ways and traditions of the numerous
ethnic groups in the province.
In the Village compound, 25
different independent villages have been planned,
but at present only about 20 have been constructed.
In addition to these "ethnic villages",
there are activities that take place such as a
welcoming ceremony with performing White Elephants,
the Dinosaur Island theme park area, a concert
area for ethnic singing and dancing performances,
as well as an Asian Elephant show in the Plaza
of Ethnic Unity.
The climax of a visit to the
Nationalities Park is a film shown on a fountain
of water. The "villagers" are all chosen
from the youth of the relevant nationalities to
act as guides and performers for tourists. The
three major villages represent the Dai, the Bai
and the Yi nationalities.
The Dai Nationality Village:
The Dai Village covers an area of more than 4
acres with 3 sides facing water and all with beautiful
scenery. The main buildings include 7 wood and
bamboo houses and a white pagoda. Given that Dai
people have strong traditions that have to do
with the home and the family, having a peek in
these "homes" is a quite a treat.
 Under
normal circumstances, strangers are not allowed
into the inner rooms of a Dai home because the
Dai believe the souls of ancestors and family
gods live in the family home along with the living
members of the family. Another interesting Dai
custom that reflects this respect for the home
is that guests should only sleep in the living
room (the outer rooms of the home or the "guest
room") with his feet facing the door to show
his respect to the host and at the same time indicate
that he will leave the home very soon.
Another place worth mentioning
is the Water Festival Square. Every year towards
the end of the sixth month of the Dai calendar
(April 13th and 15th according to Gregorian calendar)
is the Dai Water Festival, as well as the Dai
New Year's Day. The first day of the festival
is a day for sending off the old and welcoming
the new (like many New Years Days of other cultures).
On the second day, a massive
water fight engulfs all Dai villages (including
this one) as everyone grabs the nearest basin
or bucket, fills it with water and dumps on the
closest lucky target as a cleansing blessing of
good fortune! Respect is still shown to the elderly
who might receive a small cup of water on their
arm, but young, able-bodied people should WATCH
OUT! This crazy, wild and wet holiday is the best!
The Bai Nationality Village:
The Bai Village is famous for its Butterfly Museum,
which is the biggest of its kind in China. The
museum is a typical Bai construction, which is
comprised of rooms and residences on three sides
and a wall on the southern side.
 The
southern wall is typically decorated quite beautifully
with an ornate flower bed. Part of the reason
for this architecture is that Dali (where a majority
of Bais live) is a windy town, where the wind,
while not very strong, blows all year round. Also
in the Village, there is a replicated temple dedicated
to the God of Erhai Lake (modeled after a temple
in Dali). The young warrior, enshrined in the
temple, was known as Duan Chicheng.
He exterminated evil villains
and spirits for the Bai people and has been worshipped
as the safeguard of the Bai people around Dali
ever since. If you burn several sticks of incense
to him, you may also gain his protection, but
we'd recommend trying it at the real temple in
Dali.
The Yi Nationality Village:
The "Sun Calendar Square" (Taiyangli
Guangchang) is the most spectacular sight of the
village. In its center is a sundial with twelve
animals denoting the time of the day (as well
as the year of your birth). Interestingly, the
solar calendar of the Yi people divides a year
into five seasons, each of which is then divided
into two months. Therefore, in the Yi solar calendar
there are only 10 months and 360 days in a year.
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