Houses of Zhoucheng

Zhoucheng is lying 30km north near Butterfly Spring, Dali. It has earned the nickname 'the Hometown to Tie-dyeing'. The delicate and colorful dyeing process appeals to many travelers at both home and abroad.
Zhoucheng Town is the biggest town of Bai people in Dali. There in the Town live altogether more than 1,500 Bai families.
The entire village is in a square shape with row upon row of houses. The Yunnan Tibetan highway stretches across the village. Situated at the foot of Cangshan Mountain, the village is not far from the Butterflies' Fountain and Erhai Lake.
Tie-dyeing is the traditional folk art of the Bai ethic minority. It can be dated back to 1,000 years ago. At the very beginning, the Bai make tie-dyeing in their own houses, and gradually home-based workshops appeared, becoming so common that almost every family had one. The material originally used was pure white cotton cloth with blue dye, but today the choices in both color and design are richer and more varied than before - greens, reds, and browns have been introduced in addition to the traditional blue. The designs are simple, inferring an idyllic pastoral life, and are made with dye that will never fade. However, even though the designs are simple, the process is anything but, as procedures are becoming more and more complicated with increased demand. Watching how the Bai people make their tie-dyed pieces is absolutely a must-see.
Bai people pay special attention to the decorations of the shining walls, windows, doors, the frontispiece and the gate-towers. The shining wall is a necessary part of the construction style of one major house, which includes two wing-rooms and courtyards. The shining wall is topped with two layers of flying eaves with up-holding corners. The eaves are made from green tiles. The shining wall stands in front of the main room. It connects the two wing-rooms and the frontispiece so that the three form an enclosed courtyard. The center of the shining wall is brushed with lime, inscribed with characters, or inlaid with marble screens. These are enclosed by frames in the shape of fans, squares and circles. The objects within the frames are colored by painting with water mill or powder. Most of the doors and windows, especially the lattice door in the living room of the major house, are made from rare lumbers like toons(Mahagony). The doors and windows are carved with patterns like golden chickens jumping onto the branches which are the symbol of being rich and successful, and kylins which are the symbol of being lucky and propitious. The foundation of the gate is built from Haidongqin Stones and has clear edges and corners. On the foundation is the wooden gate tower. The gate tower is carefully carved, and has a precise structure, and flying eaves and up-holding corners.
How to get there:
you can take buses from Eryuan to Dali or Xiaguan. The price is 2.5 yuan per person.