Dali is a settlement of the Bai people in Yunnan. A large number of ancient buildings have been preserved in the ancient city. The ancient streets are lined with green tiles and white walls, and connected with houses, shops, and workshops, giving it a simple style. The architectural layout inside is full of national characteristics.
Typical Bai folk houses are generally "three squares and one screen wall" and "four in five patios". Each house has a main house (only the elders of the family can live in it), two wing rooms, and a main house in the courtyard. Opposite the room is a wall. In addition, the Bai folk houses also pay great attention to the decoration of the gatehouse, with cornices and colorful paintings on the brackets, which are quite distinctive. Doors, windows, and screen walls are mostly decorated with Jianchuan wood carvings, marble, color paintings, and ink paintings. The craftsmanship is exquisite, fresh and elegant, and it is first-class among southwest residential buildings.
Bai folk houses often pay attention to gate towers, screen walls, door and window carvings, and painted decorations on the front walls. The gatehouse is the essence of the entire building. The level of architectural art of the gatehouse can confirm the economic status of its owner, and it is also a sign of honoring the ancestors. It usually uses materials such as mud carvings, wood carvings, marble screens, stone carvings, paintings, convex bricks and green bricks to form a comprehensive art building with angular cornices, light flower fringes, overlapping brackets, exquisite and clear, strong and stable. The Bai gatehouse architecture is not only rich in national characteristics, but also unique in architectural structure techniques. In some places, the entire gatehouse does not use a single iron nail or other iron parts, but the connection is very strong. It has remained unchanged for decades, and two thicker iron-black wooden gates are installed, which is very solemn and majestic.
The superb craftsmanship of Jianchuan carpenters can be seen everywhere in the wood carvings of the doors and windows of the Bai residents. Generally, clear and relief techniques are used to carve out layers of mythical and auspicious white cranes, green pine trees, herons, lotus flowers, eagles, chrysanthemums, peacock magnolias, and geometric patterns. The surfaces of the doors and windows are also painted with Chu red paint, which looks smooth, bright, simple and elegant. The interior is clean and tidy, with bedrooms on the left and right, and a living room in the middle, with mahogany tables, chairs and screens inlaid with colorful marble.
Screen walls are an indispensable part of Bai residential buildings. There are screen walls in the courtyard, outside the gate, and in front of the village. The role and importance of the screen walls can be seen. The screen walls are all made of mud tiles and masonry. On the front are written auspicious phrases such as "lucky stars are shining brightly", "purple air is coming from the east", "tiger is crouching on a majestic hill". There is a large flower bed in front of the screen wall. The flower beds have different shapes and a wide variety of flowers and trees. The fragrance of flowers is overflowing all year round.