Xizhou Town
Xizhou is 19 kilometers north of Dali old town and lies between Erhai Lake and Cangshan Mountain. It is famous for Bai culture and where the old folk houses are well preserved.
The architecture includes three rows of houses and one screen wall facing the gate; it is also built with a front and a back yard, which is called an integrated courtyard and includes spacious turrets and buildings with five rooms. The Bai homes include carved wooden arts, clay sculptures and paintings, and marble sculpture, all representing their beliefs and culture.
The Bai houses are also characterized by a traditional Chinese rectangular courtyard with a screen wall facing the gate. On the screen wall there are usually four Chinese characters, reading "qingbai shijia" (innocent family) or "ziqi donglai" (Auspicious air comes from the East). Around them are colorful landscape paintings and decorations.
All carved wood works in Bai homes are made with wood produced in Jianchuan. The windows are carved in various patterns in traditional styles.
You can easily find a house features white and black painted tiles depicting animals and other natural images in Xizhou.
