Bai Culture ID

The Bai culture developed around the lakes and valleys of western Yunnan in southwestern China, a fertile and strategic region that became the heart of powerful local kingdoms such as Nanzhao and Dali.

Settled and agricultural, the Bai cultivated the well-watered land around Lake Erhai and grew prosperous on farming and on trade along the routes linking China, Tibet, and Southeast Asia.

Bai religious and cultural life absorbed strong Buddhist influence alongside the veneration of local guardian deities, and the kingdoms of the region were notable centres of art and learning.

With their fertile homeland and their history of independent kingdoms, the Bai formed a distinctive and influential culture on the southwestern frontier of China.