The Bai are a highly visible minority group of roughly two million living primarily in and around Yunnan’s famous Dali region. The name “Bai” means white, a color which the Bai associate with dignity and high social status and one which describes the sheepskin clothing they wore centuries ago.

The Bai are blessed with fertile land, having historically been centered around Erhai Lake and the foot of the Blue Mountain in Yunnan Province. Because of the accessibility and desirability of their homeland, the Bai have long had interactions with other ethnic groups, most notably the Han.

Today, roughly 80% of Bai still live in their ancestral homeland, which has since been termed Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture.

Drinking tea is essential for a traditional Bai's way of life. One of the most important traditions and one you will might be asked to participate in if you visit the Bai around the Dali area is the sandao tea ceremony (三道茶). It is called that because the word sandao means "tea poured three times" or more literally: "three courses of tea."

Your host will pour the tea into your cup three times. You may hear these words used: 'yiku, ertian, sanhuiwei' 一苦二甜三回味 (The first is bitter, the second is sweet, and the third brings the "reflection" (aftertaste).) The third cup has a burning or stimulating effect that stays with people as they go because they add cassia, Sichuan pepper, and ginger.