Butterflies Spring
It is twenty kilometres north of Dali on the slope of Yunnong Peak. Springwater gushes out from the roots of a tree and flows into a clear pond. Beside the pond there is a huge camphor tree whose blossoms in April and May resemble butterflies, when thousands of real butterflies are attracted to the beautiful pool, too.

Legend has it that the pond was originally called Bottomless Pond and that a pretty girl by the name of Wen Gu lived close by. Wen Gu was deeply in love with Xia Lang, who lived on Cangshan Mountain, and the two young people made solemn pledges of love by the Bottomless Pond. But the local despot Yu Wang wanted to have Wen Gu as his concubine. Finally, determined not to surrender, the lovers drowned themselves in the pond. Suddenly, a crack appeared at the bottom of the pool and a pair of beautiful butterflies emerged from the water. A host of other butterflies arrived and danced around them, and ever since the pond has been called Butterfly Spring.

The Bai Ethnic Culture
The Bai, are centred around the Dali region, 400 kilometres west of Kunming . They are known for their fine stone and marble work and wood carving. They are the most economically successful of Yunnan 's minorities and have been literate in Chinese for centuries.

The population of the Bai nationality is about 1.39million.They live in compact communities mainly in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture .Others are scattered in Kunming , Yuanjiang,Lijiang and Lanping.

The Bai people's houses are unique .The typical style is "sanfgangyizhaobi" and "sihewutianjing." "Sanfangyizhaobi" refers to three houses on three sides and a decorative screen wall to reflect sunlight to the house ." Sihewutianjing" is a house with a major courtyard and tour small ones at the four corners of the major one .The Bai people's houses are generally decorated with wooden carvings ,stone carvings and marble, which add luster to the traditional characteristics of the houses.

The Bai people regard white as an honorable color and like to wear white clothes .Men often wear white coats with black vests .Women like to wear white or blue jackets with black or blue vests. Unmarried women like to have a pigtail, or wear beautiful headdresses that show the four famous scenes in Dali, namely the flowers in Shangguan ,the wind in Xiaguan,the snow on the top of the Cangshan Mountain and the moon reflected in the Elrhai Lake .The married women coil their hair and wrap it with black or embroidered cloth.

Tours to the Butterflies Spring