bai_clothes

Other names: 白族, 白和, 白伙, 白尼

The Bai - or Pai - are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Bijie area of Guizhou Province, and Sangzhi area of Hunan Province.

They constitute one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by China.

The Bai people hold the colour white in high esteem, (hence the use of '<i>Bai</i>', Chinese for 'white', in their name).

"The Bai people, as their name would suggest, favor white clothes and decorations. Women generally wear white dresses, sleeveless jackets of red, blue, or black, embroidered belts, loose trousers, embroidered shoes of white cloth, and jewelry made of gold or silver. Women in Dali traditionally wear a white coat trimmed with a black or purple collar, loose blue trousers, embroidered shoes, silver bracelets, and earrings. Unmarried women wear a single pigtail on the top of their head, while married women roll their hair. The men wear white jackets, black-collared coats, and dark loose shorts. Their headwear and costume reflect the Bai symbols: the snow, the moon, the flower, and the wind. Many Bai women style their hair in a long braid wrapped in a headcloth. This style is called 'the phoenix bows its head'." (Wikipedia)