1. Brief introduction of Dai people:
Dai nationality is one of the unique ethnic minorities in China and Yunnan. It is an ancient and unique nation with a very distinctive personality. The current population of the Dai nationality is about10.025 million. At present, they mainly live in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture and Dehong Autonomous Prefecture, with a few scattered in other nearby counties.
2. Dai language:
Dai language is divided into three dialects, namely Xishuangbanna Dai language, Dehong Dai language and Menglian Dai language. Dai people also have their own unique characters, which can be written in four languages according to different regions: Dai Lu, Dai Na, Dai Qiang and Dai Duan.
3. Dai diet:
The Dai people's staple food is rice. Dehong area eats japonica rice, Xishuangbanna and other places like to eat glutinous rice, which is usually eaten immediately. Dai's famous fragrant bamboo tube rice, also called bamboo tube rice, is made by putting glutinous rice in a fragrant bamboo tube, soaking it in water for 15 minutes and baking it with fire. Beat the bamboo tube to soften it when eating, and the bamboo film on the inner wall of the bamboo tube will stick to the rice. Cut it in half with a knife, and the fragrant bamboo rice will come out, with rich aroma and soft and delicate rice.
The artistic characteristics of the Dai people;
1, Dai Opera:
The Dai people have a traditional Dai drama. There used to be a form of musical words in Xishuangbanna, which is the embryonic form of Dai opera. Its plot is relatively simple, mainly showing the disguised struggle between knife hunters and dragons, phoenixes, turtles and cranes. The development and perfection of Dai opera is mainly in Dehong area, so Dai opera is also called "Dai opera in western Yunnan".
2. Paper-cutting:
Paper-cuts in Dai areas of Yunnan are usually used for embroidery samples, decorative lintels, lanterns, banners and offerings. Themes are mostly geometric patterns, flowers and birds and animals. Patterns are mostly characterized by shading to show the main flower in the center. The knife method is strong, the composition is full and complete, and the local characteristics are distinct.
Most of Dai women's paper-cuts are about animals and plants. His works are mostly White Elephant, Proud, Roaring in the Woods, Golden Rooster Breaking Dawn, White Crane with Bright Wings, etc. And paper-cutting with lotus, camellia, chrysanthemum and other flowers as the theme.