1.3 Evolution of the Bai Architecture

The appearance of the Bai architecture today was not formed overnight. From the long history of its development，we can see that since the early period of the Bai ethnic group，its architectural system with a unique regional and ethnic style has always been influenced by the surrounding cultures. Therefore，from the perspective of development and evolution，it is difficult to find a reliable basis to divide the development of the Bai architecture into different stages. However，in order to better understand the characteristics of the Bai architecture in different historical periods，and to better understand the development and changes of the Bai architecture and related factors，it is still necessary to properly study the periods of the development and evolution of Bai buildings. According to archaeological discoveries，its formation and evolution can be divided into the following periods. Along with relevant archaeological materials and architectural examples，characteristics of Bai architecture in different periods will be briefly summarized.

1.3.1 Architecture of the Bai Ancestors

Architecture of the Bai ancestors was deeply influenced by its natural and human environment，showing complex and diverse features. There were different forms including caves，nests，half-caves，surface residences，and waterfront residences，as well as different types including tilt houses and log cabin constructions. Since the Qin（秦）and Han（汉）dynasties，economic and cultural exchanges between the Erhai Lake area and the Central Plains have become increasingly close. After the establishment of“districts（xian县）”and “commanderies（jun郡）”in the Han Dynasty，the close relationship was unprecedented，and the architecture of the Bai ancestors was gradually influenced by the Han culture.

●Neolithic Architecture

From archaeological discoveries，the remains of the Neolithic Age in Dali area are mainly scattered in about 100 sites in the Erhai Lake area，represented by Yinsuodao Island（银梭岛）on the lake，Malong（马龙），Foding（佛顶），Longquan（龙泉）and Baiyun（白云）sites in Cangshan Mountain，and Baiyang Village（白羊村）in Binchuan County，lasting for 18 centuries from the 30th century BC to the 12th century BC.

The Neolithic sites in the Erhai area have the following features. First，most of the sites are located on the terraces or gentle slopes of the waterfront，which are typical riverside and lakeside sites. Second，a large number of agricultural production tools are found. Among them，trapezoidal stone axe，stone adze and semi-moon-shaped perforated stone knives are the most common，and the stone tools account for 80 percent of the total number of unearthed objects. Third，numerous and various types of pottery were unearthed，among which cans，bowls，pots，basins，cups，and porcelain were the most common. In particular，painted earthenware pots and the red pigment were unearthed in Haimenkou，which was the first of its type in the archaeology of Yunnan. Fourth，the remains of carbonized rice，wheat and millet were discovered. Fifth，a large number of stone arrows，spinning wheels，fishnet weights and animal bones were found. Sixth，there were many houses，including semi-cave houses， domed wooden houses on flat ground，rectangular wooden houses on the ground and stilt houses. Details of the buildings in this period can be found in the following sites.

Remains in Malong（马龙），Foding（佛顶）and Baiyunjia（白云甲）of Cangshan Mountain：A total of 11 semi-cave houses were found，including 2 in Malong，4 in Foding，and 5 in Baiyunjia. These residential relics were in the mountain areas of the Neolithic Age with floor plans of circles or rectangles，ranging in size from 24 to 32 square meters. The ground of the houses was raw red clay，light marl or dark marl，which with foundations from 0.3 to 1.8 meters below the surface. There were slope shaped passages at the door，and irregular column holes around the residences. Stone filled stoves（fire pits）were also found in the houses for people to cook and keep warm. From these excavations it can be seen that the sites are in some ways similar to the Banpo Yangshao（半坡仰韶）residential relics found in Shaanxi（陕西）Province .

Baiyang Village （白羊村）Site in Binchuan County：A relatively complete residential relic was found in Baiyang Village which is located on the east bank of the Binju River（宾居河）about 4 kilometers north of the Binchuan County. It is a human settlement of timber constructions on the ground. From the excavation，it was found that they were wooden houses with mud walls upon the earth，with rectangular floor plans which were usually 5 meters long and 2.75 meters wide，i. e. ，around 12.5 square meters in size. The ground was paved with marl or loess，flattened by feet，and rammed into a hard surface. Shallow fire pits were found in the houses with a diameter of about 0.5 meters. Ditches were dug around the houses；pillars were fixed through the holes at the bottom of ditches；tree branches or chaste tree berries were woven through the pillars and covered with mud mixed with straws on both sides；the wall was finally dried with fire. 48 round，rectangular and oval-shapes cellars were also found around the houses，containing rice husks，rice straws，and teeth of animals such as deer and pigs，from which we can infer that people lived their life mainly by agriculture and supplemented their diet with hunting，gathering and livestock farming .

●Architecture in the Bronze Age

The archaeological community generally holds that from the end of the 12th century BC，the Erhai Lake region began to transit from the Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age. Therefore，the Bronze Age in the Erhai area began in the late Shang dynasty to the Western Han dynasty，lasting for nearly 11 centuries. So far，more than 50 cultural relics of the Bronze Age have been discovered in the Erhai area. Important among these are the Haimenkou （海门口）site in Jianchuan County，Ancient Tombs in the Aofengshan Mountain（鳌凤山），the Wooden Tomb with Bronze Coffins in the Dabona（大波那）Village of Xiangyun County，and Ancient Tombs in Hongtupo（红土坡）.

The sites of the Bronze Age in the Erhai area have the following characteristics. Firstly，people lived on the waterfront and built stilt houses and log cabin constructions. Secondly，they engaged in agriculture，animal husbandry and fisheries. Thirdly，in addition to weapons and ritual artifacts，there were a large number of bronze productive tools，artwork and everyday utensils. Some of the artifacts found were for daily use，whereas others were for worship ceremonies. Fourthly，people at that time had mastered the technology of copper mining and smelting. Fifth，a comparatively advanced social system existed at that time. A Wooden Tomb with Bronze Coffins in Dabona Village of Xiangyun County was the tomb of a tribal leader. In addition，the discovery of massive artifacts such as scepters and bronze drums seeming to represent power and might shows that the worship and awe of authorities and supernatural gods had become commonplace. Details of the buildings in this period can be found in the following sites.

Haimenkou Site（海门口遗址）：The Haimenkou site，located in the lakeside area of Haiwei River（海尾河），north of Haimenkou Village in Diannan Town（甸南镇）of Jianchuan County，has undergone three archaeological excavations in 1957，1978 and 2008. In the excavation in 2008，more than 4，000 wooden stakes and crossbars，and two houses were found in 35 units of the 1，395 square meter total area. These wooden stakes and crossbars were components of stilt houses，some of which still have clear-cut mortises. In these riverside stilt constructions，45 logs，ranging from 8 to 15 centimeters in diameter were pounded into the ground. From the remains of crops，it can be seen that the agriculture at that time had developed to a relatively high level，whereas the discoveries of wheat，binaural faience and jade knives suggest the important role of Haimenkou in early north-south cultural communication .

Dabona Wooden Tomb with Bronze Coffins in Xiangyun County（祥云大波那木椁铜棺）：The Dabona Wooden Tomb with Bronze Coffins is located in the Dabona Village，30 kilometers southeast of Xiangyun County，and was excavated by a Yunnan provincial work group of cultural relics in 1964. The tomb is a typical log cabin construction and is a huge hexahedron with an inner width of 1.1 meters，a length of 3.75 meters and a height of 1.85 meters. Each facet was composed of logs 5 meters long and jointed by mortises and tenons. In addition to the tense wooden stakes for reinforcement from the outside，sticky gray white plaster was deliberately applied to prevent the tomb from collapsing. A house-shaped copper coffin was unearthed，which was 2 meters long，1.2 meters high，0.62 meters wide，and weighed 257.1 kilograms. It has a gable roof and a cuboid body，with 13 short feet which were pieced together with 7 copper plates. Its overall shape resembles a stilt construction. In addition，a miniature house model of the same construction style was also found. It was 8 centimeters tall，having a saddle roof and two stories. In the first story，the longitudinal hollow strips represented the under-bed of the stilt construction，and the second story was encircled by battenwalls with windows like real houses. The discovery of the model once again verifies the prevalence of stilt houses in the Erhai area .

●Architecture in the Qin and the Han Dynasties

From historical data，after Qin unified the six kingdoms，in order to strengthen the rule over the southwest region，a 5-feet wide avenue was built between Yibin of Sichuan Province and Qujing of Yunnan Province. The avenue prompted a rapid development of Yunnan's economy. After the establishment of the Western Han dynasty，the national strength continued to increase after the country adopted a policy of rehabilitation for more than 60 years. In BC 135，Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty（汉武帝）began to explore southwest China，and set commanderies（jun郡）and districts（xian县）in BC 109. Most parts of Yunnan Province today were under the jurisdiction of Yizhou Commandery（益州郡）which covered 24 Districts including Yeyu（叶榆），Yunnan（云南），Xielong（邪龙），Bisu （比苏），and Songtang（嵩唐）. In the Eastern Han dynasty，in order to strengthen the rule over western Yunnan，Liu Zhuang（刘庄），the Emperor Ming（明帝）set up two new Districts，Ailao（哀牢）and Bonan（博南），in 69 AD，and combined them with the 6 Districts in west Yizhou Commandery，including Yeyu，Yunnan and Xielong into a new Commandery—Yongchang Commandery（永昌郡）. In this case，the Dali area became officially governed by Yongchang Commandery. During the Qin dynasty and the Han dynasty，under the government of Central Plain，a massive amount of Han people entered Yunnan，bringing advanced production technologies，such as cattle farming，iron smelting，brick-making and tilemaking，which not only greatly affected the local economic development but also facilitated the development of architectural technologies.

The buildings in the Erhai area during the Qin and the Han dynasties had the following characteristics. First，influenced by the Han culture，the style and shape of constructions in the area began to change and experienced a large-scale Han-assimilation. Second，wooden building technology became mature. People had mastered the method of combing beams and dougong （斗拱：corbel bracket）.Although they still lacked the techniques of constructing large-scale houses，they were able to build complicated and multi-layered pavilion-style buildings. Third，there was a major breakthrough in the use of bricks，tiles and stones. The technology of firing bricks and tiles was mastered，and stones were widely used in the foundation of constructions. Fourth， on the basis of villages，simple cities began to emerge. Fifth，stilt houses and log cabin houses were still the major types in mountain areas. Sixth，owing to the prevalence of iron-smelting techniques，axes，chisels，drills and saws began to be massively applied to the construction of wooden structures，which brought the quality of buildings to a new level. Details of the buildings in this period can be found in the following archaeological findings.

The Eastern Han Dynasty Tomb in North Xiaguan（下关城北东汉纪年墓）：This tomb was excavated by the Dali Prefecture Cultural Relics Department in 1990. A stilt gray pottery house model was found，which has a rectangular floor plan with a width of 36 cm，a depth of 23 cm and a height of 76 cm. It consists of two stories. The upper story is a 3-room structure with a suspended roof covered with flat tiles. There are small windows on the left and right gables，and a gallery in front of the house，which suggests a daily living place. The lower floor is a log cabin structure with a rectangular wooden trough on the right side，beside which is a cowshed，a place for raising livestock. In addition，a pavilion-style gray pottery house model was also unearthed. The model plane is also rectangular，with a width of 34 cm，a depth of 23.5 cm，and a height of 106 cm. It is divided into two stories. The upper story is a 2-room structure with a hip roof covered with semi-cylindrical tiles，and with one small round window on the left and the right gable respectively. There is no partition inside the house，but cloisters on the front，left and right sides. On the cloister stand the host and the hostess，overlooking the view in a distance at leisure，and two servants on each side，playing Chinese bamboo vertical flutes. There is a corridor in the middle of the first floor，which seems to leave room for people to pass through. A door is left half-open on the batten wall of the middle room，and a staircase in the left room next to it can access the second floor .

The No. 2 Tomb of Han Dynasty in Dazhantun Village of Dali（大理大展屯二号汉墓）：This site was excavated by the Dali Prefecture Cultural Relics Department in 1981. Here，a terracotta model of a building was unearthed. Eleven parts piled in eleven layers formed a three-story square pavilion-style building with a residual height of 51 cm. According to the structure of the building，the original height was estimated to be about 57 cm. The bottom story consisted of two parts，staircases at the bottom and a house at the top. The staircases were also two tiers，the bottom one having a square floor plan and folded upward from its middle，the upper one having a rectangular plan and getting smaller in size from the bottom up. On each side of the house stood two pillars with dougong placed on top. Roof beams placed on the dougong forming the shape of a hash（＃）was used to support a hip roof with 5 to 6 rows of tiles on each facet. The second story consists of two parts. The lower part was a house with two sets of roof beams in the shape of hash signs and an eave like the first story. The third story was also composed of two parts. The lower part was similar to the second story，having a hip roof with one main ridge and four diagonal ridges and 5 to 6 rows of tiles on each facet of the roof . From the similarities between the house models found in the No. 2 Tomb of the Han Dynasty in Dali and in the Tomb of the Han dynasty in Pengshan（彭山）of Sichuan Province，we can see how deeply the architecture in Erhai areas had already been affected by the Han culture in central China.

1.3.2 Bai Architecture in the Periods of Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms

In the middle of the 7th century，the history of the Erhai region entered a new era. Due to the long-term assimilation，integration and merger among the various tribes，in the early Tang dynasty，six kingdoms emerged in the Erhai area— Mengshe Zhao （蒙舍诏）， Mengxi Zhao （蒙嶲诏）， Shilang Zhao （施浪诏）， Langqiong Zhao （浪穹诏）， Dengdan Zhao （邓赕诏），and Yuexi Zhao （越析诏），which are called the Six Zhao s（六诏：Six Kingdoms）. With the full support of the Tang dynasty， Mengshe Zhao eliminated the other five Zhao s，and established a unified local ethnic government called Nanzhao（南诏）in the 26th year of the Kaiyuan（开元）reign of the Tang dynasty（738）. After ruling for 253 years，Nanzhao was usurped and ended by Zheng Maisi（郑买嗣），a powerful Grand Counsilor at the time. After this，three short dynasties were established successively—the Kingdom of Dachanghe（大长和国），the Kingdom of Datianxing（大天兴国）and the Kingdom of Dayining（大义宁国）. In 937，Duan Siping（段思平），the Commander-in-chief（dudu都督）of Tonghai，put an end to the turbulent and chaotic situation，and founded the Kingdom of Dali. It is generally held by historians that the Bai had formed an independent national community at that time. During the 500 years from the Nanzhao Kingdom which unified the Erhai area in 738 till 1253，when the Dali Kingdom was overthrown by Mongolians，the Nanzhao and the Dali Kingdoms had achieved magnificent architectural accomplishments on the basis of their tribal cultures of Baiman（白蛮）and Wuman（乌蛮）and their openness to the Han，the Tibetan and Indian Buddhist cultures.

The Bai architecture during the Nanzhao and the Dali periods has the following characteristics. First，in order to secure the rule and for political， military and economic reasons，there had been unprecedented massive constructions of city walls and strategic passes. Second，the design and construction of large-scale buildings such as palaces had achieved a comparatively high level. Third，under the influence of Buddhism，there was a trend for Buddhist temples， pagodas， Dhvaja， and grottoes. Fourth，along with the interaction with the Han people in the economy and culture，aspects of Han architecture were absorbed. As a consequence，Bai architecture at this time shared much in common with Han architecture，but still kept its own local features. Fifth，masonry buildings were further developed. Buddhist pagodas were mainly made of masonry，but alleys，streets and folk houses were mainly made of stone. The details of the buildings in this period can be found in the following aspects.

●City Ruins

There are important city ruins such as the cities of Taihe（太和城），Yangjumie （阳苴咩城），Longshou（龙首城），Longwei（龙尾城），Dali（大厘城），Longyutu（ 图城），Deyuan （德源城）and Baiya（白崖城）. Among these，the city of Yangjumie was the most prosperous，and after 779 when Yimouxun moved in，was the capital city of the Nanzhao Kingdom，the Dachanghe Kingdom，the Datianxing Kingdom，the Dayining Kingdom and the Dali Kingdom for 475 years in total. The detailed situation of the city then was recorded in the Volume 5 of A History of Yunnan （《蛮书》）：

The central government of the Nanzhao Kingdom is located in its capital，the city of Yangjumie. In the front of the building，there are staircases paved with blue stones on each side over 6 meters high. Two or three li ^[1] away from the building are the south city gate and the north gate facing each other. Crossing through the gate in the first floor and walking for about 300 steps，we reach the second gate. There are five rooms and two arches facing each other with inscriptions. This is the living space of dignitaries. Crossing through the second gate and walking for about 200 steps，we arrive at the third gate. .. ;

This shows the great scale of the building. It needs to be noted that all cities on the west coast of Erhai Lake could take full advantage of the terrain，namely，to use the Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake as natural barriers without building any walls to the east and west of the cities.

●Buddhist Architecture

Buddhism was prevalent in the Nanzhao and the Dali Kingdoms，so rulers at that time built a great deal of Buddhist temples，especially Shilong （世隆），the 8th Emperor of Nanzhao. In the book A Brief History of the Bo People （《僰古通纪浅述》），it was recorded as follows：

Rulers all ascribe peoples' allegiance to the power of Buddha ， and thus have built 800 large temples called Aranya and 3,000 small temples called Samghārama . The temples spread all over the Yunnan territory ， which made praying and worshiping Buddha possible for every family .

Unfortunately，most Buddhist temples built in the Nanzhao and the Dali Kingdoms were destroyed in wars. Luckily，some great temples，such as the Chongsheng Temple（崇圣寺），the Hongsheng Temple（弘圣寺），the Fotu Temple（佛图寺），the Luoquan Temple（罗荃寺）and the Shuimu Temple（水目寺），have been preserved. In addition to Buddhist temples，Buddhist architecture in the Nanzhao and the Dali periods also included pagodas，Dhvaja，and grotto statues. At the same time，through the rich Buddhist architectural types of Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms，we can catch a glimpse of the prevalence and influence of Buddhism at the time.

●Building Materials

Due to rapid economic and social development，the construction technologies in the Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms were greatly and comprehensively improved. This improvement was not limited to the learning and absorption of the architectural concepts of the Han people，but was also reflected in innovation and the use of building materials. Since the introduction of modern archaeology in Dali in 1939，a large amount of building materials has been discovered from the historical sites of the Nanzhao and the Dali Kingdoms. For example， Wu Jinding （吴金鼎）et. al. found glazed bricks，engraved tiles，and eave tiles with patterns in the ruins of the Baiwang Tomb （白王冢），the Three Pegoda Temple（三塔寺），the One Pegoda Temple（一塔寺），Wuhualou（五华楼），Taihe City（太和城），Zhongheyi（中和乙），and Shicheng City（史城） . For example，the Dali Cultural Relics Department found pillars，pillar bases ， drip tiles ， eave tiles ， Chiwen s ^[2] ，engraved tiles，and drain lines. In addition，ruins of an ancient kiln were found in the Tianjing Village of Dali City，where over 60 building parts were excavated，including eave tiles with patterns，drip tiles，engraved tiles，and quadrel. Heads of 2 Chiwen s were also found，measuring 123cm long，46cm wide and 52cm tall，indicating the large scale of the buildings at the time .

1.3.3 Bai Architecture in the Yuan （元）， Ming （明）and Qing（清）Dynasties

In 1253，Kublai Khan led an army，marched from the Liupanshan（六盘山）to Lintao（临洮），crossed the Dadu River（大渡河），ferried across the Jinsha River with inflated leather bags，tramped over the Cangshan Mountain range，and eliminated the Dali Kingdom. He then set two 10，000-man Brigades（ wanhu fu 万户府）. In 1274 the Yuan dynasties divided administrative into Routes（lu路），Superior Prefectures（fu府），Ordinary Prefectures（zhou州）and Districts（xian县）. The present Dali area belonged to Dali Route（大理路），the Heqing Route（鹤庆路），the Yunlongdian Military and Civilian Superior Prefecture（云龙甸军民府），and the Weichu Route（威楚路）. After the end of the Dali Kingdom，the Yuan central government appointed the descendants of the Duan（段）family，the former Dali emperor，to be the rulers of the Dali local government. The Duans became hereditary governors of the Dali Route，lasting for over 10 generations. In 1382，an army of the Ming dynasty led by Fu Youde（傅有德），Lan Yu（蓝玉），and Mu Ying（沐英）conquered Dali City，and set up a Dali Superior Prefecture（大理府），a Heqing Superior Prefecture（鹤庆府），and a Menghua Superior Prefecture（蒙化府）. The Ming dynasty enforced its rule over Dali by means of Military，Civilian and Commercial State Farm Systems . In 1659，an army of the Qing dynasty，led by Wu Sangui（吴三桂）entered Kunming，ending the Southern Ming（南明）dynasty's rule over Dali. In the Qing dynasty，the Dali area was divided into the Dali Prefecture（大理府），the Lijiang Prefecture（丽江府），the Yongchang Prefecture（永昌府）and the Menghua Municipality（蒙化直隶厅）. From the Yuan dynasty，the Bai buildings in Dali began to converge with the Han architecture in forms and styles except for those in mountainous areas where transportation was difficult. However，they still retained their own characteristics in terms of functions and decorations.

The Bai buildings in the Yuan，Ming and Qing dynasties had the following characteristics. First，since the Ming dynasty made strict regulations on the shapes and scales of different types of buildings，the buildings in Dali were also adjusted in room sizes and structure accordingly. Secondly，during the Yuan and Ming dynasties，the royal courts strongly encouraged Confucianism and ordered the construction of Confucius temples for temple schooling everywhere. So，in Dali，educational buildings such as Confucius temples and academies were constructed on a massive scale. Thirdly，under the influence of Confucian ethical ideology，ceremonial buildings，such as clan temples，became popular in Dali. Fourthly，in the conflict and integration of Nanzhao and Dali cultures with the Han culture，folk beliefs in Dali became gradually diversified，which in turn brought about the diversification of religious buildings. Fifth，to meet the needs for agricultural irrigation，large-scale water conservancy projects such as canals were undertaken. Details of the buildings during this period can be seen from the following aspects.

●Cities

In the Ming dynasty，cities built during the Nanzhao and Dali kingdoms such as the city of Taihe and the city of Yangjumie were all destroyed. The Ming government rebuilt cities in Dali according to its administrative system. The design of these cities and towns departed from the previous practice of taking Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake as natural barriers，and was completely in line with the city structures of the Han people，namely，walls were built all around a square city with crisscrossed streets inside，and sectorization，defense systems，and drainage systems were set out accordingly. For example，the prent-day Dali Ancient City was built in the early Ming dynasty. In Volume 6 of the Annals of Dali Prefecture （《大理府志》）written during the Kangxi period in the Qing dynasty，it is recorded as follows：

The capital city of Dali，also called Zicheng（紫城），was constructed in the 15 th year of the Hongwu period of the Ming dynasty . In the next year ， Feng Cheng （冯诚）， the Commander-in-Chief ， expanded the city ...

Some other cities built in the Ming and the Qing dynasties，such as the capital city of Zhaozhou Prefecture（赵州城）（present-day Fengyi），the capital city of Dengchuan Prefecture（邓川州城）（present-day Dengchuan），the capital city of Yunnan District（云南县城）（present-day Xiangyun），and the captical city of Binchuan Prefecture（宾川州城）（present-day Binchuan ），were similar to the city of Dali，but were comparatively smaller.

●Residential Houses

During the Yuan，Ming and Qing dynasties，the central government's rule over Yunnan continued to strengthen. With the increasingly close economic and cultural links between Dali and Central Plains，architecture in Dali had gained more and more features of Central Plains architecture，especially in the Ming dynasty when the central government implemented a large-scale Han-assimilation policy in Yunnan，and introduced legal provisions of rituals to the whole country. Among them，there are clear regulations on the scales and shapes of buildings for different people and different purposes. At this time，the Dali Bai people's dwellings are mostly 3-room wide but are different in pitch and curvature of roof probably because of historical factors as well as economic，cultural and climatic reasons.

1.3.4 Bai Architecture in Modern Times

In modern times，with the introduction of western architectural factors，the Bai buildings have changed a lot in both planning concept and construction technology. Since the Jiaqing and the Daoguang periods in the Qing dynasty，Dali's economy has been consistently growing. In addition to the annual March Fair，various fairs held all over the year have been attracting merchants at home and abroad. Businessmen from Xizhou and Heqing started to organize trade caravans and did business around the world. Under their initiative，some Bai people began to adopt western construction technologies，and started to use cement and glass. In the late Qing dynasty and the early periods of the Republic of China，some Bai houses in Xizhou adopted gates without eaves，a trend obviously affected by the western way of construction. Some big families，such as the Yan（严）and the Dong（董），even spent a lot of money on western-style mansions.

After the Revolution of 1911，with the disintegration of feudal dynasties more than 2，000 years，folk Bai architecture had a more secular tendency. Civilians were no longer restricted by the feudal social hierarchy when building their houses. As long as they could afford it，they could build their houses as sumptuously as they wanted. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China，especially since the reform and opening-op policy，Dali's economy，society，and culture have achieved unprecedented development，and profound changes have taken place in architecture. Specifically，urban construction has been rapidly developed and new cities such as Xiaguan have emerged，where modern buildings for cultural，educational，health，commerce，the service industry and recreational purposes were constructed here and there，showing the vitality of the young city. The style of rural dwellings has also undergone significant changes. Traditional wooden structures have been gradually replaced by modern brick concrete buildings，and the living environment and sanitary conditions of the rural population have been greatly improved. However，it should also be noted that due to a lack of respect for traditional culture and excessive development，the inheritance and development of the traditional Bai architecture is indeed facing serious crises. Here，we cannot and need not protect all traditional buildings，but it is still necessary to protect a groups or blocks of buildings with high historical and cultural values.

[1] Li （里）：A traditional Chinese measurement for length.

[2] Chiwen （鸱吻）：Roof ridge ornament in the shape of a legendary animal. MXtVnQeLFGRE6Yrd0HLCGOf+h4e8d717CXr6cAtmnpZxa0TbHl6hvAAHVxRF80oW