The Dai ethnic group’s great wisdom: the bamboo house

In the developing process of the bamboo houses, the Dai people made use of their talents, and continued to perfect its structure and materials. For example, over time they have learned to place large marbles underneath the pillars of the house, so that the pillar cannot touch the ground directly; this prevents moisture from climbing up along the pillars, thus protecting the bamboo houses from rot. In order to make the bamboo house more endurable, the Dai people have also created many practical and effective methods of treating the bamboo and wood. Some bamboo materials must be put into the rivers or ponds to saturate for several months in order to dissolve some soluble substances, such as xylose, and to make the starch deteriorate, so that they will not attract moths or parasitic microorganisms. The wood that must be buried in the earth is first burnt with fire in order to make the part in the earth harder and give it a layer of protective charcoal. In addition, they traditionally build an oven in the bamboo house, so when they cook, the house is filled with its smoke, which has chemical qualities that are good for fighting erosion and moths. Of course, the bamboo houses are vulnerable to fire. Therefore, each community establishes its own rules. No one is allowed to use fire in the daytime of the dry season; if a fire must be used, the user must go to designated places to use it. Therefore, bamboo houses are seldom seen on fire.

People of the Dai ethnic group always use trim bamboo bars to build the walls of their yard. They plant flowers, trees and fruit in their yards, and the trees provide a pleasant shade. A beautiful bamboo house is like a small park. Over thousands of years, bamboo houses have changed greatly from the earlier bamboo post, bamboo girder and bamboo tiles to the wood structure and masonry-concrete structure. However, the name “bamboo house” is still used as before.

Why do the Dai people like to live in bamboo houses instead of bungalows? Li Jing of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) answered this question in his work, Yunnan Zhilue. He said that the bamboo’s most excellent feature is its ability to avoid both humidity and heat.

Because of the unique customs of the Dai ethnic group, there are also some taboos of the bamboo room. People from outside may not enter the bamboo house with a horse, cattle or other livestock. When they enter the house, they must take off their shoes, and they should walk gently in the room. People must not sit beside the fireplace or stride over the fireplace. The hosts care about their privacy, so it is not polite for visitors to enter the host’s living room. Visitors should not whistle or cut their finger nails. They should not use clothes as pillows or sit on them. When they hang clothes to dry, jackets should be hung up high while trousers and skirts should be hung down low.

Bamboo plays an important role in the life of the Dai people. They live in the bamboo house, eat bamboo tube rice and drink bamboo tube wine. The most beautiful scene of Xishuangbanna is the massive bamboo forest and the unique bamboo house. It looks like a peacock in its pride, and the beautiful view makes people, including celebrity visitors like Dr. Henry Kissinger, too delighted to leave.