Observe the difference in the type of the photographs.
The costume is typical of a single Bai woman. After marriage, the costume is toned down to reflect her new status.
YUNNAN
A Bridal Home-Coming On the Third Visit
The Yunnan province, the most south-western province of the People's Republic of China, lives close to my heart. Yes, I felt like a bride visiting her own home on the third day of marriage during the most recent trip last year. 1993, 1994 and 1996, three occasions of memory, it has become more than just another place on earth where I happened to leave my footprints.
This special sense of attachment is perhaps the work of kismet. My first independent venture abroad met with the opening of direct flights between Singapore and Yunnan. I have been interested in the customs and lifestyles of the minorities in China, so it was quite a natural choice back then in 1993.
Other than Kunming, the provincial capital of the province and also known as the City of Eternal Spring, these three visits also brought me to the autonomous counties of Dali twice and Lijiang once. The costume featured in the two photographs constantly reminds me of how much I have left my heart in Dali, home of the Golden Flower.
Dali, the autonomous region of the Bai minority, is also known as the Switzerland of the East. The 19 peaks and 18 streams that make up the Cang Mountain range and the lake Erhai sum up the essence of this beautiful place. Especially during the cruise on the lake, it is easy to lose oneself in the midst of the tranquillity while savouring the "bitter, sweet and remembrance teas of life"!
I wore the costume in Dali during the second visit in 1994, causing quite a stir that I found both amusing and flattering. I was not exactly blending into the environment, however, wearing it then gave me a sense of identity, an identity of my love for this place. It was a test of my guts too, I admit. Singing songs peculiar to Dali also helped to sustain this loving memory where my dreams often lingered.
I did not catch the splendour of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang regretfully in 1994. The splendour in my imagination comes from essays that sang of its magnificent beauty. It is the maze-like ancient town of Lijiang that I remember best. The little bridges over streams of spring water that run through the town remind one of Suzhou, only Lijiang is less artificial, its primitive beauty is thus more appealing.
For all the beauty of the land that I can sing of, ultimately it is the people who count. I considered myself very lucky that I have kept up with old acquaintances and made new friends during the three visits. Yuxuan, Haiyan, Qiutao, the Shen and Qi families, these are the people who made me the bride that came home during the third day of marriage in 1996. Some of them are just ordinary folks with a warm and hospitable heart, giving me a home to feel welcome all the time. For this, I shall be eternally grateful.
I think it is most appropriate to end this with a translation of a song from the movie "The Five Golden Flowers", a song which carries my undying love for Yunnan.
The Cross-Singing at the Butterfly Spring
Female:
Spring blossoms during the third month in Dali,
Grooming myself amidst the Butterfly Spring,
Just like the butterflies gathering nectar,
My heart is full of expectations.
Male:
The Butterfly Spring is clear as crystal,
I throw a stone to test its depth.
Not knowing your heart,
The fear of rejection makes me hesitant.
Female:
Brave the thorns if you like the flower,
Sing your heart out and do not ask too much,
Fear not the water if you want to cast the net.
Now let's meet and be acquainted.
Male:
The swiftness of the sparrow's mountain flight
Leaves behind the sound of twinkling bells.
The golden lotus bag that you gave me
Proves that you have feelings for me.
Female:
The swallow lays down mud to build its nest,
Feelings or otherwise are difficult for me to express.
Our acquaintance must be like the long flowing river;
I fear yet you are the effervescent morning dew.
Male:
Three generations of my family are metal-makers,
Producing steel that does not rust.
My heart is as steadfast as the steel,
Do not misjudge me, sister.
My pledge of this steel dagger goes to you to prove my heart,
The snow of the Cang Mountains may melt,
The water of Erhai may dry up,
The solid steel will not bend.
Female:
The olive leaves behind a sweet after-taste,
The concealing moss has to be removed to reach the spring water.
It is early to make promises of love
Till we meet a year later.
Yes, when next spring welcomes the butterflies,
Meet me if your heart is still with me.
Look for Golden Flower at the foot of the Cang Mountains
For it is my name.
8 September 1997