The grace and beauty of the Dai princesses are recalled during the performance of a Yunnan dancer.

This pedagogical feature comes across clearly in the love tales today by the Dai people, one of twenty-five ethnic groups living in the forests of southwestern China. Their tales of romance use the love motif to instruct listeners about the meaning of life and to teach them something about the world in which they live.

Two stories poignantly exemplify these qualities. I have adapted both from versions originally published in South of the Clouds: Tales from Yunnan, a collection of narratives edited by Lucien Miller (University of Washington Press, Seattle, 1994). They are, apparently, ancient tales, yet they evoke elements still present in Dai life. The first tale of love explains why certain flowers are red, why golden butterflies exist, and why seven stones resemble women. It also informs the Dai people about their origins.

The peacock dance. The golden-blue eyes on the dancer's dresses resemble the flowers said to have come from the blood of the princesses' husbands.

The seven stones

A very long time ago, a cruel war with another people wiped out the entire Dai population, sparing only seven women. These were princesses, and they were absolutely beautiful. There were also lonely, because they had no kin with whom to share their lives.

Then one day, while bathing in a river, they saw floating on top of the water a rooster pierced by an arrow. In a moment the girls had dressed and hastened upriver through the forest in search of the hunter who had shot it. After traveling for some time, they heard the sound of men’s voices, and the princesses quickly took cover behind some trees. Peeping through an opening in the leaves, they spied a group of young princes dressed in fine clothes. The girls could see seven of them and thought they were very handsome.

The princesses fell in love instantly. They stepped out from behind the trees, and the men gazed at them, enthralled. Princes and princesses then related their stories to each other.