Yunnan Province in Southwest China is home to about half of China's ethnic groups-26 to be exact. Each of them has its own culture and maintains its own traditions.

The Bai people are known for their gracious hospitality. Visitors are greeted with a warm and unique ceremony, and they are offered three cups of tea.

The head of the family makes the tea, and the youngest serves it. The first cup of tea is made from local bitter tealeaves. It tastes medicinal. The second looks like soup. It is made from walnuts, cheese and sugar. It tastes sweet. The third cup of tea is made by mixing prickly ash, ginger and Chinese cinnamon with honey and bitter tea. It is pungent, with a distinct aftertaste. The three cups of tea are symbolic of the three stages of one's life journey: going through all kinds of hardships, feeling the joy of life, and recalling both bitter and happy experiences.

Music and songs are an important part of the Bai culture. There are funny songs and beautiful love songs. Young men and women often sing antiphonally through the night.

Bai weddings are steeped in tradition. The groom arrives in a sedan chair with a huge number of shoes. In the Bai dialect, the words for shoes and children sound alike. The large number of shoes are a wish for many children. But the bridegroom has trouble getting into the bride's house. Her family members have a bagful of questions awaiting him. They sing the questions and the groom is expected to answer in song. As the bridal couple try to enter the bridal chamber, friends and family try to pinch the bride as she passes. The pinch is a sign of good wishes.