丨 Choose materials first, from the simplest scarf to skirts, tablecloths, etc. I chose a suspender skirt.

丨 After that, tie the white cloth for later use according to the pattern effect you want. For general tourists, they can choose rope binding; if they have enough time and a certain manual skills, they can choose suture binding, that is, stitching the parts that do not need to be dyed according to the pattern. I don't know whether my hands are small or not strong enough, but I tried several times without success when I couldn't squeeze it into a flower ball and tie the rope. At one point, I felt a little emotional and wondered why I had to spend money to pay for the pain. I obviously wasn't good at craftsmanship, so I might as well experience the simplest scarf... Yes, it's the kind of despair that if my eyes look at it, my brain thinks it will, but my hands can't handle it at all.

丨 After tying, practice dyeing techniques in an ordinary water basin; then put in the dyeing vat. The dye is configured by the teacher himself, and some plants are selected to ensure that the finished product will not fade. It is easier to dye and tie the cloth balls. They sink into the dye vat one by one to allow the color to continuously penetrate. The center of the tie knot is not easy to be infected, forming a white pattern. After that, I didn't dare to dye the upper part of the dress, and I stumbled...

丨 When dyeing, the dye leaves a yellow-green color on the fabric, which will turn blue only after oxidation with water. The first part that turned blue was wrapped around the yellow-green in the middle, and gradually changed color in a smudged manner. At that moment, I seemed to see Van Gogh's starry sky.

After tie-dyeing, you can have a snack for lunch at the market in Zhoucheng. It is recommended to find a stall with more people.

Sweet and sour sweet pears. If you have a cup, you can also hold some pear juice.

In the afternoon, I went back to the tie-dyeing room next door to be a tile cat. The tile cat is a unique mythical animal in Yunnan to ward off evil spirits. It is made of clay and placed on the roof facing outwards.

Yuquan Company Ethnic Exhibition Hall, a typical Bai courtyard, can accommodate accommodation.

The soil used to make tile cats was specially dug by the teacher from his hometown Jianshui and used after natural storage and fermentation. The kneading of a tile cat is like playing with plasticine. All the head, body, claws and ears are first rubbed into balls, and then shaped and put together. It is relatively easy to start, but the beauty to be made is not allowed. The finished product has to be fired, so you can't take it away with you. You can only ask the teacher to help send the express delivery later.

In fact, if time is tight, Xizhou Town and Dali Ancient City also have tie-dye and tile cat production experience workshops. The price range is similar, but I want to think of Zhoucheng to experience the difference outside the city.

Go back to Xizhou Ancient Town and stroll around. Most of the shops on the main street of the ancient town are ethnic souvenirs and Yunnan specialty snacks, mixed with various local snacks, which is probably not much different from other ancient towns. There are a large area of pastoral scenery outside the ancient town, and many coffee shops are now opened to meet the needs of tourists.

Because Xizhou is only one of the stops for most group tours or tours around the Erhai Lake, after the batches of tourists gradually dispersed at 6 p.m., the catering gradually became deserted. We came out to find food after 7 o'clock, and most of the shops were closed or ready to close, so there were few choices. After walking around the town for a long time, I ate local specialty scrambled eggs with tree bark and flowers (a kind of moss that grows with trees and is quite delicious) and sour papaya fish (average). During the day, I recommend going to the town's halal crock rice noodles/el silk.

Although Xizhou is not large, it combines ancient buildings, intangible cultural heritage, snacks and pastoral scenery. If you like the excitement, you can take a quick look at the scenery; if you like the tranquility, you can live in the town and stroll as you like in the morning and evening when there are not many tourists. In short, don't put it the other way around.