Dai Table Lamp is a minimalist lamp created by Los Angeles-based designer Ming-Li Chang. The lamp is inspired by the hardworking women of the Dai people from Yunnan, China. This lamp features a translucent shade reminiscent of a straw hat, deliberately tilted to evoke the headwear of these women. The design integrates an etched pattern that enhances its distinctive shape, aiming to deliver a unique lighting experience. This includes a functional downlight that highlights the figure beneath it. The lamp’s aesthetic is influenced by Ming-Li’s familial roots in Yunnan and a childhood resonating with the region’s cultural narratives.

The design subtly references a dance by Liping Yang, which portrays the roles of women within the Dai community. This dance utilizes a specific tilted hat, which, while shielding the dancers’ faces, focuses attention on the choreography and its underlying empowering themes. Traditionally meant to protect from the sun, here the hat-inspired shade serves a dual purpose—directing light downwards while also casting an uplifting glow to symbolize illumination upon the often-overlooked figures.