Chinese Name:镇沅县者东镇苦聪人居住村落
English Name:Villages of Kucong Ethnic People in Zhedong Town of Zhenyuan County, Puer
ucong People could be divided into a branch of the Lahu Nationality, they are one of the minority ethnic branches with least population in China. Dacun village lives the heritage people of Kucong tree leather robe has been the primary option to learn more about Kucong People. Local collective dancing performances include Triple Stomps, River Drifting, Quadruple Sheep Strikes, Fly Rubbing, Rolling Dance, Backhand Three-string Play, and Beehive Drum. Yupa Festival as the most important local celebration falls on the 8th day of the 2nd lunar month.
苦聪民俗村落
苦聪人属拉祜族支系，全国有苦聪人3万余人，镇沅县有18904人，而镇沅县者东镇则是苦聪人的主要聚居地。境内学堂村的仓房组、岩壮组、大村、大箐、铜厂，樟盆村的文旧组，帮海村的小户南、户回、旧蟒三个组，其中，者东村的八角碑组均是纯苦聪聚集的村组，均保留着原始的民俗习性，是探访研究苦文化及品偿苦聪独特美食的好地方。大村组是苦聪人树皮衣、蜘蛛衣传承人居住地，是最好探访神密苦聪人的最佳之地。主要集体歌舞有“三跺脚”、“顺江流”、“绵羊四打”、“苍蝇搓脚”、“翻身舞”、”反弹三弦”和“蜂筒鼓舞”，重大民族节庆日为每年的二月初八日，即畲葩节。
Yunlong County and Dali City are both under the jurisdiction of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture. Yunlong County(云龙县) is located in the longitudinal valley area of Lancang River in western Yunnan, the joint part of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Baoshan City and Nujiang Prefecture. It connects Eryuan County and Yangbi County in the east, Yongping County and Baoshan City in the South, Lushui City in the west and Jianchuan County and Lanping County in the north. The county seat of Yunlong County is Nuodeng Town(诺邓镇), 175 kilometers from Dali City, 574 kilometers from Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province.
How to Get to Yunlong County from Dali City (Xiaguan Town)
With a distance of about 155 kilometers, tourists can go from Dali City to Yunlong County mainly by long-distance bus.
1. By Long-distance Bus
The transportation between Dali City and Yunlong County refers to two main long-distance bus stations, Dali Express Bus Station and Yunlong Bus Terminal. There are about 14 daily buses from Dali City to Yunlong County, and the journey is about 3 hours and 36 minutes.
a. Dali Express Bus Station大理快速汽车客运站
Address: No.1, Huancheng South Road, Dali City, Dali大理白族自治州大理市环城南路1号
Tel: 0872-2128922
b. Yunlong Bus Terminal云龙客运站
Address: No.208, Hushan Road, Yunlong County, Dali大理白族自治州云龙县虎山路208号
Dali Express Bus Station-Yunlong Bus Terminal
Departure Time: 7:30, 8:10, 8:50, 9:30, 10:10, 10:50, 11:30, 12:10, 12:50, 13:30, 14:10, 14:50, 15:40, 16:30
Price: 43 CNY
Distance: 175 kilometers
Consume Time: About 3.5 hours
Nuodeng Ancient Town and Baofeng Old Town are popular in Yunlong County. If you plan to Yunlong County of Dali Prefecture, Please contact us.
Email: contact@YunnanExploration.com, or Phone: 0086-871-63511469, Wechat: 908400838
2. By Chartered Bus
There might be chartered buses around Dali Ancient Town, Dali City Bus Stations and Dali Railway Station, you can go and ask the drivers details. You will spend more money taking chartered bus, but it is more convenient and flexible than the long-distance bus. Check more information about Dali City Travel Guide.
Transportation in Yunnan:
- Airlines in Yunnan
- Flights to Yunnan
- Airport Transfer
- International Flights to Yunnan
- Airports in Yunnan
- High-speed Rail in Yunnan
- Railway Stations in Yunnan
- Railways in Yunnan
- Trains to Yunnan
- Trans Asia Railway
- Metro in Yunnan
- Bridges in Yunnan
- Freeways in Yunnan
- Highways in Yunnan
- Roads to Yunnan
- Trans-Asia Roads
- National Roads in Yunnan
Travel along the Ancient Tea Horse Caravan Roads. During this thirteen day excursion, you will explore tea plantations and the local tea factories of Dali, Puer and XishuangBanna. Additionally you will visit exquisite historical landmarks. The Tea horse Road and Puer Tea Culture Tour, will provide tea afficionados and those with an appetite for broadening their horizons,… an opportunity for you do deep research of China’s rich tea culture, as well as providing you with numerous stops along the way to sample and enjoy a wide variety of the world reknowned teas of Yunnan.
Highlights
- Visit the famous, historical Tea-Horse Roads and former sites of tea trading in Yunnan.
- Step into ethnic villages and sample the rich cultural diversity of Yunnan.
- Trek to tea covered mountainsides. Visit tea factories amidst beautiful natural surroundings.
- Observe the processing of Yunnan Puer tea. (you will have many opportunities to sip samples all along the way)
- Enjoy the amazing landscape and scenery of Yunnan. Considered by many to be China’s most beautiful province.
Brief Itinerary
- Day 1: Arrive in Jinghong
- Day 2: Jinghong-Menglun-Yiwu
- Day 3: Yiwu-Youle Tea Mountain-Jinghong
- Day 4: Jinghong-Xiding-Menghai-Jinghong
- Day 5: Jinghong-Puer-Ninger
- Day 6: Ninger-Jinggu-Zhentai Town-Mengda Town-Zhenyuan
- Day 7: Zhenyuan-Qianjiazhai
- Day 8: Qianjiazhai-Jingdong
- Day 9: Jingdong-Wuliang Mountain-Nanjian-Weishan
- Day 10: Weishan-Dali
- Day 11: Dali-Yunnanyi-Kunming
- Day 12: Kunming
- Day 13: Departure from Kunming
Google Map
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1, Arrive in Jinghong
Accommodation:
Meals: none
Sightseeing and Activities:
Arrive in Jinghong City, Familiarize youself with local surroundings with a walk along the Lancang-Mekong River and Manting Park, (on your own.)
Day 2 Jinghong -Menglun- Yiwu
Accommodation:
Meals: breakfast, lunch
Sightseeing and Activities:
In the morning, you will take a drive up to visit Menglun Tropical Botanical Garden. You will take a bus along a winding road through a tropical rain forest and stop briefly at a rubber-tree orchard on the way to Yiwu. Then, a bumpy dirt road leads you to see and photograph an 800 year old tea tree, overlooking a gorgeous lush valley. On your return, we will take a walk along the Tea Horse Trail, which begins in Yiwu Old Town and eventually leads all the way to Tibet. Visit Yiwu Town and Yiwu Tea Mountains.
Yiwu is one of the 6 famous Puer Tea mountains and home to the Puer Tea Museum which we will have visited at the start of the Tea Horse Trail. In the evening we will spend time in the small, traditional and historic Yiwu Town. Enjoy some tea and/or a beer at a local stopover shop and fire off some roman candles in the street.
Day 3 Yiwu-Youle Tea Mountain-Jinghong
Accommodation:
Meals:breakfast, lunch
Sightseeing and Activities:
After breakfast, transfer to Jinuo Tea Moutain Village. Visit Jinuo People, who uniquely belong to this region. Jinuo minority is the last ethnic minority classified by Chinese Government in 1979. Visit the ancient tea plantations around Jinuo village, which used to be one of 6 Great Tea Mountains reputed as the cradles of Pu’er Tea. Taste the tea that Jinuo people prepare in their traditional way.
Today, get the chance to make your own Puer tea cakes at a small Cha Ma Shi factory in Youle, Youle Tea Mountain or Jinuo Tea Mountain(攸乐山茶区/基诺山茶区) is another of the 6 famous Puer tea mountains.
From this small tea factory, visit Dadugang Ten Thousand Mus Tea Garden, the owner of the largest tea plantation in Asia. Terraced fields of 30yr old tea bushes could be seen in all directions and the view was breathtaking. The DaDuGang factory was filled with massive processing equipment, primarily for green though they make 107 different varieties, which had a very industrial feeling to it.
After dinner, drive to Jinghong City.
Day 4 Jinghong-Nannuo Tea Mountain-Xiding-Menghai-Jinghong
Accommodation:
Meals:breakfast, lunch
Sightseeing and Activities:
Starting from Jinghong, drive to Mount Nannuo, see ancient tea plantation aged over 800 years of Aini people, who have been engaged in tea-planting here for centuries, visit their villages and taste roasted tea they prepared in unique way, through chat we may discover how much Aini people rely on tea. Villages in Nannuo Mountain consist of Banpo Laozhai Village(半坡老寨), Duoyizhai Village(南糯山多依寨村), Guniang Village(姑娘寨), Yakou Xinzhai Village(丫口新寨), Laozhai Village(老寨), Shitouzhai Village(石头寨),Zhulincun Village(竹林村寨) ,Xiangyang Village(向阳寨) and Shuihe Village(水河寨). Move on to Menghai, pay visit to small tea workshop in the village to learn about how fresh tea leaves are processed.
Transfer to Xiding Town, visit Zhanglang Bulang Ethnic Village; pay a visit to Xiding Market where you can join a local market (the local market is on every Thursday) and many ethnic minorities come together for their trades, such as Dai, Wa, Bulang and Hani people. It is very popular among Chinese and foreighners, sometimes Burmese also come to the market.
Drive back to Jinghong for overnight.
Day 5 Jinghong-Puer-Ninger
Accommodation:
Meals:breakfast, lunch
Optional Sightseeing and Activities:
Nakeli Village in Ninger County(那柯里村)
Kongqueping Village and The Ancient Tea Horse Road in Ninger County(磨黑镇孔雀屏茶马古道)
Chaantang Ancient Tea Horse Caravan Relics in Ninger County(宁洱县茶庵塘段茶马古道)
Mohei Ancient Town in Ninger County(磨黑古镇)
Day 6 Ninger-Jinggu-Zhentai Town-Mengda Town-Zhenyuan
Accommodation:
Meals:breakfast, lunch
Optional Sightseeing and Activities:
Kunlu Tea Mountain in Ninger County
Tree-wrapped Pagoda and Tower-wraped Tree in Jinggu County
Zimajie Village of Zhentai Town(振太镇太和村委会紫马街村),
Yangjia Village of Zhentai Town(振太镇文索村委会杨家村),
Wensuo Zhongcun Village(振太乡文索中村)
Yingde Village of Mengda Town in Zhenyuan County(镇沅县勐大镇英德村委会英德村)
Pingzhang Shangcun Village of Mengda Town in Zhenyuan County(勐大镇文仆村委会平掌上村)
Day 7 Zhenyuan-Qianjiazhai
Accommodation:
Meals:breakfast, lunch
Optional Sightseeing and Activities:
Mayang Acient Paper Mill (Heping Town) (镇沅县和平乡麻洋纸厂)
Zheganhe River (镇沅县者东乡者干河)
Qianjiazhai Village(千家寨村)
Qianjiazhai Ancient Wild Tea Trees(千家寨古茶树)
Qianjiazhai Dadiaoshui Waterfall(千家寨小吊水瀑布)
Qiaojiazhai Xiaodiaoshui Waterfall(千家寨大吊水瀑布)
Duluhe River in Qianjiazhai(千家寨嘟噜河)
Jiujia Sha Drama in Zhenyuan County(镇沅县九甲杀戏)
Breakfast at hotel. Drive to Jiujia Township, visit Qianjia Village Scenic Area. Enjoy Dadiaoshui Waterfall and Xiaodiaoshui Waterfall, pass through the Ailao Mount. primitive forest, and visit the over 2700-year old “world king of wild tea tree” (prompts: prepare some solid food, drinking water, mountaineering clothing and shoes, required gear and personal essential medicines. The weak is not recommended to participate).
Supper after getting down from the mountain. One night stay in Jiujia Township.
Tour Route:
Zhenyuan County-Heping Town-Zhedong Town-Jiujia Town-Qianjiazhai Village
Day 8 Qianjiazhai-Jingdong
Accommodation:
Meals:breakfast, lunch
Optional Sightseeing and Activities:
Huangcaoling Village of Jinping Town in Jingdong County(景东县锦屏镇黄草岭村)
Tianxin Village of Dajie Town in Jingdong County(景东县大街乡文山村委会田心村)
The Ancient Tea Plantations of Wuliang Mountain in Jingdong County(景东县无量山古茶园)
Ancient Tea Plantations of Yubishan Mountain in Jingdong County(景东县御笔山古茶园)
Bangwai Ancient Tea Garden of Wuliang Mountain(景东县锦屏镇邦崴村古茶树)
Breakfast at hotel. Go for Jingdong County. Wander in Huangcaolin Eco-tourism Village. Lunch on the way. Visit Jingdong Confucian Temple, Acropolis Sites, Yubi Mountain Forest Park.
Today, you will visit the ancient wild tea trees in Ancient Tea Mountain. Driving arrive at the Jingdong Tea Factory, then two motorcycles’ driver will take you to the Ancient Tea Mountain to visit the ancient tea trees.
Supper and one night stay at Jingdong County.
Day 9 Jingdong-Wuliang Mountain-Nanjian-Weishan
Accommodation:
Meals:breakfast, lunch
Optional Sightseeing and Activities:
King of The Tea Tree of Wuliang Mountain(南涧县无量山镇小古德村茶树王)
Xiaogude Tea Garden of Wuliang Mountain in Nanjian County(南涧县无量山镇古德茶园)
Heimoju Village of Wuliangshan Town(南涧县无量山镇红星村委会黑么苴村)
Tea Garden of Wuliangshan Cherry Blossoms Valley( 南涧县无量山樱花谷茶园)
Hujie Village of Baohua Town in Nanjian County(南涧县宝华镇虎街村委会虎街村)
Tiaocai Dance of Yi Ethnic Minority in Nanjian County(南涧县彝族跳菜/抬菜舞)
Yuwanshui Village of Weibaoshan Town in Weishan County(巍山县巍宝山乡玉碗水村)
Today, you will drive along the foot of Wuliang Mountain to Nanjian County, visit the ancient wild tea trees in Ancient Tea Mountain in Nanjian County.
Transfer to Weishan County for stay.
Day 10 Weishan-Dali
Accommodation:
Meals:breakfast, lunch
Sightseeing and Activities:
Weishan Ancient Town(巍山古城)
Donglianhua Mosque in Weishan County(巍山东莲花清真寺)
Donglianhua Village in Weishan County(巍山县东莲花村)
Huihuideng Village of Yongjian Town in Weishan County(巍山县永建镇永胜村委会回辉登村)
Huiying Village of Dacang Town in Weishan County(巍山县大仓镇回营村)
Shanta Village of Miaojie Town in Weishan County(巍山县庙街镇盟石村委会山塔村)
Mixing Village of Yongjian Town in Weishan County(巍山县永建镇马米厂米姓村)
Xiaxilianhua Hui Ethnic Village of Yongjian Town in Weishan County(巍山县永建镇下西莲花回族特色村寨)
Visit Weishan Ancient Town in the morning, transfer to Dali, stop to visit Donglianhua Village and Donglianhua Mosque, also you find some intereting villages listed in the program you can choose to visit.
Arrive in Dali Ancient Tow in the afternoon, walk around Dali Ancient Town, the Ancient City Wall and Foreigner Street.
Day 11 Dali-Yunnanyi-Kunming
Accommodation:
Meals:breakfast, lunch
Sightseeing and Activities:
Visit Zhoucheng Bai Ethnic Village, Tie-dyeing Family Workshop and Tie-dyeing Class, Xizhou Old Town.
Visit Xiaguan Tuocha Tea Factory and Tuocha Tea Museum,
Transfer to Kunming, stop to visit Yunnanyi Old Town, which is an important town of the Ancient Tea Horse Road in Xiangyun County.
Day 12 Kunming
Accommodation:
Meals:breakfast, lunch
Sightseeing and Activities:
Visit Yunnan Ethnic Villages, The Green Lake Park, Yuantong Temple;
Visit Bangsheng International Tea Market and Xiongda Tea Market.
Taste Yunnan Crossing-Bridge Nooodles and Steamed Chicken Hot Pot as your dinner.
Enjoy Dynamic Yunnan Show at night.
Day 13 Departure from Kunming
Accommodation:
Meals:breakfast
Transfer to Kunming airport or train station for departure. Service ends.
Service Included:
- Admission fees for all of the sightseeing spots listed in the itinerary;
- Meals as listed in the itinerary;
- Hotels as listed in the itinerary;
- Private English-speaking tour guide and vehicle for transfers & sightseeing;
- Service charge & government taxes;
- Luggage transfers between airports and hotels;
- Free-bottled mineral water.
Service Excluded:
- Any arrival and departure international airfares or train tickets;
- Chinese visa fees;
- Single room supplement;
- Excess baggage charged by Airlines;
- Tips to guides and drivers;
- Personal expenses and gratuities to service staff.
- Personal travel accident insurance;
- All optional programs.
Baccaurea ramiflora or Burmese Grape (三丫果） is a specific fruit product from Jiangcheng. The name of Sanya (trivalve) is given for each fruit’s flesh is born in three lobes with no exception. The flesh looks pink, wrapped in a layer of translucent thin cover, the flesh under the thin cover obtains soft waxy tasty, with a little sour and refreshing. Only ample sunshine, abundant rainfall, and divine natural surrounding can give birth to such kind of spiritual fruit.
How to Celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival without a Herb Soup?
The verse of “traditional Chinese rice-puddings packaged with colorful silk yarn and served in a gilded plate are for unmarried young girls.”, written by Ouyang Xiu, a litterateur in the Northern Song (960-1127), vividly depicts convivial atmosphere during the Dragon Boat Festival. To celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival and sacrifice Qu Yuan, a majority of people will make traditional Chinese rice-pudding and run dragon-boat racing and other various cultural activities. But, traditional Chinese rice-pudding is not necessary for all the people. In Pu’er of Yunnan, herb soup, as an indispensable dish in the Dragon Boat Festival, has its special and unique flavor.
“Most of herbs are of medicinal, and hundreds of herbs may be one hundred medicines.” Several days ahead of the Dragon Boat Festival, a large number of herbs are on offer in the vegetable market and both sides along with sidewalk in Simao district of Pu’er city. They are more than one hundred eatable wild traditional Chinese medicines, such as polygonum multiflorum, Heshiwu, Chonglei, angelica sinensis, Yiwozi, achyranthes root, red garlic, radix asparagi, gaultheria cumingiana, stemona root, cirsium shansiense and others.
It is well known that Chinese herbal medicines are used to treat illness. In Pu’er, herbs have become irresistible cate in the Dragon Boat Festival after exquisite mixing and processing. Travelling to Pu’er in May of the lunar calendar, you may find that air is suffused with smell of herbs. During one week before the Dragon Boat Festival, Wuyi Road has been filled with herbs and so hailed as “Herb Street”. Many vendors choose own stall and sell herbs along with road, and customers can carefully select desirable medicinal materials. It is as prosperous as the Spring Festival. Selling herbs before and after the Dragon Boat Festival has become traditional custom in Pu’er. And every family gets accustomed to choose high quality herbs and pig’s shank or chicken to make a palatable and delicious stew.
Relying on favorable natural conditions, Pu’er is covered with exuberant plants and trees. Due to abundant sunshine and rainwater during the festival, thousands of wild herbs of all kinds scatter around the Pu’er. If you have opportunity to travel to Pu’er in the Dragon Boat Festival, do not forget to have a taste of herb soup, which may bring a stream of different flavour.
Background of herb soup
Custom to eat pemisetum flaccidum griseb in the Dragon Boat Festival has a special background. It is widely known that Pu’er is located in tropical and subtropical zone, with a scorching and humid climate, which provides favorable environment for growth of herbs. For instance, pinus khasys will have two annual rings in one year, which is an exception of plant kingdom. Herbs grow rapidly, but their growing period shrinks accordingly. Although decayed materials will be degraded completely by the earth, air pollution also intensified. Air containing germs gets together, which is similar to miasma killing numerous people in the novel. Now, damages of miasma have been controlled with improvement of medical condition, but its adverse effects on human body remain. Days around the Dragon Boat Festival many people may suffer from poor appetite and hypodynamia, but no illnesses are found through physical examination. To alleviate these symptoms, people must take traditional Chinese medicine properly rather than western medicine. Of course, this is background to eat pemisetum flaccidum griseb. In Pu’er, a majority of people will be afflicted with such symptoms, thus eating pemisetum flaccidum griseb is also evolved into a folk custom.
Essential herbal cate
Healthy herb and traditional food material are enough to cook a special Pu’er dish in the Dragon Boat Festival, such as the chicken stewed with herb which can invigorate and enrich the circulation of blood, the oxtail stewed with seaworthy which can nourish liver and kidney, the nourishing herb soup which can nourish vitality and nourish a heart, and the radix problematic soup which can clear damp.
Horse Caravan Banquet(马帮宴), Dendrobe Banquet(石斛宴) and Tea Banquet(茶韵宴) give a new promotion of traditional food materials like dendrobe, tea leaves, sealwort, woven garment bag, sea boat, insects, chicken, sheep, fish, cattle etc.
The names of dishes on Horse Gang Banquet are full of history breath: Phoenix Nest, Ten-Thousand-Year Boat, Horse Gang Love Song, Ding-Ding-Dang Camel Bell, Faery of Flowers, White Snow In Sunny Spring, Rising Moon, Red Tail of Riverlet, Sightseeing Tour, Winding Peaks and Paths, Pull Chestnuts out of the Fire, Pu’er Cake, Kudzuvine Root Honey Water, Pu’er Copper Pot Liquor, Pu’er Red Love Fruit. They combine the historical culture with the horse gang dishes.
Dendrobe Banquet takes dendrobe – one of the nine immortal grass jellies in China – as the main cooking material.
Tea Banquet takes Pu’er tea as the cooking material, and its dishes include: Tea Garden Surging, Tea Oil Silk Ribbon, Cock Crow in Jingmai, Thousand-Year Fish, Wuliang Mutton Chop, Camellia Beef, Tawny Eight Diagrams, Pu’er Chicken Tofu Pudding, Land Tea Delicacies, Pu’er Steamed Cake, Love under a Rosy Sky, Screen of Green.
Wuliang Mountain Black-Bone Chicken in Jingdong County is a speciality of Jingdong County, Pu’er City, Yunnan. It has good resistance and compatibility by coarse feed, along with other characteristics like high reproduction rate, delicate taste, high nutritional value etc., thus it sells well in the marketplace. Jingdong County is definitely “the hometown of Wuliang Mountain Black-Bone Chicken”.
Wuliang Mountain Black-Bone Chicken, former name as Ailao Mountain Macrospecies Hair Pin Chicken, is an excellent local chicken variety selected and bred by Jingdong people during long-term living and production process. In September 2009, the Poultry Genetic Resource Appraisal Commission of Ministry of Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China appraised and renamed it as Wuliang Mountain Black-Bone Chicken, and enlisted it into the List of National Poultry Genetic Resource Pool. Thus, Jingdong County became “the hometown of Wuliang Mountain Black-Bone Chicken”.
Mushroom known as champignon in Jingdong, is commonly seen and can be easily collected on Wuliang Mountain and Ailao Mountain in Jingdong. Using mushroom to boil with chicken can add the flavor and nutrition of mushroom to chicken. It is a common dish for Jingdong people.
Using bamboo shoot to boil with Wuliang Mountain black-bone chicken, creamy white soup, fragrant and sweet taste. The bamboo shoot has to be fresh, dig it just before boiling it to maintain the original taste and flavor.
It is a popular dish in Jingdong. Cut the chicken into small pieces and boil them, add bamboo shoot, edible fungus and other vegetables that you like, then it is done. As the saying goes – “Add three kinds of vegetables without cooking oil”, which means people think it tastes good with a little cooking oil. But the cooking oil can be saved if you put three kinds of vegetables in the dish, it tastes good as well.
Fried bamboo insects, known as Zhuyong (竹虫) or Bamboo Worms, are a unique delicacy enjoyed by the people of Yunnan. From mid-September to the end of October, it is the prime season for catching bamboo worms in Yunnan. In Ximeng Wa Autonomous County (西盟佤族自治县), located in Pu’er City (普洱市), ethnic minorities use machetes to cut open bamboo segments to find these edible insects. Fried bamboo worms are a favorite dish among the local Lahu (拉祜族), Wa (佤族), and Dai (傣族) communities, offering a crispy and fragrant flavor.
Cultural Significance
As the saying goes:
云南十八怪 (Yunnan Eighteen Oddities)
“Three mosquitoes on a plate, grasshoppers can be a side dish.”
The insects living in Yunnan are diverse and abundant, making insect-eating a “bold and wild” dietary habit among the people of Yunnan.
Today, let’s explore the insect banquet, where various insects come together!
What Are Bamboo Worms?
Bamboo worms, also referred to as Bamboo Grubs, are the larvae of bamboo weevils, primarily found in the dense bamboo forests of Xishuangbanna (西双版纳), Dehong (德宏), and Pu’er (普洱) in Yunnan. These insects originally parasitize bamboo, feeding on tender bamboo shoots. The adventurous eaters of Yunnan have transformed these pests into a delicious fried food, and due to their taste, they have become quite a rare delicacy.
To prepare fried bamboo worms, the worms are rinsed clean in a bowl, drained, and then added to hot oil. After frying until golden, they are taken out, plated, and sprinkled with salt, chili powder, and Sichuan pepper powder. This fragrant and crispy dish is an essential offering at insect banquets.
A Taste of Yunnan
Dare to believe this description of Yunnan:
“What moves is all meat; what is green is all vegetables!”
The rich array of mountain delicacies distinguishes Yunnan from coastal regions. In the past, animals such as deer, pangolins, pythons, bear paws, doves, and wild chickens were abundant in Yunnan. Today, with wildlife consumption prohibited, the local “wild delicacies” have evolved to include insects.
In Yunnan, you can find various insects such as:
- Grasshoppers (蚂蚱)
- Bamboo worms (竹虫)
- Bee larvae (蜂蛹)
- Water dragonflies (水蜻蜓)
- Firewood worms (柴虫)
- Spiders (蜘蛛)
- Centipedes (蜈蚣)
- Flying ants (飞蚂蚁)
- Cicadas (知了)
- Cicada larvae (蝉蛹)
Among these, bamboo worms and bee larvae are considered the best in terms of flavor and texture; they are my favorites! Other insects do not match their aroma, taste, cleanliness, or nutritional value.
Fried bamboo worms are the most common way to enjoy them. They are fragrant and crunchy, perfect for pairing with drinks. At a festive gathering, they often replace peanuts as the first essential snack!
The plate of fried bamboo worms I had last week at Daiwang Farmhouse (傣旺农家) in Xishuangbanna (西双版纳) was deliciously fragrant and crispy, with a delightful sweet taste! I hadn’t tasted such excellent bamboo worms in a long time. In Kunming (昆明), most restaurants serve frozen bamboo worms, which lose their flavor and sweetness when fried. According to Ye Huizhang (叶会长) from Xishuangbanna, this dish is fresh!
The next day, I unexpectedly tried a plate of cold bamboo worms on Guangbie Tea Mountain (广别老寨茶山) in Menghai County (勐海县). After blanching, they were mixed with shredded ginger, bamboo shoots, and cilantro before being served. The astonishing taste, with its freshness and explosion of flavors, amazed me! This is what true gourmet food is!
Not only is the nutritional value retained through frying, but it also preserves the protein, amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins, making it a truly eco-friendly delicacy.
Versatile Bamboo Worms
Ye Huizhang shared that bamboo worms have many other cooking methods in Xishuangbanna:
- They can be used in soups.
- They can be steamed.
- They can be pounded.
- They can be stir-fried.
- They can be braised.
- They can be eaten raw.
- They can be used as garnishes for noodles or snacks.
The people of Xishuangbanna, you are amazing! A small insect can be transformed into so many delightful dishes by your hands. Next time I visit Xishuangbanna, I want to try all the different preparations!
Fried bamboo insects are not just a dish but a representation of Yunnan’s rich culinary culture and adventurous spirit. Their unique flavors and various cooking methods showcase the creativity and diversity of local cuisine. So, whether you’re a seasoned insect-eater or trying it for the first time, fried bamboo worms are a must-try when you visit Yunnan!
Overview of the Festival
- Chinese Name: 澜沧县拉祜族苦扎节
- English Name: Kuzha Festival of Lahu Ethnic Minority in Lancnag County, Puer
- Location: Lancang
Lahu’s Kuzha Festival (the Spring Festival)
Dates: from the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month to the fourth day of the first lunar month (New Year holidays); and the fifteenth day of the first lunar month (Lantern Festival).
Lahu people have the above two holidays during the Spring Festival. The New Year day is on the first day of the first lunar month, and the Lantern Festival is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. The New Year holidays start from the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month and end at the fourth day of the first lunar month for five days. On the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, i.e. the New Year’s Eve, every family cooks steamed sticky rice and pound Ciba (a local food made from rice), and the sound of continuously pounding forms a vivid and lively scenery in the villages. After the Ciba is made, people will cut some small pieces from it and put them on farm tools like sickle, axe, hoe, plow, etc. to show their appreciation to the tools for helping people in grain harvest by cutting down trees and ploughing farmlands. Residents in the village will go into the woods nearby to worship the mountain god, hoping the mountain god to continue to bless the village in the coming year, pray for a good harvest of grain and a smooth hunting. At the sunset, the whole family members, men and women, old and young will stand on the doorstep, facing the west and welcoming the souls of the ancestors to come back home for the New Year countdown.
Short Brief of the Festival
- Chinese Name:江城县中老越三国丢包狂欢节
- English Name: Bag-throwing Festival For Three Countries in Jiangcheng County, Puer
The Bag-throwing Festival for three countries (China, Laos and Vietnam) will be opened up on the 2nd, 15th and 16th days of the first month of the Lunar Year.
Wo Zai Nuo (young man) and A Mei Nuo (girl) will wear their splendid attires and gather to the bag-throwing field. Each young man is eager to receive the bag thrown by the girl he is in love with. The bag is the carrier of love and misses of each girl and undertakes a special mission when the girl is falling in love, getting engaged and marriage.
Introduction
The predecessor of parcel herein is sachet, which is a body carrying decoration for girls. Girls made this little sachet from various cloth, and inside they will put grass seed, tree seed, grain and spice, seam at the boundary with a thread of silk and spike. Finally they seam a long silk thread at one corner of the sachet for hanging it on the body. When girls pass by your side, you will smell that fragrance from mountains and plains.
With a blend of various ethnic nationalities, the parcels get enriched both in style and connotation. You can see them in diamond, circular, heart shape etc. And they get names as purse, sachet or embroider bag etc. Girls, with their exquisite embroidery craft, weave their love for lovers on the bag, making the parcel a faith token between lovers.
Especially for Yi people who live in Jiangcheng, on the second, fifteenth and sixteenth days of the first lunar month, the unmarried ones in Yi nationality will gather on the parcel-throwing spot. Any of the young guys will be looking for the parcel-throwing, hoping to catch the parcel threw by the girl he likes. And in reverse, any of the girls will be also looking for it, hoping the young guy she likes can catch her parcel.
“First throw for the girl to see the guy, second throw for the guy to see the girl, third throw for the girl to show her choice, fourth throw for the guy to show his choice, fifth throw for the girl to make decision, sixth throw for the guy to make decision, seventh and eighth throws for the two to become a couple, ninth and tenth throws for the two to accompany each other.” Parcels will be threw back and forth, and couples will be made by the parcels’ course.
Overview
Chinese Name: 盐津“茶马古道·印象滇川”茶文化旅游节
English Name: The Ancient Tea Horse Road-Impression Yunnan-Sichuan Tea Culture Tourism Festival in Yanjin County, Zhaotong
Dousha Town in Yanjin County, formerly an important checkpoint on the Tea Horse Road and now known as Doushaguan Pass, boasts a rich historical and cultural background. This area is renowned not only for its historical significance on the Tea Horse Road but also for its distinctive local snacks.
Background of Dousha Town on the Tea Horse Road
- Historical Background
- Shimen Pass and Doushaguan Pass: Dousha Town was historically known as Shimen Pass, which was renamed Doushaguan Pass during the late Yuan Dynasty. It was the first treacherous pass on the route from ancient Sichuan to Yunnan and an important node on the Southern Silk Road. The Tea Horse Road passed through this region, facilitating trade between Yunnan and inland areas.
- Tea Horse Road: As a critical location on the Tea Horse Road, Doushaguan Pass was not only a necessary transit point for merchants and travelers but also an essential supply station for ancient mule caravans.
- Local Snacks
- “Shimen Three Cakes”: The three distinctive local snacks—piggy cake, tung tree cake, and yellow cake—are collectively known as the “Shimen Three Cakes.” These snacks were traditionally used as provisions for mule caravans due to their ability to satisfy hunger and ease of heating. Today, these traditional treats remain popular local specialties enjoyed by visitors.
Doushaguan Pass in Yanjin County, ZhaotongLongcha Village Tea Culture Tourism Festival
- Tea Culture Experience
- Tea Garden Visits: Longcha Village in Niuzhai Township is a hotspot for tea culture tourism. Visitors can explore the verdant tea mountains, enjoy the lush tea garden scenery, pick tea leaves by hand, and immerse themselves in the joys of tea culture.
- Tea Processing Craft: Visitors can also tour tea processing workshops to learn about traditional handcrafting techniques and experience the entire process from tea leaf picking to tea production.
- Events and Festivals
- Tea Culture Tourism Festival: The “Tea Horse Road · Impression of Yunnan and Sichuan” Tea Culture Tourism Festival, themed around “green, natural, healthy, and leisure,” features various activities, including industry integration and rural revitalization forums, tea ceremonies, live tea tastings, tea culture dance performances, and tea variety guessing games.
- Tea Garden Fun: On the opening day, visitors can participate in tea-picking competitions, enjoy the tea garden experience, and deepen their understanding of tea culture.
- Industry Integration and Rural Revitalization
- Tea Industry Development: Niuzhai Township has been updating tea planting techniques through “excellent varieties + excellent methods,” with tea cultivation now exceeding 4,000 acres. The tea culture tourism festival aims to promote the deep integration of the tea industry with tourism, boost the local economy, and contribute to rural revitalization.
Dousha Town and its surrounding areas, with their rich tea culture resources and unique snacks, attract numerous visitors each year. The tea culture tourism festival not only showcases traditional tea processing techniques but also drives local economic development, becoming an important platform for the inheritance and advancement of Tea Horse Road culture.
Overview
Chinese Name:普洱茶马古道节
English Name: Ancient Tea Horse Road Festival in Ninger County, Puer
The Ancient Tea-Horse Road Festival is conducive to inheriting and carrying forward the historical culture. Ning’er is the core source area of and distribution center for the world famous “Pu’er tea”, the “seat of government for ancient Pu’er”, the origin of the Tea-Horse Road. The industrious and intelligent Ning’er ancients, after a long period of planting, cultivating and processing tea trees on the land of Ning’er for thousands of years, has explored the unique Pu’er tea processing technology, which formed the historical brand of Pu’er tea being famous both domestically and abroad. To race to the source, the root of Pu’er tea lies in Ning’er, thus the root of Pu’er tea culture also lies in Ning’er.
Introduction
Pu ‘er tea is named after the seat of Pu’er government, and has become spread and world-famous through the Tea-Horse Road. Pu’er tea originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty, entered into trades in the Tang Dynasty, got popular in the Song Dynasty, stereotyped in the Ming Dynasty, and prospered in the Qing Dynasty. Over three hundred years ago, the seat of Pu’er government became a tribute tea under an imperial edict, then became “famous in the capital”. As Pu’er tea became a tribute tea and for the sake of foreign trade, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, five “Tea-Horse Roads” were opened, starting from Ning’er to domestic and foreign destinations, which connected Ning’er with the world.
For hundreds and thousands of years, it carried a strong Pu’er tea culture and ethnic culture, blended the world culture and the spirit of human civilization, making the Pu’er tea culture and Ning’er ethnic culture walk out towards the country, towards the world along with the years passing by. To this end, vigorously promoting the Pu’er tea culture, carrying forward the spirit of Tea-Horse Road, is the desire of carders and masses of all ethnic groups in Ning’er.
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