Stepping back in Yunnan’s history | A walk in Yunnanyi
Near the wooden paifang that marks the entrance to the village of Yunnanyi (云南驿), a plaque commemorate an episode of the Long March. Indeed, in 1936, the soldiers of the Red Army rested in Yunnanyi for a night.
Beyond the paifang, the cobblestone streets lined with Ming-Qing style houses, the village looked deserted. Yet, the silent adobe walls have interesting stories to tell about the past of this village.
From the Southern Silk Road to the Tea and Horse Road
Yunnanyi became an unavoidable stop for caravans transporting goods on the Tea and Horse Roadbetween Yunnan and Tibet. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, horse caravans led by Yunnanese Muslims stopped at Yunnanyi. They were transporting Pu’er tea between south Yunnan to Lijiang, Zhongdian, or Deqin in the north of the province where Tibetan caravan leaders took over.
Yunnanyi is home to what is probably China’s best preserved horse caravan inn. It’s an inn with a stable where muleteers could feed their horses and let them rest overnight, exchange stories and tips about road conditions with other fellow caravan leaders. On the second floor of this “horse stable inn”, we can still see where the caravan leaders slept and where they pray to the gods : the gods of the roads, the gods of the mountains and the gods of the bridges.
Yunnanyi and the Japanese: From the Burma Road to the Flying Tigers
In 1939, the allies completed the “Burma Road” which linked Yangoon to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. The “Burma Road” was China’s lifeline. Indeed the Brits transported supplies to help the government of Chiang Kai Tchek in its counter-attack against Japan.
In 1942, Japanese forces took over Burma and cut the “Burma Road”, leaving no choice to the allies but to fly from British India’s Assam to Yunnan. Military airfields were built in western Yunnan province in Yunnanyi, Tengchong and Baoshan.
The squad of American soldiers who flew over the Himalayas (so as the avoid Burmese airspace controlled by Japan) to Yunnan were knows as the “Flying Tigers” and their prowess over the world highest mountains as the “Hump”.
Horse Caravan(Mabang) Culture
When traveling in Yunnan, we hear a lot about the old Tea and Horse trade road.All of tea and other goods were carried by horse caravan,we call it Mabang in Chinese.
MaBang was the main carrying way in Yunnan province during the period of Republic of China because of the bad geographic and economical environment.As a special carrying and trade organization, in the long course of its operation, MaBang formed its own culture, including the organization forms, guild regulations and carrying routes.
In the Republic Era, there was a close relationship between MaBang and the economy of Yunnan minorities, especially “Hui” and “Naxi” . These commercial organizations grew up gradually depending on the growth of MaBang. Meanwhile, they also stimulated the development of MaBang.
During the period of Anti-Japanese War, Yunnan became the vital communication line of imports and exports day by day, and the carrying of MaBang get more and more important because of the serious lack of motorized transport. In order to cover the shortage of motorized transport capacity, the carrying of MaBang run by government was renewed under the encouragement of the Republic government and the direction of the Yunnan local government.
During the wartime, it took part in the carrying of strategic materials and everyday goods, and showed the important logistics effects.At the same time, with the prosperity of the carrying, some relatingindustries developed, such as the horse inns and the making of gears. And the ideas of commerce and market were spread to the remote and backward areas of Yunnan.
Moreover, the carrying of Yunnan MaBang strengthened the understanding and association among Yunnan minorities, especially strengthened the limited economical, cultural and political communication between the interior and Tibet.
If you want to spend your leisure time in Midu County,don’t worry, you can find the the bars and clubs easily in Nanjain County. Maybe you are not interesting in bar and clubs and do not want to watch performance,you can also go to tea house.That is a good choice.
Name：Jianianhua KTV(嘉年华KTV)
Tel:0872-8399999
Address：AroundJianning Road,Midu County,Dali
Name：Hebian KTV(河边KTV)
Tel：13208720711
Address：Huaxing Shopping Hall，Around Xihua Road,Midu County,Dali
Name：Xianyunju Tea House(闲云居茶楼)
Address：No.33，Jianning Road,Midu County,Dali
Name：Wozaimidu Bar(我在弥渡酒吧)
Address：Huaxing Shopping Hall，Around Xihua Road,Midu County,Dali
Name：Liuqing Tea Bar(柳青茶舍)
Address：No.148，Jianning Road,Midu County,Dali
The iron pillar of Nanzhao
The iron pillar of Nanzhao in Dali locates in the Iron Pillar Temple Village which was called Iron Pillar Yi in the past and is about 6 kilometers away from the west of Midu Country. The village belongs to Taihua Countryside. The area was the Bonongchuanbaiyayan in ancient times. Bonongchuan is the dam in Midu now. After the Qing Dynasty, because of the taboo incorrect character, change the white precipice as red precipice, ancient times of white precipice compare now is wider than red rock the country scope. Baiyayan which is the Baiya City is the the governance center of the legendary Baizi Country.
After Nanzhao was strong, Geluofeng who was the king of the Nanzhao captured the Baiya City, and built up a new city outside the old city for arranging for his stepmother and brothers of same father and different mothers. Inside the new city, they established the hall, the gallery turned and twisted, an outside bamboo of the behind orange cluster was thick, such as person’s leg, high 100 Chinese foots of enough to spares; the environment was very nice and secluded.
Bonongchuan was the place where the intermediate officials lived. There was a Manzi City which was about 20 miles apart from the south of Baiya City. It is probably near the now Midu Country. The iron pillar of Nanzhao was between two cities, it is also an important governance region of Nanzhao.
The Iron Pillar Temple of Nanzhao was called Iron Pillar Temple in the past; it was built up before the Yuan Dynasty. It was repaired in 1665, the big palace again and in front and back various palace in hospital and set of rooms were built in 1784. At that time the temple covered 5541 square meters, 1542 square meters of the building area, the base-court is made up the Dazhao wall, outside theatrical stage, square, pond and three arch stone bridges greatly; the back yard is made up Sanhuang Palace, Tuzhu Palace, the Holy Mother Palace and the northern rooms. The iron pillar stands in the center of the main palace in front yard. Later the Iron Pillar Temple was damaged serious because nobody repaired it for long time. Since 1978, repaired the big palace, the three arch stone bridge and the Dazhao wall etc., placed the gate of the palace, Buddha brand, plaque and couplet which was written by Li Jvchun who was a writer in Midu in the period of Daoguang. It includes the history and custom about the iron pillar. The match, the felt hat steps the song, an of that year pillar number, old of a of gold wreath; The alliance stone bury, the stone tablet eclipse, several word texts stay Tang’s thing, clouds of many colors the deep place contain ancestral temple.
The Iron Pillar in Nanzhao is also called Yachuan Iron Pillar, Jianning Iron Pillar or Tianzun Pillar. The pillar body is the cylinder form, black, iron, solid center, heavy about 2069 kilograms, high 3.3 meters, 32.7 centimeters of diameter, from five the segments connect but become. The pillar crest presents the cone form from the cave pit, deep 7 centimeters, there is three small holes, each of top a wood quality carving dragon, ascend one iron hat whose shape likes a pot. The pillar body west faces to is long 91 centimeters and 8 centimeters breadth the convex line frame exact center, in the center keeping 22 words of the formal script sun text “Weijianjishisanniansuicirenchensiyuekengzisushisirikuichoujianli”. The Iron Pillar in Nanzhao is also one of the existing rare cultural objects of Nanzhao, reflecting the technical level of the circumstance faith and the making irons in that time, the historical data value is very high.
Hometown of Love Songs
Mizhi is dubbed as the “Hometown of Huadeng opera”. Many places of Yunnan have kept the tradition to perform Huadeng opera, such as Kunming, Yuxi and Yao’an. During the Chinese Lunar New Year Festival, locals here spend their own carnival-Huadeng Festival, which is pretty similar to a temple fair on which a sea of people can be seen playing, shopping, singing and dancing.
In fact, many local love songs, especially the Bai’ ethnic’s of Dali, can be heard in the movie The Children of Five Golden Flowers shot in 1990 and starred by Wang Chang’e and Chen Tianlu. If you have ever watched the Five Golden Flowers (shot in 1959) starred by Yang Likun or The Children of Five Golden Flowers, you can imagine the scene though The Rippling Brook doesn’t match a movie yet. In both movies, the shooting locations of which are mainly the Er’hai Lake and Bai ethnic villages around, most love songs are sung in an antiphonal way.
Mizhi Old Town in Midu County,Dali
When travelling in Yunnan province, many people are impressed by the melody of the Bai ethnic love song: The Rippling Brook or “xiao he tang shui” in Chinese. Maybe the song has been given several alien names outside China, but you must be familiar with its rhyme. People do like it just because it is indigenous to Dali.
Countless ethnic songs have been created in recent decades to publicise the ethnic culture of the entire province. There are at least two I like best: one is The Rippling Brook; the other one is The Children of Five Golden Flowers. The Rippling Brook originally circulated in Mizhi, a small town in Midu County, Dali, where you can see the quaint Bai ethnic compounds standing next to each other. Now, it is one of the most-enjoyed folk songs in Yunnan.
Compared with other famous ancient towns and villages, Mizhi I think is a good place to escape from the dull and hustling concrete world. Villages with tile-roofed houses, lucid springs, and farmlands overgrown with coles in spring are what the town features. This town is a small basin nestling among mountains. Rustic as it is, it was once an important station on the Ancient Tea-Horse Trail from the south of Yunnan to the far northwestern Tibet.
Wensheng Street is the most historic part here. 700 metres long, it was renamed “Wen Sheng Jie” street in the 21st year (1932) of the Republic of China (1912-1949). Early in the Tang Dynasty, a journey starting from here could be connected to Kunming, Sichuan and Chang’an (nowadays Xi’an).
Walking along the street, you will see a natural limpid spring where former horse caravans are said to stop to quench thirst. Locals call it Pearl Spring because the bubbles vividly resemble to strings of real pearls gushing from the bottom. The water of the spring is usually fetched by the locals for cooking, and interestingly, many restaurants in this area serve Tofu dishes cooked with the water.
Beside the spring is a riverlet called Yaxihe River. This small river originates from Guihuaqing Valley (Osmanthus Valley) at the foot of Taiji Mountain, 15 km from the local council. The valley gives off tangy smell of Osmanthus fragrance, and attracts swarms of bees and butterflies to collect pollen in blooming season. The oldest Osmanthus tree here is said to be planted in 1796, and locals believe they’ll get good lucks after “cuddling” it.
The archaised former residence of Mr Yi Yigong, the versatile composer of The Rippling River, born in 1924, is also located near the street. As Yi Yigong recalled, when he was composing one night in 1947, a local melody of Mizhi reminded him of the moon, mountains, forests, breeze and winding rivers of his hometown. No wonder he gave a moon-related name to his masterpiece at the beginning, because I guess he was then somewhat homesick.
19 km from the local council is Taiji Mountain, with the summit being 3,064 meters above sea level. It is the most famous site of Mizhi, including up to 23 temples, halls and shrines of different sizes. It is also said to be the refuge of Xi Nuluo who was the founder of the Nanzhao Kingdom (738-937) in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Ascending to the peak rewards escalated views of the landscapes around and flaming sunrise in the morning.
The city has traditionally been an important centre on the routes westward from Kunming (the provincial capital) to the Tibet Autonomous Region and northern Myanmar (Burma); Dali also has routes leading south into the wild southwestern region of Yunnan. It was established as a city in 1983 through the merger of Dali county (containing the town of historical Dali) with the city of Xiaguan. Xiaguan is now a district of Dali city, and historical Dali is administered as a town under the newer city.
Xiaguan was first known to the Chinese in the mid-8th century as Longweicheng; at that time it was built by Poluoge, king of the Nanzhao kingdom located in the area. After the occupation of the region by the Mongols in the late 13th century, it became a customs station and tax office, known variously as Longweiguan, Huweiguan, or Xiaguan. It grew into an important market town for local produce and was a centre of trade between Chinese merchants and the various minority peoples living in the surrounding mountain districts. Its trade in the 19th century was largely founded on tea produced in the vicinity. It was also a tea market second only to Pu’er in Yunnan, and tea processing became an important industry in the early years of the 20th century. Its prosperity increased still further with the construction of the Burma Road during the Sino-Japanese War (1937–45), and its commercial role subsequently grew until it had become the chief collection and distribution centre in western Yunnan.
The contemporary city has remained a collecting point for cotton, tea, grain, sugar, pears, walnuts, and ham, as well as for fish from Lake Er; these products are mainly for shipment to Kunming. After 1949 the city experienced some industrial development, including grain milling, oil extraction, and tea curing. It also had some light engineering industries, such as the production of farm tools. Since the beginning of the 1980s, Dali has enhanced its economic status and become an economic and communication centre of western Yunnan. Newer industries include power generating, papermaking, cement manufacturing, marble processing and polishing, cigarette making, and food processing. The Yunnan-Tibet highway and the Kunming-Wanding highway (on the Sino-Myanmar border) cross there. In addition, a branch rail line from Dali to Kunming has been completed. A regional airport, which began service in the mid-1990s, now has regular flights to several Chinese cities.
In Xiaguan,if you want to spend your leisure time,don’t worry, you can find the the bars and clubs easily. Maybe you are not interesting in bar and clubs and do not want to watch performance,you can also go to tea house.That is a good choice.
1.Babi Club(芭比Club)
Address:
Tel：183131186617
Address:Canshan Road,Xiaguan
2.Jindian 17.5 cinema(17.5电影院)
Tel：0872-7183755
Address:No.66,Renmin Road,Xiaguan
3.Fulonghaiwan Mini Bar (富隆海湾mini酒吧)
Tel：0872-2194410
Address:Beside Haiwan Guoji,Xiaguan Erhe South Road,Xiaguan
4.Yinyuezhichuang KTV（音乐之窗主题量贩KTV）
Tel：0872-2329399
Address:Yunlong Road,Xiaguan
5. Dali Xigu Spring（大理栖谷温泉）
Tel：0872-2198299
Address:Tangzipu,Xiaguan
6. Miao Ethnic Group Pedicure（苗族足疗）
Address:No.102,Wenhua Road,Xiaguan
What is Tuocha?
Tuocha or “dome-shaped bowl tea” is a compressed tea, usually made of pu-erh. The shape resembles a bird’s nest and tuocha range in weight from 3g to 3kg or more. Tuocha are convex in order to help the tea dry out after processing. “The name for tuocha is believed to have originated from the round, top-like shape of the pressed tea or from the old tea shipping and trading route of the Tuojiang River.”While mini tuocha can be steeped whole, most large tuocha are broken into pieces and only small amounts are steeped at a time.
History Of Yunnan Tea
Located in the Southwest frontiers of China, Yunnan Province features rough terrain which is dotted with cloud-veiled mountains and crisscrossed with meandering rivers. The Province has abundant rainfall, mild climate and fertile land, all of which prepare ideal conditions for tea cultivation, and Yunnan is the homeland of tea trees.
According to historic records, Yunnan has a history of 2,100 year since it domesticated the aboriginal tea (known as the ‘wild tea’). In Yunnan province, the 800-year-old cultivation type ancient tea tree is still growing in the Nannou Mountain of Menghai County, the 1,700-year-old ancient wild tea tree now growing in Bada of Menghai County and the 1,000-year-old ancient tea tree now growing in Bangwei of Lincang Prefecture which indicates the transition between the wild and cultivation types. They are praised as the ‘Three Ancient Tea-tree King’ of the world. Those ancient tea trees are regarded as the ‘living fossils’ of Yunnan’s aboriginal tea plants.
According to historic records of China, the ethnic Pu people in Yunnan began to grow tea and served it as tribute to the emperors as early as in the Chinese Shang and Zhou Dynasties. In the west and East Han Dynasties, tea was grown in river valleys and by the mountain trails of Yizhou. In the Three Kingdoms Period, The Nanzhong tea-seed was widely popularized. In the Tang Dynasty, tea produced in Xishuanbanna was marketed to Dali area and became the favorite drink of the noblemen of the Nanzhao Kingdom. In the Song Dynasty, Pu-erh County became a famous market for trading tea and horses. In the Yunnan Dynasty, tea had become the most important commodity in the transactions undertaken by people of all ethnic groups. In the former part of the Qing Dynasty, reputation of the Pu-erh tea reached its climax. The years starting in 1926 and ending in 1936 which were on the eve of the War of Resistance Against Japan marked the most prosperous period of production and sales of Yunnan tea, during which more than 5,000 tons of tea were yearly sold to Sichuan and Tibet, while over 500 tons were exported to foreign countries.
Yunnan’s tea export to foreign countries started more than 200 year ago. According to annals recorded during Emperor Qianlong’s reign in the Qing Dynasty, Yunnan’s tea export was stared as early as in 1763.
Yunnan is a treasure land of China for developing the tea industry. All the tea-producing areas of the province are located at elevations from 1,200 to 2,000 meters. The annual mean temperature ranges from 12 to 23 degrees centigrade, effective annual heat cumulation is between 4,500 and 7,000 degrees centigrade, and annual rainfall is 1,000-1,900mm. The monsoon season is concentrated in May through October, during which the rainfall constitutes about 85% of that of the whole year. The monsoon coincides with the hottest months, and there is a very high value of effective rainfall. In the dry season which starts in November and ends in April, There are sufficient sunny day. There is adequate sunshine, and the tea trees have a long growth period. Under normal conditions, the tea-leaf plucking period may last for 8 to 9 months. The tea-growing areas are generally covered with red, yellow of brick-red soils with the pH value ranging between 4 to 6. Comparing with other major tea producing countries, the climate of Yunnan is more suitable for growing tea trees. Therefore, Yunnan has rich varieties of tea trees and excellent tea species.
Up to the present, Yunnan has registered a total number of 199 species of local tea trees, the good ones among which are 46 asexual-propagation species and 153 sexual-propagation species. Overall, Yunnan’s tea species are known as the “Yunnan large-leaf tea”, which, just like the ideal Assam tea of India and the Kenya tea, belongs to superb tea species of the world, and is the ideal raw material for producing the black tea and Pu-erh tea. Comparing with the small-leaf species, Yunnan tea has higher polyphenol by 5-7% than the average value, catechin by 30-60% higher than the average value, and water-soluble substances by 3-5% higher than the average value.
According to the different method used in tea processing, Yunngn tea is made into over 100 kinds of products. Yunnan Tuocha Tea is famous for its medicinal properties, it was proved to be an efficacious beverage with the functions of eliminating fat, reducing weight, strengthening body and lengthening longevity, stimulating metabolism, and balancing and regulating the level of cholesterol. Yunnan Tuocha Tea is also highly reputed as ‘slimming tea’, ‘beauty tea’ and ‘healthy tea’ in more than twenty countries and regions including France, Spain, Japan, Hong Kong and so on.
If you want to spend your leisure time in Nanjian County,don’t worry, you can find the the bars and clubs easily in Nanjain County. Maybe you are not interesting in bar and clubs and do not want to watch performance,you can also go to tea house.That is a good choice.
Name：Longxin KTV(龙鑫KTV)
Address：Jinlong Road,Nanjian County,Dali
Name：Tiancheng Bar(天城酒吧)
Address：Around Nanjian Road,Nanjian County,Dali
Name：Pinwei Tea House(品味茶楼)
Address：Fuming Street,Nanjian County,Dali
Name：Wendi Bar(温迪酒吧)
Address：Jinlong Street,Nanjian County,Dali
Name：QiyeTea Bar(七夜茶吧)
Address：Caiyun Road,Nanjian County,Dali
History of the Yi
The Yi have a long history. They share a common ancestry with the Bai, Naxi, Lahu and Lisu and appeared around present-day Kunming around the 2nd century B.C. In the A.D. 8th century, the ancestor of the Yi and Bai ethnic groups founded the Kingdom of Nanzhao in Yunnan Province.
The Yi have traditionally occupied important trade routes used to carry tea and gems northward from Yunnan and Southeast Asia and horses and knives southward from northern China and Central Asia. They have had a lot of contact with groups in their region the Miao, Lisu, Hui, Hani, Dai and Zhuang—and the Han Chinese.
The Yi once evoked fear over much of southwest China. In 1874, a Hui Muslim named Du Wenxiu united the Bai, Naxi, Yi and Dai in a rebellion against the Qing dynasty. The rebellion was brutally put down in 1892. Missionaries arrived when the Burma Road was constructed nearby in 1937-38.
The Yi kept slaves until the late 1950s. There were two kinds of slaves—those that lived in the house and those that lived outside. Being an outside slave was preferable to being an inside one. Many of the slaves were captured Han Chinese. The Yi were also heavily involved for a while in the opium trade.
Early Yi History
The ancestors of Yi people, known as Kunming people, had close relations with the Shiqiang people. Historical records written in the Han and the old Yi languages show that the ancestors of the Yi, Bai, Naxi, Lahu and Lisu ethnic groups were closely related with ancient Di and Qiang people in west China. In the period between the 2nd century B.C. and the early Christian era, the activities of the ancient Yis centered around the areas of Dianchi in Yunnan and Qiongdou in Sichuan. After the 3rd century, the ancient Yis extended their activities from the Anning River valley, the Jinsha River, the Dianchi Lake and the Ailao Mountains to northeastern Yunnan, southern Yunnan, northwestern Guizhou and northwestern Guangxi.
In the Eastern Han (25-220), Wei (220-265) and Jin (265-420) dynasties, inhabitants in these areas came to be known as “Yi,” the character for which meant “barbarian.” After the Jin Dynasty, the Yis of the clan named Cuan became rulers of the Dianchi area, northeastern Yunnan and the Honghe (Red) River area. Later those places were called “Cuan areas” which fell into the east and west parts. The inhabitants there belonged to tribes speaking the Yi language.
In the Tang and Song dynasties, the Yis living in “East Cuan” were called “Wumans.” In different historical periods, “Cuan” changed from the surname of a clan to the name of a place, and further to the name of a tribe. In the Yuan and Ming dynasties, “Cuan” was often used to refer to the Yis. After the Yuan Dynasty, part of “Cuan” acquired the name “Luoluo” (Ngolok), which probably originated from “Luluman,” one of the seven “Wuman” tribes in the Tang Dynasty. From that time on, most Yis called themselves “Luoluo,” although many different appellations existed. This name lasted from the Ming and Qing dynasties till liberation.
Folk dance Tiaocai (跳菜) presented in Yunnan’s Nanjian
Tiaocai (跳菜), a kind of Yi people’s folk dances, was presented by some folk artisans at the Wuliang mountain Eco-Tea Garden in Nanjian County of Dali, Yunnan Province. The dance has a long history which can be dated back to the matrilineal society in China. Dancers time their steps to the music and at the same time, serve various local dishes to guests. Tiaocai dance is regarded as a courtesy by Yi people and is listed as a national intangible cultural heritages.
Origin of the Yi Torch Festival
There are records about the origin of the Torch Festival in the “Kunming County Annals” written in the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty: “There was a Yi woman Anan in the Han Dynasty. Her husband was killed by evildoers, and she swore that she would not submit to the killers. So she jumped into fire and died at that day (the 24th in the sixth lunar month). People felt very sad and held the festival for her.
A description of another origin story from a different source goes: “King Piluoge of the Yunnanzhao (a local regime in ancient China) planned to meet of the rulers other five cities in the Songming Building. He wanted to trap and burn them to death so that he could swallow up their territory. The wife of King Dengdan—a woman named Cishan—tried to persuade her husband not to go, but he refused. Then she put an iron bracelet around the arm of her husband. He went as scheduled and was burned death. Cishan identified and brought back her husband’s body according to the iron bracelet. Piluoge heard of her virtue and wanted to draw her over to his side, but Cishan closed the city gate and committed suicide. So people of Dian (an ancient name for Yunnan) burned torches to grieve over her.”
In a folk legend, it is said that the Torch Festival stems from a time when God sent pests to destroy crops in the human world and Yi people drove them away with fire. Some people also say that the festival commemorate a fight in which ancestors defeated the Prince of the Devils by attacking them with fire. Most of the records and legends are forced interpretation. Chinese historians say the Torch Festival for praying for good harvests and came into being as a result of the poor harvests by the ancient Yi society. Over the years the religious elements of the festival have diminished and the entertainment value has increased.
Yi Torch Festival
The Yi Torch festival. features courtship rituals, music, dancing around huge bonfires and bloodless bullfights. In the daytime, a ceremony is held to offer prayers to the gods or spirits associated with their lives. Prayers to earth God are made with chicken blood. After sunset, people light torches to send the gods backs. One Yi told Smithsonian magazine, “The celebration is all bustle and excitement. We slaughter goats and chickens, drink liquor, sing songs and dance, We also invite our best friends to a big feast.”
The Torch Festival is celebrated on the 24th day of 6th lunar month in July or August in southwest China by the Bai, Naxi and Yi people. Participants light torches in front of their houses and set 35-foot-high torches—made from pine and cypress timbers stuffed with smaller branches—in their village squares. The Bulang, Wa, Lisu, Lahu, Hani and Jinuo minorities hold similar festivals but on different dates.
“The Torch Festival” has traditionally been celebrated by many Chinese ethnic groups around 24th day of the sixth lunar month. During the festival, Yis in all villages carry torches and walk around their houses and fields, and plant pine torches on field ridges in the hope of driving away insect pests. After making their rounds, the Yi villagers gather around bonfires, playing moon guitars (a four-stringed plucked instrument with a moon-shaped sound box) and mouth organs, dancing and drinking wine through the night to pray for a good harvest. The Yis in some places stage horse races, bull fighting, playing on the swing, archery and wrestling.
The Yi Torch Festival is held at different times among different Yi groups. It is generally held on about 24th of the sixth lunar month in Sichuan and Yunnan, and about the 6th of the sixth lunar month in the Guizhou Yi region. The length of the celebration varies from three to seven days. When it comes, some people butcher chicken and pig, and some butcher cattle and sheep as sacrifices offered to the ruler of heaven, the mother of earth and ancestors. The Yi also pray for the safety of humans and domestic animals and for an abundant harvest of all food crops. At nightfall, torches are lit and villages compete to have the best torch. Recreational, sports and entertaining activities include antiphonal singing (alternate singing by two choirs or singers), dancing, bullfight, horse race, wrestling, archery, and tug-of-wars. Business and trade activities are carried out.
Because Yi people believe that torches get rid of evil and ghosts, they light up every corner of their house after the torch is lit. In some villages, torch teams go from house to house, and then gather at the edge of a village, or on slope or in fields to play torch games and hold a fire party, where young men and women decked out in their finest festival dress sing and dance and party all night long. An ancient poem describing proceeding centuries ago goes: “The mountain seems wrapped by rosy cloud; Uneven torches move back and forth with people which are like ten thousand of lotus flowers blossoming in mirage, and stars all over the sky fall down to the human world.”
The festival honors a woman who leaped into a fire rather make love with a king. Before the village torch is lit people gather around it and drink rice wine. The village elders use a ladder to climb to the top of the torch as they distribute fruit and food to the villagers while they boisterously sing the “Torch Festival Song.” The torch is then solemnly lit. The villagers light their torches off the village torch and sing and dance and eventually make their ways to their homes and light the torches there.
If you want to spend your leisure time in Yongping County,don’t worry, you can find the the bars and clubs easily in Yunlong County. Maybe you are not interesting in bar and clubs and do not want to watch performance,you can also go to tea house.That is a good choice.
Name：Shanshui KTV(山水KTV)
Address：Yongle Road,Yongping County,Dali
Name：Yimingxuan Wine Bar(逸茗轩酒吧)
Address：Yongle Road,Yongping County,Dali
Name：Zhongze Hemeishenghuo Shopping Hall(中泽·和美生活广场)
Address：No.69,Bonan Road,Yongping County,Dali
Name：Jinse Nianhua Bar(金色年华吧)
Address：No.44,Bonan Road,Yongping County,Dali
Name：Shanshui Yunjian Bar(山水云间休闲吧)
Address：Yongle Road,Yongping County,Dali
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History of Xiangyun County in Dali
Stepping back in Yunnan’s history | A walk in Yunnanyi Near the wooden paifang that marks the entrance to the village of Yunnanyi (云南驿), a plaque commemorate an episode of...
Culture of Xiangyun County in Dali
Horse Caravan(Mabang) Culture When traveling in Yunnan, we hear a lot about the old Tea and Horse trade road.All of tea and other goods were carried by horse caravan,we...
Entertainment in Midu County, Dali
If you want to spend your leisure time in Midu County,don’t worry, you can find the the bars and clubs easily in Nanjain County. Maybe you are not interesting...
History of Midu County in Dali
The iron pillar of Nanzhao The iron pillar of Nanzhao in Dali locates in the Iron Pillar Temple Village which was called Iron Pillar Yi in the past and...
Culture of Midu County in Dali
Hometown of Love Songs Mizhi is dubbed as the “Hometown of Huadeng opera”. Many places of Yunnan have kept the tradition to perform Huadeng opera, such as Kunming, Yuxi...
Dali City History
The city has traditionally been an important centre on the routes westward from Kunming (the provincial capital) to the Tibet Autonomous Region and northern Myanmar (Burma); Dali also has...
Dali City Entertainment
In Xiaguan,if you want to spend your leisure time,don’t worry, you can find the the bars and clubs easily. Maybe you are not interesting in bar and clubs and do not...
Dali City Culture
What is Tuocha? Tuocha or “dome-shaped bowl tea” is a compressed tea, usually made of pu-erh. The shape resembles a bird’s nest and tuocha range in weight from 3g...
Entertainment in Nanjian County, Dali
If you want to spend your leisure time in Nanjian County,don’t worry, you can find the the bars and clubs easily in Nanjain County. Maybe you are not interesting...
History of Nanjian County in Dali
History of the Yi The Yi have a long history. They share a common ancestry with the Bai, Naxi, Lahu and Lisu and appeared around present-day Kunming around the...
Culture of Nanjian County in Dali
Folk dance Tiaocai (跳菜) presented in Yunnan’s Nanjian Tiaocai (跳菜), a kind of Yi people’s folk dances, was presented by some folk artisans at the Wuliang mountain Eco-Tea Garden...
Entertainment in Yongping County, Dali
If you want to spend your leisure time in Yongping County,don’t worry, you can find the the bars and clubs easily in Yunlong County. Maybe you are not interesting...
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