Jia Qiyun (Chinese: 贾启允) (1914–2004) was a politician in the People’s Republic of China. Born in Shanxi Province, he held several significant political positions during his career. He served as the director of the National Bureau of Statistics of the People’s Republic of China from November 1958 to June 1961. Jia was also the Communist Party of China Committee Secretary of Guizhou Province and later the Communist Party Secretary and Governor of Yunnan Province.
Political Career
Positions Held
- Director of the National Bureau of Statistics of the People’s Republic of China
- Term: November 1958 – June 1961
- Communist Party Chief of Guizhou
- Preceded by: Li Dazhang
- Succeeded by: Li Zaihe
- Communist Party Chief and Governor of Yunnan
- Preceded by: Zhou Xing
- Succeeded by: An Pingsheng
Contributions
Jia Qiyun played a pivotal role in both Guizhou and Yunnan Provinces. His leadership in Guizhou and later in Yunnan contributed to the implementation of Communist Party policies and the development of these regions during his tenure.
Legacy
Jia Qiyun is remembered for his contributions to regional governance in China and his efforts to advance the objectives of the Communist Party in the provinces he served. His leadership in the National Bureau of Statistics was also a notable part of his career, marking his influence on national statistical practices and economic planning.
Zhou Xing (Chinese: 周兴) (1905–1975), birth name Liu Jiubang (Chinese: 刘旧邦), also known as Liu Weixin (Chinese: 刘维新), was a politician in the People’s Republic of China. He was born in Yongfeng County, Jiangxi Province, and served as the governor of Yunnan twice and as the Communist Party of China Committee Secretary of Yunnan.
Political Career
Positions Held
- Communist Party Chief of Yunnan
- Preceded by: Yan Hongyan
- Succeeded by: Jia Qiyun
- Governor of Yunnan (First Term)
- Preceded by: Yu Yichuan
- Succeeded by: Tan Furen
- Governor of Yunnan (Second Term)
- Preceded by: Tan Furen
- Succeeded by: Jia Qiyun
Zhou Xing played a significant role in the political landscape of Yunnan Province during his tenure. His leadership was marked by his alignment with the Communist Party’s directives and efforts to implement policies in the region.
Legacy
Zhou Xing’s contributions to Yunnan’s political and social development were significant during a turbulent period in Chinese history. His tenure as both governor and party chief showcased his dedication to the Communist Party’s cause and the development of Yunnan Province.
Yan Hongyan (Chinese: 阎红彦; pinyin: Yán Hóngyàn; 13 September 1909 – 8 January 1967) was a general of the People’s Liberation Army of China.
Early Life
Yan was born in Anding County, Shaanxi province, in 1909. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1924 and participated in the North Expedition.
Military Career
Yan became the commander of the Red 30th Army and, following the Second Sino-Japanese War, served as the vice political commissar and director of the political department of the third army group in the No. 2 Field Army.
Political Career
After the formation of the People’s Republic of China, Yan held several significant political positions. He served as the vice governor and vice secretary of the Communist Party of China’s committee in Sichuan Province. In 1955, he was made a general. In August 1959, Yan became the No. 1 secretary of the CPC’s committee in Yunnan Province, the No. 1 political commissar of the Kunming Military Region, and the secretary of the secretariat in the Southwest bureau of the CPC. In December 1963, he assumed the role of chairman of the Yunnan commission of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and was also an alternate member of the 8th CPC Central Committee.
Cultural Revolution and Death
Yan ran afoul of the Maoist leadership in Beijing shortly after the beginning of the Cultural Revolution. He committed suicide on 8 January 1967, becoming one of the most senior so-called “capitalist roaders” to do so.
Xie Fuzhi (simplified Chinese: 谢富治; traditional Chinese: 謝富治; pinyin: Xiè Fùzhì; Wade–Giles: Hsieh Fu-chih; 26 September 1909 – 26 March 1972) was a Communist Party of China military commander, political commissar, and national security specialist. Known for his efficiency and loyalty to Mao Zedong, Xie played a key role during the Cultural Revolution in hunting down Mao’s enemies as Minister of Public Security from 1959 to 1972.
Early Life and Military Career
Xie was born in 1909 in Hong’an County, Hubei. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1931 at the age of 22. Prior to 1949, Xie served as a political commissar in the 4th Column of the 2nd Field Army, which was involved in the victorious Huai Hai Campaign against the Kuomintang. After the campaign, his unit was merged into the newly formed 14th Army of the 2nd Field Army as the 41st Division. Xie emerged from the post-liberation reorganization as Political Commissar of the 4th Army, 2nd Field Army, serving with General Chen Geng and as Deputy Political Commissar of the 3rd Army, 2nd Field Army under General Chen Xilian.
Post-1949 Career
After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Xie was appointed Deputy Minister of Public Security. He became the first secretary of the CPC Yunnan Committee and served in these capacities until 1959, when Mao Zedong appointed him as Minister of Public Security, replacing Luo Ruiqing. In 1955, he was conferred the rank of Da Jiang (General of the Army). Xie was elected a member of the CPC Central Committee at the Eighth National Congress in 1956 and a member of the Central Military Commission.
Cultural Revolution
During the Cultural Revolution, Xie played a significant role in supporting the Red Guards and encouraging their actions against perceived enemies of the revolution. In a 1966 speech, Xie effectively gave the Red Guards carte blanche to confiscate and kill their opponents, contributing to the violence of the era. His support for the Cultural Revolution led to his election as an alternate member of the Politburo, secretary of the Secretariat, and a member of the reorganized Beijing Committee in 1966. He was also a member of the powerful Cultural Revolution Group.
In 1967, Xie was elected chairman of the new revolutionary committee in Beijing and became the first political commissar of the Beijing Military Region. He launched an anti-revisionist campaign within the Ministry of Public Security, accusing it of following a counter-revolutionary line under Luo Ruiqing. His support for the Cultural Revolution earned him a full membership in the Politburo at the Ninth Congress in 1969. In 1971, he was appointed first secretary of the re-elected Beijing Party Committee.
The Wuhan Incident
In July 1967, Xie played a critical role in the Wuhan Incident, where he and Wang Li were sent to Wuhan to persuade General Chen Zaidao to obey orders from Premier Zhou Enlai. After being detained and humiliated by Chen’s forces, Xie was eventually rescued by an army intervention and welcomed back to Beijing with a mass rally in Tiananmen Square on July 25. Xie then provided military weapons to favored Red Guard factions, including supplying 500 rifles to the Jinggangshan Commune of Beijing’s Teacher’s University.
Legacy
Xie died suddenly in 1972, before the denunciation of the Gang of Four in 1976. However, he was posthumously identified along with Kang Sheng as responsible for the excesses of the Cultural Revolution and guilty of “anti-party activities.” He was expelled from the Party in 1980, and his ashes were removed from the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery.
Source from: Wikipedia
Song Renqiong (Chinese: 宋任穷; pinyin: Sòng Rènqióng; Wade–Giles: Sung Jen-ch’iung; 11 July 1909 – 8 January 2005), born Song Yunqin (Chinese: 宋韵琴; pinyin: Sòng Yùnqín), was a general in the People’s Liberation Army of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and one of the Eight Elders of the Communist Party of China.
Early Life and Military Career
Song Renqiong was born in Liuyang, Hunan Province, in 1909. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, he served as the vice director of the political department of the 129th Division. Toward the end of the Chinese Civil War, he was the vice political commissar of the Northeastern Field Army.
Political Career
After the establishment of the PRC in 1949, Song held numerous significant positions:
- Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC)’s committee in Yunnan Province
- Vice Secretary of the Southwestern Bureau of the CPC
- Vice Secretary-General of the CPC Central Committee
- Minister of the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 7 Mechanical Industry Departments
- No. 1 Secretary of the Northeastern Bureau of CPC
- Vice Chairman of the 4th and 5th National Political Consultative Conference
- Alternate member of the Politburo of the 8th CPC Central Committee
- Secretary of the Central Secretariat of the 11th CPC Central Committee
- Politburo member of the 12th CPC Central Committee
Like many others, he was purged during the Cultural Revolution and rehabilitated after Mao’s death. He served as vice-chairman of the PRC’s Central Advisory Committee under Deng Xiaoping. Although the commission was theoretically a council of retired elders with no official power, its members effectively held veto power over major policies and personnel affairs.
Role in the Tiananmen Square Protests
During the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, Song was one of the most ardent supporters of Deng Xiaoping, who decided to use force to crush the student movement. He was a significant Chinese leader during the 1980s and is considered one of the Eight Elders of the Communist Party of China.
Death
Song Renqiong died at the age of 95 in Beijing following an illness. Despite passing away before Zhao Ziyang, he requested that his floral wreath and elegiac couplet be present at Zhao’s funeral. His funeral was held on 15 January, attended by the highest Chinese officials, including Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin. Chinese media reported, “Song was an outstanding member of the CPC, a great Communist soldier, a remarkable proletarian revolutionary and a prominent leader of the party’s political work.”
The news was updated on April 3, 2019.
A tour guide of the Naxi ethnic group (right) teaches a tourist how to write Dongba pictographs at a cultural center in Baisha village, Lijiang, Yunnan province.
Every day, He Runyuan explains what happiness is to hundreds of tourists.
“Dongba symbols are used by China’s Naxi ethnic group and are some of the world’s only remaining pictographs. For them, happiness is a steaming hot pot of food,” He said. “As it was in the past, having a hot meal means everything.”
Dressed in traditional Naxi costume of a goatskin vest and a white robe, He guides tourists to learn Naxi scripts, history, culture and tradition at his center of Naxi Dongba pictographs and paintings in the Old Town of Lijiang, Southwest China’s Yunnan province.
“Peak seasons such as national holidays, summer and winter vacations see around 5,000 visitors a day,” the 42-year-old said.
“After explaining the symbols, I will ask tourists to pick one they like and try to write it.”
As a Naxi person, He grew up in the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with an 800-year history. The town attracted more than 14 million tourists last year.
For about 30 years, He has been learning Naxi painting and pictographs. “With a population of more than 300,000, less than 700 Naxi people understand Dongba pictographs, and only a few can do traditional Naxi paintings,” he said.
“I think it’s my responsibility to pass down our culture, which is so vivid and charming, and let more people know about it,” he said, adding that most Naxi people live in Lijiang. “That’s why I came back here after graduation.
The origin of Naxi culture is here.”
His devotion to cultural protection is greatly supported by the local government, and they entrusted He to open the experience center in the busiest area of the Old Town in 2016. They give him 400,000 yuan ($59,600) a year for daily maintenance and other expenses.
“The local government offered us this two-story cultural courtyard with traditional Naxi characteristics as our center, covering about 300 square meters. We have divided it into several rooms for exhibitions and classrooms,” he said.
He and four other Naxi guides work 14 hours a day.
“During peak seasons, we can barely drink a sip of water,” he said. “It’s hard, but it’s worth it. We are so proud of what we are doing.”
By the end of last year, there were 17 free cultural courtyards in the Old Town of Lijiang, including He’s. With the support of the local government, 12 more are expected to open to the public this year.
“I think the courtyard is a window to promoting the culture of Lijiang, as well as an important base for visitors to learn and try by themselves to have a more comprehensive understanding of our culture,” he said.
He’s experience center has also partnered with travel agencies, summer camps and schools to offer free training classes on Naxi culture, receiving more than 7,000 students each year.
“Without the courtyard, nothing would be close to possible,” he said.
To prevent the Old Town from becoming too commercialized after years of tourism development, the local government has set up a specialized annual fund of 10 million yuan for its cultural protection.
“Lijiang has long been on China’s name card to the world with the Old Town as its core,” said He Tang with the protection and administrative bureau of Lijiang Old Town. “For sustainable development, we must spare no effort in protecting our culture, and make it one of the most attractive parts of the city.”
All buildings in the Old Town are required to maintain traditional ethnic characteristics.
Dancing halls and internet bars were among those that were inconsistent with the ancient Old Town, and have all been closed.
A total of 299 traditional houses and 236 yards have so far been restored and renovated by the local government and the Global Heritage Fund.
“We also invite folk artists and culture inheritors to show their skills in the Old Town to attract more tourists. On traditional festivals, we hold grand celebrations in the Old Town,” He Tang said.
More than 90 sets of books telling stories of Lijiang and the Naxi culture have also been published, the official said.
He Runyuan said: “Our life is limited, but so long as everyone makes an effort, the life of a culture can exist forever.”
James Outram Fraser (Chinese 富能仁) (1886–1938) was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China with the China Inland Mission. He pioneered work among the Lisu people, of Southwestern China, in the early part of the 20th century. He is credited with the Fraser alphabet for their language.
Early life
Born in London in 1886. Fraser had four brothers and sisters. His parents divorced when Fraser was a teen, his mother moving to Letchworth, buying property with her own funds.
By 1906, he was at Imperial College London studying engineering. Fraser was accomplished in piano and held a recital in his twenties before he left for China.[1]
First years in Yunnan
He became a graduate engineer. However, in 1908 he dedicated his life to missionary work and joined the China Inland Mission. He arrived in China at 22 and travelled from Shanghai to Hong Kong and then to the mountainous region of China’s far southwest.
He was forced by the chaos accompanying the Chinese Revolution of 1911 to divide his time between Yunnan Province and Burma. He learned the Lisu language and commenced his work among the Lisu, a Tibeto-Burmese minority people who lived in the high mountains along the borders of the two countries.
Fraser had arrived in Yunnan in 1910, and spent nearly thirty years working among the Lisu. Fraser is best known for the alphabet he created for the Lisu, often referred to as the Fraser alphabet. It was designed for purpose of translating the New Testament into the Lisu language. Fraser also designed a written musical notation for transcribing the Lisu’s oral history songs.
Going to China with CIM (China Inland Mission), he was stationed in the then remote province of Yunnan to work with the local Chinese, but Fraser was a keen climber and revelled in climbing through the mountains meeting and preaching to the Lisu people, particularly in the upper Salween River valley. Readily accepted by them and able to live in their mud floor huts, he was able to communicate a little through Chinese and then to learn their language, which is in the Tibeto-Burman group. Initial success was followed by years of doubt and difficulty until 1916, when he and fellow missionaries started to see scores of families convert to Christianity and enthusiastically pursue a new life without the fear of the spirits that had previously characterised them.
By 1918, sparked by family evangelism carried on by the people themselves, 600 believers had been baptised. Fraser was known for his ability to organise the people into strong indigenous churches that became models for church-planting ventures not only for other minority peoples in China’s southwest but also for other
Aware that they would soon need material in their language, he began work immediately on Mark’s gospel and a hymnbook since they showed great interest in writing and were already great singers and natural musicians.
Furlough and marriage
Fraser went back to England on furlough in 1924 and when he returned to “Lisuland” in 1929, he was married, to Roxie Dymond, the daughter of a Methodistmissionary stationed in Kunming.
Revival and the Fraser alphabet
Fraser developed a script for the Lisu language and used it to prepare a catechism, portions of Scripture, and eventually, with much help from his colleagues, a complete New Testament. Working initially on Mark and John and then on a handbook of Lisu history and language, Fraser handed on the translation task to Allyn Cooke and his wife, Leila. He came back to help the team with revision and checking in the mid-1930s. The complete New Testament was finished in 1936.
Fraser maintained a consistent policy of training the Lisu converts (usually whole households and whole villages at a time) to be self-supporting and to pay for their own books and church buildings. They raised their own funds for the support of pastors, of wives and children of their travelling evangelists and of festivals and other occasions. Unlike other missionaries of his generation, Fraser would not pay local preachers to go out or for building local church structures. That was something that put the Lisu in good stead for the years of Japanese occupation and the Communist persecution, particularly during the Cultural Revolution.
Nevertheless, tens of thousands of them fled during this era to neighbouring Burma and Thailand. Fraser also left church government in the hands of Lisu elders; very little imprint was made on them that had a home church character, other than the tremendous prayer support the Fraser organised back in England for the Lisu and his work.
Throughout the 1930s, other missionaries came to assist in the work, but the bulk of the conversions happened as a result of Lisu evangelists covering the ground and reaching not only the Lisu but also the Kachin and Yi people (Nosu). Revivals also broke out at this time. It is acknowledged by the Chinese government that by the 1990s, over 90% of the Lisu in China were Christian.
Final years and legacy
Fraser wrote many articles in English for “The Chinese Recorder” and “China’s Millions”. After seeing great fruit for his labours, James Outram Fraser died in Baoshan, in western Yunnan in 1938 of cerebral malaria, leaving his pregnant wife and two children.[2] He was 52.
His main biographer was Mrs. Howard Taylor, who published “Behind The Ranges” in 1944, containing numerous extracts from his letters and diaries. His daughter, Eileen Crossman, gives his biography, “Mountain Rain”, in 1982, much of her material being drawn from Taylor (1944). Fraser’s grave is now at the Qing Hua church.
“On September 25, 1938, while in Baoshan Yunnan, China, James Fraser died at the age of 52. Due to land erosion, West Yunnan’s Christian church decided to move the grave from the mountain slopes of Baoshan to this location, renewing the headstone on behalf of the Lisu church as a way of expressing their cherished memory of J.O. Fraser.
Fraser’s life has reaped a large harvest although many tears had first to be sown through his labours.
“The Lisu church at Baoshan plans to commemorate J.O. Fraser every seven years at a special Easter service in the new Bible training center they have started there.
Another memorial to J.O. Fraser has been erected by Lisu believers in Weixi County in far northwestern Yunnan. Inscribed in Lisu, Chinese and English the English reads: “IN LOVING MEMORY. JAMES O. FRASER 1886–1938. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. WITH DEEPEST LOVE REMEMBER YOU ALWAYS—THE LISU CHURCH.” The Chinese states additionally: “Erected by the Christian Church in the Lisu Autonomous County of Weixi on 15 March 2004.”
“The Lisu church has seen spectacular numerical growth in recent decades. In 1950 the Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture had 14,800 believers. By 1995 that number had risen to over 100,000—most of them Lisu. In the early 1980s the Yunnan Christian Council printed several thousand copies of the Lisu Bible. Then in 1995 a further 45,000 Lisu Bibles were published, as well as 65,000 Lisu hymnbooks. Both printings were in the special script devised by J.O. Fraser. However, the church is still hampered by endemic poverty, illiteracy and lack of trained pastors and evangelists. The rapid development of Yunnan as a tourist region and the tidal wave of emigration of young tribal people from the remote mountain valleys to the cities in search of work are bringing many changes to the Lisu church, not all of them positive.
In 1992, the Chinese government officially recognised the Fraser alphabet as the official script of the Lisu language. Today, Fraser is remembered as one of Christianity’s most successful missionaries to East Asia in modern times.
Christianity is thriving in the Salween River valley, where the Lisu live nearly 70 years after the death of Fraser. Of the 18,000 Lisu who lived in Fugong in 1950, 3,400 professed faith in Christ. As of 2007, there are estimated to be 80–90 percent of the 70,000 making the same profession. In Yunnan it is estimated that there are 100,000–200,000 total Lisu Christians in the Lisu Church. More than 75,000 Lisu Bibles have been legally printed in China following the explosive growth.
Chinese Name:建水团山村
English Name: Tuanshan Village in Jianshui County, Honghe
Location: 红河哈尼族彝族自治州建水县西庄镇团山村
Tuanshan Village, built in Qing Dynasty, regarded as the Gem of Chinese Civil Houses. Visiting thr village is like travelling to another China. Small, cobbled lanes and old women with bound feet blend leave you with impressions of timelessness, art and architecture. It has been enlisted by the World Monuments Fund (WMF) as one of the 100 Most Endangered Places for the year of 2006.
The gate though to little village Tuanshan is much smaller than the city gate of Jianshui. Just over 20 minutes drive away from Jianshui City, the Tuanshan village is a typical countryside tour. It looks neglected and deserted, quietly moving along at its own tempo.
About 400 years ago, many of the villages managed to make a fortune in the outside world and following Chinese tradition, they sent the money home to build grand houses, with exquisite carvings. The wood carvings along the roof and the equally exquisitely carved stone mantle skirting, which protects the wooden pillar, tells us how people in the past enjoy the finer things in life.
John H. Stubbs, vice president of World Monuments Fund (WMF), made a special trip last Friday to Kunming to grant a certificate to a government official of Jianshui County which administers over Tuanshan Village.
“Tuanshan is the most beautiful village where the architectural style of the 19th century and beyond remains intact and the distinctive way of people’s life is preserved, fully showcasing China’s indigenous cultural characteristics,” said Mr. Stubbs, “We put Tuanshan on our Watch List because we believe it is of world value and is the common heritage of the whole humankind.”
Apart from Tuanshan, five other Chinese sites were also included by WMF, a non-profit international organization based in New York, in its watch list for the year of 2006.
According to historical records, under the rein of Hongwu during the era of the first Emperor Ming Taizu, or Zhu Yuanzhang (1368-1398) of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), an ethnic Han tribe of Zhang descendants migrated all the way from east China’s Jiangxi Province to Yunnan and settled down in Tuanshan Village, living peacefully together with the people of the Yi ethnic group.
And the cultural blend of the Han ethnicity, or known as the Chinese, and the ethnic Yi people is ubiquitous in the architecture features preserved till today in Tuanshan, where there live 240 families, with 920 people in all.
The building structures in Tuanshan, most of which were built in late imperial Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), are unique two-storey compounds with houses around courtyards, facing the east for the front direction and featuring black tile roofs, pointed eaves, whitewashed outer walls.
Nevertheless, factors such as the increased human activities in the village, bugbites to wooden structures and and erosion by weathering with the stone engravings, as well as pollution constitute pressures to the protection of the centuries-old village.
“The contradiction between the limited space, limited capacities and the ever increasing number of residents in the village has become stark,” said Huang Ming, a senior urban planner, “Congestion, pollution and noise all adversely affect the tranquility of the ancient secluded village and disturb the daily life of local residents.”
Zhang Jiannong, an official in charge of cultural affairs with Jianshui County, said that along with changes in residents’ concepts of lifestyle in Tuanshan Village, the existing infrastructure and environment of living could no longer sustain the growing need of a modern life, or cater to a demand from developing modern industrialized economy.
In the meantime, more and more residents in the village turn to new ways and materials in home repairs at their own cost, thus halting the continuity in the traditional architecture style in the village, said Zhang.
While echoing urban planner Huang Ming’s view that the main problem Tuanshan Village is now facing is contradictions between the ever expanding population and the worsening environment, Zhang contended it was hard to strike a balance between the two.
“Unplanned construction of bungalows as a result of overpopulation will ruin the village, but relocation of extra villagers will eventually lead to the loss of the unique lifestyle and folkways of Tuanshan Villagers,” Zhang worried.
Jianshui county government worked out in 2004 a detailed plan pertaining to the protection of centuries-old Tuanshan Village from extinction. Meanwhile, a new residential area will open to take in residents relocated from Tuanshan Village whose residents can only be confined to 104 families, with a total of 504 people.
However, an acute finance shortage has put all the protective measures in a dilemma.
Pu Meiqing, chief of Construction Bureau of Jianshui County, hoped that the inclusion of Tuanshan Village into the watch list of the World Most Endangered Sites could help increase publicity of the ancient village and draw the attention of general public to it, and bring in some financial aid for its protection.
Reproductive worship holds a prominent place in the Naxi people’s (纳西族) primitive religious beliefs. This practice places significant emphasis on and reverence for the male and female reproductive organs. The Naxi people believe that pregnancy and childbirth are controlled by supernatural life-and-death deities. As a result, they view natural objects resembling reproductive organs—such as ravines, valleys, hilltops, caves, springs, and stalactites—as representations of these sacred deities. These natural elements are anthropomorphized and worshipped as reproductive gods and their organs.
Symbolism in Naxi Religion
Dongba Religion (东巴教)
Dongba religion contains specific symbols for male and female reproductive organs. This religion uses unique characters to represent the organs, as well as symbols for sexual intercourse. Dongba religion is known for its veneration of gods who are responsible for reproduction and fertility, with several gods linked to the creation and preservation of life.
Locations of Naxi Reproductive Worship
Worship of Female Reproductive Deities
Survey data reveals numerous reproductive worship sites across various Naxi communities. Female reproductive worship is especially common, with several notable sites dedicated to fertility and procreation.
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Bai Di (白地) in Zhongdian (中甸): The Naxi people of Bai Di worship a lava formation that resembles the female reproductive organs. The formation is believed to hold sacred powers linked to fertility and childbirth.
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Rao Ming Village (饶明村) in Daju Township (大具乡), Lijiang (丽江): In this village, the Naxi people view a cave on a nearby mountain as a symbol of the female reproductive organ, associating it with fertility and female power.
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Jinjiang Township (金江乡), Lijiang (丽江): The Naxi people of Jinjiang worship a stalactite inside a cave, which resembles the shape of a woman’s body. This natural formation is treated as a deity representing fertility, and women seeking to conceive perform rituals involving incense and prayer.
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Gebu Mountain (格姆山) in Yongning (永宁): The Naxi of Yongning worship the mountain god of Gebu Mountain, which is closely associated with reproductive powers. The worship of nature as a fertility deity is a vital part of their spiritual practices.
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Lugu Lake (泸沽湖): In the western part of Lugu Lake, the Naxi people venerate a water source believed to have reproductive significance, where rituals are performed by women hoping to conceive.
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Lazi Cave (喇孜岩洞) in Muli County (木里县): The Naxi people of Muli worship a concave stalactite in a cave, which is thought to represent the female reproductive organs, offering blessings to those seeking fertility.
Worship of Male Reproductive Deities
Male reproductive worship also plays an important role in Naxi religious practices, with several sites dedicated to male fertility symbols.
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Dapo Village (达坡村) near Yongning (永宁): The Naxi people view a hill near Dapo Village as a symbol of the male reproductive organ, associated with virility and strength.
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Kawa Village (卡瓦村) in Eya Township (俄亚乡), Muli County (木里县): In this village, a protruding stalactite within a cave is revered as a symbol of male fertility, believed to hold divine power over masculinity and procreation.
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Ge Mu Mountain (格姆山) in Zuo Suo (左所区), Yanyuan County (盐源县): The Naxi worship a stone slab on Ge Mu Mountain as a male reproductive organ, with two round stones nearby considered to symbolize testicles. This site plays an essential role in fertility rituals.
Fertility Rituals and Worship Practices
Rituals at Worship Sites
Both male and female members of the Naxi community, especially infertile women, frequently visit reproductive worship sites to perform rituals. These rituals include lighting incense, bowing, and praying for fertility. Some worshippers engage in more intimate practices, such as removing their clothing to physically connect with the objects of worship. This practice is believed to enhance the chances of conception and receive divine blessings for fertility.
Animal Sacrifice and Religious Ceremonies
In some areas, the Dongba priests are invited to perform rituals and chant sacred texts after the sacrifice of animals. These ceremonies are intended to invoke the gods’ blessings, particularly for women who are seeking to bear children. The rituals can also involve chanting, prayers, and offerings of food and incense to honor the deities.
Bai Shui Tai (白水台) in Shangri-La
The Sacred Site of Bai Shui Tai
In Shangri-La’s Sanba Township (三坝乡), the Bai Shui Tai (白水台) area holds great significance for the Naxi people. The formation here bears a striking resemblance to female genitalia, and the site is considered the most powerful location for praying for children. It is believed that those who visit Bai Shui Tai with a sincere heart will receive divine blessings of fertility. The site sees visitors almost every day, with many couples, especially those struggling with infertility, making pilgrimages to perform rituals and offer prayers for a child.
Reproductive worship in the Naxi culture is deeply intertwined with their beliefs about fertility, creation, and the natural world. Sacred sites dedicated to both male and female reproductive organs are found throughout Naxi communities, and they remain important centers for religious rituals and practices. These customs reflect a profound respect for nature’s life-giving powers and the Naxi people’s spiritual connection to their surroundings.
Genital Worship of Bai Ethnic Minority in Dali
The news was updated on April 15, 2019.
Pictures taken by Yunnan Daily reporters show the rare phayre’s leaf monkey in the national nature reserves of Mt. Wuliang and Mt. Ailao in southwest Yunnan’s Jingdong County.
Falling under the jurisdiction of Pu’er City, Jingdong has a forest coverage of 70.73%, with pristine ecology in the two reserves.
Recent online pictures show the rare black crested gibbons in the nature reserves of Mt. Wuliang and Mt. Ailao in southwest Yunnan’s Jingdong County. The endangered species has a population of around 1,000 worldwide.
Falling under the jurisdiction of Pu’er City, Jingdong has a forest coverage of 70.73%, with pristine ecology in the two reserves. As a habitat for 550 of the endangered species, the two reserves of Mt. Wuliang and Mt. Ailao is called home to the Chinese black crested gibbons.
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- 9 Days Yunnan-Guizhou Karst Landform Tour and Ethnic Minorities Discovery
- 9 Days Vietnam-Yunnan(China) Overland Tour from Hanoi to Kunming
- 11 Days Yunnan Classic Tour with Holy Lugu Lake and Mosuo Matriarchal Society (Departure from Shangrila)
- 11 Days Lijiang and Shangri-La Tour with Meili Snow Mountain Pilgrimage
- 20 Days Yunnan Sichuan Cycling Tour from Lijiang to Chengdu
- 10 Days Southeast Yunnan Family Tour with Ethnic Culture, Rice Terraces, Mushroom House & Butterfly Valley
An Pingsheng
An Pingsheng (Chinese: 安平生) (1917–1999) was a prominent politician in the People’s Republic of China. Born in Xi’an, Shaanxi, An held several significant political positions throughout his career, including...
Jia Qiyun
Jia Qiyun (Chinese: 贾启允) (1914–2004) was a politician in the People’s Republic of China. Born in Shanxi Province, he held several significant political positions during his career. He served...
Zhou Xing
Zhou Xing (Chinese: 周兴) (1905–1975), birth name Liu Jiubang (Chinese: 刘旧邦), also known as Liu Weixin (Chinese: 刘维新), was a politician in the People’s Republic of China. He was...
Yan Hongyan
Yan Hongyan (Chinese: 阎红彦; pinyin: Yán Hóngyàn; 13 September 1909 – 8 January 1967) was a general of the People’s Liberation Army of China. Early Life Yan was born...
Xie Fuzhi
Xie Fuzhi (simplified Chinese: 谢富治; traditional Chinese: 謝富治; pinyin: Xiè Fùzhì; Wade–Giles: Hsieh Fu-chih; 26 September 1909 – 26 March 1972) was a Communist Party of China military commander,...
Song Renqiong
Song Renqiong (Chinese: 宋任穷; pinyin: Sòng Rènqióng; Wade–Giles: Sung Jen-ch’iung; 11 July 1909 – 8 January 2005), born Song Yunqin (Chinese: 宋韵琴; pinyin: Sòng Yùnqín), was a general in...
Man devotes to preserving Naxi culture
The news was updated on April 3, 2019. A tour guide of the Naxi ethnic group (right) teaches a tourist how to write Dongba pictographs at a cultural center...
James O. Fraser
James Outram Fraser (Chinese 富能仁) (1886–1938) was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China with the China Inland Mission. He pioneered work among the Lisu people, of Southwestern China, in the early part of the 20th...
Tuanshan Village in Jianshui County, Honghe
Chinese Name:建水团山村 English Name: Tuanshan Village in Jianshui County, Honghe Location: 红河哈尼族彝族自治州建水县西庄镇团山村 Tuanshan Village, built in Qing Dynasty, regarded as the Gem of Chinese Civil Houses. Visiting thr village is like...
Genital Worship of Naxi Ethnic Minority
Reproductive worship holds a prominent place in the Naxi people’s (纳西族) primitive religious beliefs. This practice places significant emphasis on and reverence for the male and female reproductive organs....
Rare monkey species seen in Jingdong reserves
The news was updated on April 15, 2019. Pictures taken by Yunnan Daily reporters show the rare phayre’s leaf monkey in the national nature reserves of Mt. Wuliang and...
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