Three Parallel Rivers Culture

The Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas (Chinese:云南三江并流; pinyin: Yúnnān Sānjiāngbìngliú) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Yunnan province, China. It lies within the drainage basins of the upper reaches of the Yangtze (Jinsha), Lancang (Mekong) and Nujiang (Salween) rivers, in the Yunnanese section of the Hengduan Mountains.

Although this region has been acknowledged as a natural World Heritage Site, its demographic make-up also is highly interesting as it contains many of the twenty-five minorities found in Yunnan province including theDerung, the smallest of all of China’s minority groups. Some of the other minorities found in this region are the Tibetan people, the Nu people, Lisu, Bai, Pumi and Naxi. Many of these minorities still use traditional costumes as their normal daily attire.

In the same region as the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas lies the Old Town of Lijiang, which is also a World Heritage Site in its own right.

The Culture of Bai Ethnic Group

Over the centuries, the Bais have created a science and culture of their own. Agriculture was dominant in the Erhai area as early as the Neolithic Age. People then knew how to dig ditches for irrigation. During the Nanzhao regime, they began the cultivation of rice, wheat, broomcorn, millet and several other crops, and built the Cangshan water-conservancy project which could bring water to tens of thousands of hectares of land. To their credit are inventions and advances in meteorology, astronomy, calendar, architecture, medical science, literature, music, dancing, carving and painting. Among the representative works of the Bai people are Transit Star Catalogue for Time Determination by the Ming Dynasty scholar Zhou Silian, Collection of Secret Prescriptions by Chen Dongtian andTested Prescriptions by Li Xingwei. These classics recorded and summarized in detail the valuable experience of the Bai people in astronomy and medicine.

The History of Lisu People

Fugong county is inhabited by minorities of Lisu, Nu, Pumi, Dulong, Bai, Tibetan, Yi, Naxi, Dai, Hui, Jingpo, Lisu as dominant ethnic group, the minority of the total population of 92%, resulting in a large inhabited by ethnic minorities. The Lisu have a long history of being oppressed by greedy landlords and governments. The Lisu revolt of 1801-03 proved devastating. The Qing government mobilized a huge army of more than 10,000 soldiers from three provinces. Chinese writers criticized this campaign as “using a cattle knife to kill chickens.” During the 1940s the Lisu had to pay 65 different types of taxes and levies – including one for each airplane flying over their region! This provocation resulted in thousands of Lisu seeking life in a new country. Missionary Lilian Hamer described one scene as the Lisu she had sought to reach left en masse: “I saw little children clinging to their mother’s skirts, older folk carrying iron cooking pots, blankets, oil lamps. I stood outside my door and watched this wholesale evacuation of the people I had served and loved, mourned and wept over.”

The Southern Silk Road History

The Southern Silk Road was mainly composed of West Route (Maoniu Route) and East Route (Wuchi Route). The West Route originated from Chengdu, wandered through Sichuan Province via Ya’an City, Maoniu (Hanyuan), Qiongdu (Xichang), and took traders to Myanmar (Burma) by way of Dali, Baoshan and Tengchong. Then its ancient trade route extended through to Juandu (India), Bangladesh and even Middle East. The East Route was very narrow and had only five-feet wide, so it was also called ‘Wuchi Route’. It began from Chengdu, passed through Yibin, Zhaotong, Qujing and reached Kunming, where one branched road went to Vietnam and the other one wound to Dali, joining the West Route. Traders found steep and high mountains in the southwest region of China extremely challenging to negotiate. In order to overcome difficulties, clever ancient people built characteristic bridges and plank roads along cliffs by perforating holes on mountains. Even now people can found the holes left on the sheer cliffs.

Clubs & Bars & KTVs

The Workers’ Club of Fugong County(福贡县工人俱乐部)

Address: No.24 of Wadi Street, Fugong County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州福贡县娃底街24号)

Night Bar(夜色Bar)

Address: The Main Bridge of Shangpa, Fugong County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州福贡县上帕大桥桥头)

Huangchao Bar(皇朝酒吧)

Address: No.58 of Shangpa Street, Fugong County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州福贡县上帕街58号)

Coffee & Tea & Ice Cream

Lefu Tea House(乐福茶室)

Address: No.30 of Shangpa Street, Fugong County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州福贡县上帕街30号)

Tel: 0886-3412444

Club Tea house(俱乐部茶室)

Address: Northren Road 31 of Shangpa Street, Fugong County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州福贡县上帕街北路31号)

Chayizhai(茶艺斋)

Address: Near the No.5 of Wadi Street, Fugong County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州福贡县娃底街5附近)

Red Moon Tea House(红月亮茶室)

Address: No.16 of Shangpa Street, Fugong County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州福贡县上帕街16号)

Knife-Pole Festival(刀秆节)

As a traditional festival of Lisu ethnic minority, the Knife-Pole Festival expresses good wishes to everyone of the Lisu. A phrase describing bravery in China goes like this, “climbing the Knife Mountain and diving into the Fire Sea” and the Knife-Pole Festival is a vivid depiction of this. On the eve of the festival, a grand bonfire is set alight with people dancing around it, later, some of the bolder men leap in the fire, extinguishing it barefooted. It is widely believed that through this act all manner of disasters will be averted.

Flower Festival(花节)

Flower festival is celebrated by the Nu people on the 15th day of the 3rd lunar month (April in 2013) every year in Nujiang Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It is the grandest festival for the Nu.

All the Nu girls dress up and bring prepared sacrificial offerings to worship at the “fairy” cave in mountains on the day. Elders wearing traditional costumes chant scriptures beside altar, playing horn (a woodwind instrument) and beating drum at the same time. Lots of pines, flowers and corns are inserted around the the mouth of the cave, indicating good luck, happiness and harvest.After the sacrificial ceremony, girls walk toward the cave to take “milk” of the “fairy” (water drops that dripped off stalactites in the cave is regarded as the “milk” of “fairy” by locals), praying for blessing from fairy. Then, people sit around hillside and enjoy foods together.

A archery competition is held then by the young people to add joy to the festival. In addition, they sing and dance around bonfires for the whole night.

Sanduo Festival(三朵节)

Sanduo festival is the grandest one among the numerous festivals celebrated by the Naxi people. It is observed each year on the 8th day of the 2nd month of the Chinese calendar. Legend says that Sanduo, the ancestor of the Naxi people, subdued devils and protected the people. The Naxi people regard the god Sanduo as their supreme, or protector, god. To honor Sanduo, the local people built a temple on Jade Dragon Mountain in honor of him. On this day, people gather at the temple to offer sacrifices. Many Naxi people of the Lijiang area who do not participate directly in the Sanduo Festival often participate indirectly by attending outdoor picnics in honor of the “Offering Sacrifice to Sanduo” ceremony.

The Stone Moon

                               —A Taste of Lisu Culture

The Stone Moon, called “Ya Ha Ba” in the language of Lisu minority, is situated among the lofty peaks of Gaoligong Mountain Natural Reserve in Fugong County, Nujiang Prefecture. It was formed by water erosion though its altitude is 3,330 meters above the sea level. On the way for trekkers to witness its grotesque, Mi O Luo is another exotic place to experience Nu minority culture.

One of the best things about visiting the Fugong Stone Moon is the chance to interact with the Lisu people, one of the minor ethnic groups of China. The Lisu people speak the Lisu dialect, which is part of the Sino-Tibetan language system.The Lisu people are experts in making wine from corn, sorghum and tare seeds. If you want to take a sip of this Lisu specialty, make it a point to visit the Fugong Stone Moon during autumn, as this is the time when the wine is fermented and served to locals and foreign visitors.

Kuoshi Festival

Nujiang Gorge in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, is a mysterious area rich in ethnic culture. Every year on December 20th, people from the Lisu(傈僳) Ethnic Group begin celebrating their most important festival, Kuoshi, which means New Year. It’s equivalent to the Han people’s Spring Festival. On Sunday, colorful traditional activities were held on the river beach in Fugong County.

The Lisu people live along the Nujiang River are simple, honest and hospitable. They are good at singing and dancing, and have been faithfully preserving their cultural traditions.

Christine from Canada and her family have been in Nujiang for 7 years, she enjoys staying with the local Lisu people.

Christine, Canada, said, “The Nujiang Valley is extremely beautiful, and Lisu people are extremely lovable, we are very privileged to live here actually.”

Ethnic-Groups History(The History of Lisu People)

Liuku town is inhabited by minorities of Lisu, Nu, Pumi, Dulong, Bai, Tibetan, Yi, Naxi, Dai, Hui, Jingpo, Lisu as dominant ethnic group, the minority of the total population of 92%, resulting in a large inhabited by ethnic minorities. The Lisu have a long history of being oppressed by greedy landlords and governments. The Lisu revolt of 1801-03 proved devastating. The Qing government mobilized a huge army of more than 10,000 soldiers from three provinces. Chinese writers criticized this campaign as “using a cattle knife to kill chickens.” During the 1940s the Lisu had to pay 65 different types of taxes and levies – including one for each airplane flying over their region! This provocation resulted in thousands of Lisu seeking life in a new country. Missionary Lilian Hamer described one scene as the Lisu she had sought to reach left en masse: “I saw little children clinging to their mother’s skirts, older folk carrying iron cooking pots, blankets, oil lamps. I stood outside my door and watched this wholesale evacuation of the people I had served and loved, mourned and wept over.”

The Southern Silk Road History

The Southern Silk Road was mainly composed of West Route (Maoniu Route) and East Route (Wuchi Route). The West Route originated from Chengdu, wandered through Sichuan Province via Ya’an City, Maoniu (Hanyuan), Qiongdu (Xichang), and took traders to Myanmar (Burma) by way of Dali, Baoshan and Tengchong. Then its ancient trade route extended through to Juandu (India), Bangladesh and even Middle East. The East Route was very narrow and had only five-feet wide, so it was also called ‘Wuchi Route’. It began from Chengdu, passed through Yibin, Zhaotong, Qujing and reached Kunming, where one branched road went to Vietnam and the other one wound to Dali, joining the West Route. Traders found steep and high mountains in the southwest region of China extremely challenging to negotiate. In order to overcome difficulties, clever ancient people built characteristic bridges and plank roads along cliffs by perforating holes on mountains. Even now people can found the holes left on the sheer cliffs.

Clubs & Bars & KTVs

GSM VIP Club(全球通VIP俱乐部)

Address: Pailuba Road 28,  Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州泸水县排路坝路28)

Thumb Bar(大拇指)

Address: Chuancheng Road 313, Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州泸水县穿城路313)

Tel: 0886-3629292

Provence Bar(普罗旺斯)

Address: Next to the Jiangdong Ficus Altissima, Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州泸水县江东大青树旁)

Jiuke Bar(酒客酒吧)

Address: Eastern Linjiang Road, Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州泸水县临江东路)

Tel: 0886-3625979

Lanke KTV(蓝客KTV)

Address: Chuancheng Road, Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州泸水县穿城路)

Tel: 0886-3513416

Gerui KTV Discount(格瑞KTV量贩)

Address:  Chuancheng Road123, Liuku Town,Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州泸水县六库镇穿城路123号)

Tel: 08868885533

Changlongda KTV(昌隆达KTV)

Address: Chuancheng Road115, Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州泸水县穿城路115号)

Tel: 0886-3630168

Coffee & Tea & Ice Cream

Golden Sandbeach(金色沙滩)

Address: Eastern Linjiang Road, Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州泸水县临江东路)

Dream in Summer(夏之梦)

Address: Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州泸水县临江东路)

Xiaodongtian Tea House(小洞天茶楼)

Address: Longxiang Alley, Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州泸水县隆祥巷口)

Tel: 0886-3637566; 0886-3637958

Haowangjiao Tea House(好望角茶楼)

Address: Chuancheng Road 209, Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州泸水县穿城路209号)

Guomai Nationwide No.700(果麦全国NO.700)

Address: Renmin Road 186, Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州泸水县人民路186)

Tel: 18669244599

Dawei Drink(大维饮品)

Address: Near the Dukou Road17, Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州泸水县渡口路17附近)

Knife-Pole Festival(刀秆节)

As a traditional festival of Lisu ethnic minority, the Knife-Pole Festival expresses good wishes to everyone of the Lisu. A phrase describing bravery in China goes like this, “climbing the Knife Mountain and diving into the Fire Sea” and the Knife-Pole Festival is a vivid depiction of this. On the eve of the festival, a grand bonfire is set alight with people dancing around it, later, some of the bolder men leap in the fire, extinguishing it barefooted. It is widely believed that through this act all manner of disasters will be averted.

Kuoshi Festival(阔时节)

“Kuoshi”in Lisu language means New Yeas. It is traditional festival for Lisu minority. On December 1988, the government of Lisu Antonomous prefecture set up (on) 20, December of every year as legal festival. On that day, Lisu people in different area come to special place to celebrate the festival in their ways, like dancing, singing, toothily, rope skipping, swing, race and so on. Usually before the festival, the people prepare a lot of food, goods for the days: making rice bread, more wooden, kill pigs and goat, do cleaning to welcome the New Years. The people who work in outside must come back to home before the New Year. Every family collects a lot of green pine needle and put them everywhere in and around their house. It means pine needle will clear away evil. The first early morning of New Year, people go to river to get spring water to drink, because there is a says: who is first to get the spring water who will lucky all the coming year.

On the first day of New Year, people cannot visit any other family. They can go hunting, sacrifice mountain god, or do other activities to celebrate the festival.

Hill Tribe Culture

Music and dancing are an important part of Hill tribe culture.The Lisu do a round dance and people of all ages, male and female partake in the dance, especially at the Lisu (Chinese) New Year which occurs around the first full moon in February and lasts five days. Couples and singles dance in what appears to be a repetitious step. However on close observation one will notice slight variations are introduced by the leader of the dance who dances in the center of the circle and plays the music, either with flute or banjo. The instruments are hand made and unique to the Lisu culture. The dancers join hands and sing a lively song in unison. It’s a gay affair and an opportunity to flirt and find a potential marriage partner for the young single folks. They all where their finest most colorful clothing with the ladies adorned with lavish silver bodices.

Regional Geography Culture

The seat of Lushui county—Liuku town spans the eastern side of Gaoligongshan mountain and the western side of Biluo snow mountain. Biluo Snow Mountain is located at Lanping churchyard which I continuous 145KM. There are 15 snow mountains, which stand 4000 meter above sea level. The Laowo Mountain is the most beautiful a highest mountain than the others, which is 4500 meters above sea level. It is 3200 meters higher compared with the Lantsang. Gaoligongshan is an equally dynamic crossroads of culture and history. The valleys of the major north-south flowing rivers, the Nujiang and Longchuanjiang, have been farmed since ancient times. The Southern Silk Road, which crosses the southern portion of the mountain range, has connected India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan with central China since the 4th century B.C., serving as a conduit for commerce, trade, and culture.

The History of Dulong People

Few historical records were found regarding the origin of this ethnic group till today. But relative references show that they were once under the rule of court-appointed Naxi headmen through the Yuan Dynasty (1271 – 1368) to the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911). They had no uniform name and were called ‘Qiao’ in the Yuan Dynasty and ‘Qiu’ or ‘Qu’ people after the Qing Dynasty. With the founding of the PRC in 1949, following consultation with the ethnic group it was decided to agree upon the official name of Dulong ethnic group.

A Peaceful Buddhist Village

There is a unique township in Gongshan county—Bingzhongluo. As multiple ethnic groups have settled and thrived in the area, they have also come to learn to respect the different beliefs and religions.

Lama village, a multi-ethnic village located in the central area of the tableland, was so named because of its lamasery, the “Puhua Temple.”Compared to Chongding village, not far away, houses in Lama village were more concentrated, but a little simple and crude. Living standards in this village are not very high, and the environment rather isolated.

Although small, Lama village is home to a variety of ethnic groups. Nowadays, however, it is very difficult to distinguish the ethnicity of villagers in Bingzhongluo from their appearance and customs.

Puhua Temple is located on a tableland called Changputong and its white enclosure and gate have been newly renovated. Its abbot, 72-year-old Ganma Yuanzhai, said the temple belongs to the karma bka’ brgyud pa sect, and dates back over 200 years.The abbot is a Nu and joined the temple as a boy aged 12. The abbot said the temple gets very crowded during the Tibetan New Year, according to the Tibetan lunar calendar, and on the Fairy Festival of the Nu people which falls on the 15th of the third lunar month.

The lamasery, explained the old abbot, was not only influential in the area, but was the only lamasery in the whole prefecture. That was why among the 5,700 population of the township, about 2,000 were followers of Tibetan Buddhism.

Water Mill in Gongshan

A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses moving water as its power source. It is thus a structure that uses a water wheelor water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of many material goods,including flour, lumber,paper, textiles, and many metal products. Thus watermills may begristmills, sawmills, paper mills, textile mills, hammermills,trip hammering mills, rolling mills, wire drawing mills, and so on.One major way to classify watermills is by wheel orientation (vertical or horizontal), one powered by a vertical waterwheel through a gearing mechanism, and the other equipped with a horizontal waterwheel without such a mechanism.

Kaquewa Festival

Calendar and lasted 3 to 9 days. Each family was free to choose a fine day to hold the celebration, and the celebrations in the whole area lasted about one month. In 1991, the 10th day of the 1st month of the Gregorian calendar was decided as the official date for the Kaquewa Festival.

The ceremonies for the Drung festivals in each village are somewhat similar, and the programs of the festival are arranged in a special order. The Drungs never forget to worship the Mountain God for happy events. They offer offerings such as various animal figures made of buckwheat to pray for more grain in the next year. In the year of abundant foodstuff and clothing, they will double their efforts to slaughter cows for the god, for in their minds it is only with the god’s blessing that the Drungs can have a better life.

The Kaquewa Festival has great value in terms of research on cultural development, calendric origin, and the history of the Drung ethnic group. Carved messages on wood are rare and important materials for research on the social organizations of minorities with no written language.The festival also reflects the Drungs’ reverence of nature.