Culture of Benzilan Town in Deqin County, Diqing

During the Tang and Song dynasties, Benzilan emerged as a vital southwestern gateway to Tibet and the throat of the Yunnan-Tibet Tea Horse Road (茶马古道). In 1719 (the 58th year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign), Han Chinese immigrants – including soldiers, artisans, and prospectors – settled here through military campaigns. Their intermarriage with Tibetans created lineages that have endured in Benzilan for generations. The Tibetan name “Doll Pull” (意为”美丽的沙洲”), later transliterated as “Benzilan”, remains in use today.

Geographic and Architectural Heritage

Benzilan features both valley villages and alpine mountains, with fertile soil supporting high grain yields. The area boasts:

• Ancient famous trees in pristine ecological environments
• The Jinsha River (金沙江) flowing north-south through its territory
• Sacred mountains like “Day Niba Wu” (达尼巴乌) and “Buyong Science Cloth” (布永科学布)
• Waterside temples and Sule Pagodas (苏勒塔) with rotating temple structures

Over 99% of residential buildings preserve traditional wooden tower architecture. The Qing Dynasty murals in Benzilan’s pagoda temple, covering 270+ square meters across three halls, demonstrate exquisite craftsmanship and are protected as Yunnan Provincial Cultural Relics.

Cultural and Religious Traditions

The five villages of Benzilan each maintain Buddhist community organizations called “Ancient Tiles” (古老瓦), which arrange annual rituals and deity worship. Tibetan Buddhism and Bon (苯教) permeate all aspects of life, manifested in:

• Architectural customs: Strict site selection, material preparation, and consecration rituals
• Festivals: Managed by “Warehouse Pakistan” (仓巴, ritual masters), including mountain deity worship
• Funerary practices: Incorporating sky burials, water burials, cremation, and stupa burials

Performing Arts and Traditions

Recognized in 1999 as a “Traditional Art Village” by Diqing Prefecture (迪庆州), Benzilan preserves:

Folk songs: Work songs, love songs, children’s rhymes, and riddle tunes with resonant melodies

Dance forms:

• The renowned Pot Village Dance (锅庄舞) featuring vigorous movements and dropped trousers
• Love Dances where couples face each other in rows, dancing with sleeve movements
• Harp dances and religious dances

Traditional Sports and Festivals

The community maintains unique athletic traditions:

• Cattle-pulling “Georgia on Me” (格斗)
• Stone-throwing “Called Off” (叫停)
• Bullfighting, wrestling, and boulder-lifting competitions

Major festivals include:

• Losar (藏历新年, Tibetan New Year)
• The July 15 Mountain God Festival (卡米山节)
• August Lotus Lantern Festival (莲花灯节)
• October 25 memorial for Tsongkhapa (宗喀巴), founder of Gelug Buddhism (格鲁派)

Traditional Crafts and Attire

Benzilan’s material culture showcases:

• Women’s attire: Colorful Tibetan robes adorned with coral, agate, and turquoise
• Men’s clothing: Animal fur-free designs reflecting ecological values
• Woodcrafts: Famous barley wine containers, wooden bowls (木碗), and tsamba boxes (糌粑盒)
• Textiles: Wool rubbing, pulu weaving (氆氇), and yak hair blankets

The community continues using Tibetan calendar systems adapted to snowy seasons, preserving this living heritage along the ancient Tea Horse Road.