Slideshows

Ghost Month Ritual
中元会

teaser image for Ghost Month Ritual slides
The Dongjing Association 洞经会 in a village near Dali performs a day of ritual for the souls of the deceased during the Chinese 'Ghost Month'.

Torch Festival Flag Pole
火把旗杆

teaser image for Torch Festival Flag Pole slides
The flag poles stuck into the top of the torch at the Bai torch festival signify blessings for the future and can be real works of art.

Pingchuan Suona
平川唢呐

teaser image for Pingchuan Suona slides
The suona melodies in the region of Binchuan's Pingchuan town are part of Dali's intangible cultural heritage and are performed on festival days in the Pingchuan Guanyin Temple 平川观音寺.

Yang Family Ancestral Hall
杨氏宗祠

teaser image for Yang Family Ancestral Hall slides
This ancestral hall in a remote village near Binchuan's Pingchuan 宾川平川 is one of Yunnan's best preserved clan houses, built by the republican era general Yang Ruxuan 杨如轩.

Joy of the Bai Temple Fair
白族庙会的乐趣

teaser image for Joy of the Bai Temple Fair slides
For the Bai people temple fairs are not solemn but joyous affairs.

The Lotus Pond Society of Xiawanqiao
下湾桥的莲池会

teaser image for The Lotus Pond Society of Xiawanqiao slides
The "Lotus Pond Societies" 莲池会 are the associations of older women in charge of the rituals in Dali's temples.

Cangshan Clouds
苍山之云

teaser image for Cangshan Clouds slides
The summer rainy season brings clouds to Dali's Cangshan.

Bai Tie-Dye Master Dyer
白族扎染染色匠

teaser image for Bai Tie-Dye Master Dyer slides
Bai Tie-Dye is part of China's Intangible Cultural Heritage, still carried out in simple workshops using traditional techniques.

Xizhou Fazi Temple
喜洲发资寺

teaser image for Xizhou Fazi Temple slides
Fazi Temple is an abandoned clan memorial temple on a cemetery hill west of Xizhou.

Raosanling in Times of Corona
新冠时期的绕三灵

teaser image for Raosanling in Times of Corona slides
The Corona epidemic led to the cancellation of all major festivals, but some cannot be deterred to celebrate Raosanling 绕三灵.

Bamu Temple
八母庙

teaser image for Bamu Temple slides
Run by an irate couple, this temple on the shore of Erhai is one of Dali's strangest temples.

Azaleas of Horse Ear Mountain
马耳山之杜鹃花

teaser image for Azaleas of Horse Ear Mountain slides
Early May the Azaleas on Maershan 马耳山 north of Erhai are in flower.
More