Slideshows

Erhai Fishing Boat Graveyard
洱海渔船墓场

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Since fishing has been banned on Erhai, fishing boats are rusting away on its shore.

Ghost Month Ritual
中元会

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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The summer rainy season brings clouds to Dali's Cangshan.

Bai Tie-Dye Master Dyer
白族扎染染色匠

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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

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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

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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

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Run by an irate couple, this temple on the shore of Erhai is one of Dali's strangest temples.
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