We spend the morning exploring the ethnic cultures of the area. We start with Yu Feng Temple (玉峰寺), a Tibetan temple.
They tell us to only spin the prayer wheels with our left hand because the right hand incites violence. We view the inside of the temple, but we're not to go in. Robes are propped up as if monks were sitting there.
An artist works on the elaborate murals on the wall.
Dad makes a donation and the ladies insist he join them for a little dance.
We visit the fish ponds in the Yushui Village Scenic Area.
Serpentine deities of the Naxi people (納西族). The Naxi are an ethnic group that live in northwestern Yunnan province and southwestern Sichuan province. Dongba (東巴) refers to the Naxi culture, religion and script. The Dongba script is made up of pictographs that we see on many of the local signs. I pick up a Dongba dictionary. Only about 50 people know how to read and write the language.
The next stop is the Dongba Wanshen Yard (东巴万神园) or the 10,000 God's Garden. It's a religious site with the Dongba "Pictures of God's Road", a sculptural floor mural that depicts hell, earth and heaven. Totems of gods stand throughout the fields on both sides of the mural.
There is a black egg and a white egg in each side fo the field. The Naxi belief is that people are born of eggs. Good people from white eggs, bad people from black eggs.
The next stop is Dongba Valley Ecological Ethnic Village (东巴谷民俗生态村). It's like a pioneer village of local ethnic minorities.
The Lisu Mountain people like to sing and a man demonstrates his prowess by climbing a ladder with machetes as each rung. They give us a handful of rice to put in our pocket to bring us safe travels.
The Taliu people build their daughter's a private room when they reach the age of 14. The daughters must spend a night with 7 different men, before they can date or marry. No action! just talking.
The Pumi people are known for making wine. Their roofs are layers of wood weighed down by rocks.
Below are wish charms that we see hanging in many tourist areas. You can purchase a charm and write your wish on it and hang it there to come true.
After a lunch of hot pot with Yak broth, we go see the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (玉龍雪山). We don't travel high up the mountain, just to the Spruce/Yak Meadow.
The shuttle buses take us down to the Blue Moon Valley at the bottom of the mountain. Once again, it's a rush for the shuttle buses. Our group is the perfect number to fill one shuttle, but we still have to fight other people who just can't wait. Eventually we give up on travelling as a group and all meet up at the end. The river runs down from the mountain through these man-made terraces.
In the evening, we walk around Lijiang Old Town. I buy a piece of batik dyed fabric, which is a local craft specialty. Auntie Lucy wants to make a bag with some fabric.
