Eshan Kaixinjie Festival

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Eshan is one of the less known county in Yuxi region where live mostly Yi people, and they have a tradition to celebrate the first market after Chinese Newyear. Kaixinjie is popular in Dalongtan, Fuliangpeng and Tadian. People would not start business until the date of Kaixinjie in the old day, also there would be many activities like,dragon dance, lion dance, lantern show etc. I came to Fuliangpeng this year for Kaixinjie, a very busy market, after those standard reception and official lunch, the celebration began with a chanting by an Yi shaman, asking for a best year for business. There are about 10 dragons came participated this year, together with loaded of pretty Yi girls making dance, it was quite a preformance. Then they all marching out to the market, made the already congested street more jammed, the dragons, the dances, the drum...fusion with fire cracker explosion, creatures with camera(us) hit and run between splite second's space. In the afternoon there also a competition of dragon dance by women team. woman again...they stood at the reception ribbon out welcoming notes, they stood in kitchen preparing foods, they made dance in celebration, now they handled the dragon as well! what happened to the men??? The dragon dance was actually rather good, with an extra long dragon reach almost 10 meter long, only the surrounded audiences kept the space too small for them to really play out. Night fall in and a section of fire-work exploded into the evening sky, then a bon-fire setup in the playing field, people dance around the fire just like everywhere else in Yunnan when there is a bon-fire.

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Comments

[Matt]

Looks fantastic!! I'm moving to Yuxi in a few weeks, really excited, great pics of the festiva :) !