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Published: August 15th 2008
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27/7/08
The countryside of Huaping was pretty beautiful as in the trip up to Ninglang(@2300m), greenhill dotted with whitewash houses and tiled roof. It was rather cold when we drove through the 3000m mountain pass yesterday. We pass through couple of townships in Ninglang area, it reminded me a bit of the Daliangshan in Sichuan. Or was it the clouded weather that gave the grey tone in the air? Since it was torch festival yesterday, truck loaded of people was being carried back to their home or wherever they would celebrated the night, the street was full of people. You seen more Yi women in costume, it was the same as what I had seen the last week in Huaping, so...not that much surprised. only in more number, and the detail more clear. It took 6 hours to get to Ninglang town. A small town with a street through town, and couple of side streets. Most of the signs were in Chinese and Yi, and since the last few years, most of the Yi land, like in Chuxiong, they painted the outside wall of the building with colourful diagrams and logos, it gave an interesting decoration. One thing very special
about Ninglang was...they didn't have any market day in the whole county, but no...only one market in Xibuhe, someone told me, really strange, does it mean all the township got enough shop and business, and people could buy anything in any day? merchandise were sufficient? so they didn't need any market for villagers to do trading. Anyways...seem more easy for me, no need to calculated date to arrive in town. But suddenly I lost my orientation!
The torch festival was actually started on the 24th, 2 days eariler they had the dance performance, and last night was only to play with fire, and that was exactly what its mean for the people nowaday. It mean nothing...what is torch festival? Who care. To made fire, to cut more tree for wood, so one can sell more for business. People got together the new square by 8pm, wood torch was being light up in every corner, some started the bigger bone-fire and people surrounded it and started the typical dance movement like in everywhere. Soon...another circle had been formed, and then another. But with the moving fire burning around, I was worried about my rain jacket and my camera. And was it
all about the festival here? I began to lost interest, beside...I lost interest in festival in China long time ago. Anyways...the happiness or the so call happiness was ordered to end by the authority by 9:30, only just begin and ended, strange, but then I knew why, again...all about our mighty olympic, nothing should had happened in China, or nothing are allowed to go wrong in China, better stop it before it start, nothing could go wrong. So...an early night.
Note
Bus from Huaping to Ninglang 35 yuans
30/7/08
Yongning(@2600m)was further up from the Lugu lake, a small town right next to the Sichuan border. It took almost 3 hrs for the 100km trip.travel was busy on this narrow mountain road, bus load of tourist heading to Lugu lake, riding horse, boat rowing, cable car, and of course...bonefire evening! 2 chinese girls in the minibus asked the driver if he could help got discount for the entrance ticket to Lugu lake, "80 each but I can get you 40 yuan discount" the driver said, then added if he could took them through without even buy the ticket, the girl only need to give him 20 each, 2
girls was more than happy to took the offered. Anyway...our bus drove through the gate with no one care. I wonder why the fee, the ticket booth was 20km before the lake, and I was heading to Yongning, so I didn't need to pay, and if I would want to visit the lake, I can do it on the way back down without any problem. Up I Yongning here they corrected me about Yi is Yi, Mosu is Mosu, "they are different" the local said, so...like in Ninglang, you could see the Yi with colour stripes skirt and huge black hat. And the Mosu women, they wear long sleeve tight jacket button from the right, the rim and edge of the shirt were lacked with silver thread, simple waist belt and plain skirt, mostly in grey colour, and with dark head turban. The Mosu are the only race that still practice maternal system in China, and that what made it stood out from all the other minorities group. "you don't ask where is the husband when you visit a Mosu family" an old man to me when I ate my noodle in the market. Lao Zhang is Bai, a 65
years old man, "I am a farmer all my life" he said"no education but I am good at plant and vegetation ", so he always pointed me to any plant or tree whenever we pass on the road outside . A very interesting man and got his own view in the society. "why the Mosu women had many man?" he lecturing me, as they got no husband to supported the family, so they used their body to earn some extra money for the family, "sometimes there will be more than 5 man in one night", he added. "of course, she will not charge the man she fancy, and the man can give whatever amount they prefer". He said in the old day, men wear long boot, and when he will take out the shoelace from his boot and hang it on a ring on the door frame, so another man will wait outside when they saw the shoelace. Woahhh...what an interesting insight! Anyways...maternal are still practicing in this region, "it seem coming back more stronger "LaoZhang said. The area lived also the Pumi, and they dress the same like the Mosu, only the skirt are mostly in green. and there
are Naxi as well, dress like those in Lijiang.
Spend the last 2 days wondering around Yongning, LaoZhang showed me the way to walk out to the hotspring right at the Sichuan border, where got couple of bath houses, and surprised to see so many closed bar and pub, and hostels. Seem like there used to be very much into business. From Hotspring, many travellers made the 5 days hike to Yading in Sichuan and Daocheng, sound like a tough and interesting trip. The landmark of Yongning is the Gamoshan mountain, the sacred mountain for the Mosu, you could see it anywhere in the area, but it changed it image when view from different angles, from the Lugu lake side, they call it the Lion mountain. Another sight in town is the Zhamei temple rgat was originally built in the Ming dynasty. Some construction work was underway and all the temple halls had been locked, so the said to be very beautiful wall painting would not able to revealed to me. It was 6pm when I got there, and suddenly monks appeared from within the compound, each found his own corner and began to chanted, the temple ground was instantaneously
flooded by the sharp but robotic mumbled. I also hide myself in one corner, experiencing another kind of quietness from the inside.
Since there was no market day in the area, so every morning there was a small market in the market hall, you need to depend on your luck about seeing different hilltribe, as you never know when they will come to do the shopping.
Note
Minibus or truck from Ninglang to Yongning 30 yuans
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