Da Liangshan - 大凉山

Pictures of Yi minority of Liangshan

Da Liangshan

The Da Liangshan Massif, literally the “Great Cold Mountains”, form a region of isolated mountains, which bypasses the great Yangtze River. This area is the ancestral land of the Yi ethnic group, formerly known as Lolo. This important population was, with the Bai ethnic group of Dali, the founders of the Nanzhao kingdom in the 8th century.Despite the upheavals of their culture, the Yi ethnic group (called Nuoso in Da Liangshan) continues to live on the margins of Chinese society.Still not much known by foreign tourists, the region of the Great Cold Mountains deserves attention. Sumptuous landscapes of the high valleys, villages perched above the gorges … Traveling in Da Liangshan is to discover a very remote region but full of charm and authenticity.

What if you attend the Torch Festival?

On the 24th day of the sixth lunar month, Yi villagers celebrate the Torch Festival. If your tour in Sichuan passes through the Da Liangshan Massif at this time, why not attend?When night falls, attend a spectacular ceremony, which aims to move away for the coming year, the threat of epidemic and protect crops from the ravages of insects. During the day, you will see archery competitions, swing and even buffalo fights.Formerly forbidden, this festival is today one of the flagship events of Chinese minority culture in Yunnan and Sichuan.

The Yi minority

The Yi people is made up of 8 million people, divided between Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi and West Guizhou. Powerful and isolated, the Yi have long fascinated explorers, missionaries and ethnologists. Living in rural areas at high altitude, the Yi people are made up of different groups (black Yi, red Yi, flower Yi …), speak different dialects and their customs vary from one region to another.