Kuoshi Jie festival in Liming

After 10 months of e-mail conversations with our good friend Lily from Lashihai Ecotourism our plans were finalised. We set off in Dec 2008 on an exceptionally exhausting , non stop journey to Lijiang in the heart of Yunnan. Our journey took us from the UK to Hong Kong then onto Kunming, finally arriving very weary in the ancient city of Lijiang. We were half way around the world ,very tired, it was late at night but we still had one essential task to complete in preparation for our trip over the next two weeks. The girls needed the all essential puffer jackets for our journey. After a quick supper we made our way into the old quarter where we swiftly kitted the girls out with fashionably cut arctic clothing and suitable Chinese headgear. All at remarkably low prices. Well, as the girls pointed out, you never know who you might meet on a mountaintop so one should always look good. All I could think of were shaggy Yaks who have no fashion sense, but I guess Yaks do look good in black.

The following morning our destination was the small market town of Liming where the local population are predominately Lisu.


We had planned to attend the Kuoshi Jie spring festival and then climb Thousand Tortoise Mountain. The top of this extraordinary mountain appears to be made up from clusters of giant tortoises and is totally out of this world. Much to our surprise our highlight was market day in Liming. There we encountered a brilliant variety of minority tribal Chinese people.





It's not every day you meet Lisu men clad in goat skins sporting a type of cross bow, Yi women wearing brightly coloured pleated skirts with enormous headdresses, and Naxi women wearing their distinctive coats depicting the seven moons on their backs. The Liming market was a glorious blend of tribal life, all living closely together,each speaking in their own languages and following their own unique traditions.

The following images are a snapshot of Liming, its surrounding landscape and the people who visited Liming during course of the festival and all the important market.

In preparation for our trip I had been trying to study the region and the possibility of festivals during our stay. The Kuoshi Jie festival was a discovery I made the week before we arrived and an experience we will always cherish.

When we arrived in Liming a small stage had been set up in the town square. I say town, if you are a city person I'd expect you would regard Liming as a village, let's just refer to it a small market town surrounded by imposing pink terracotta mountains.


Groups of girls were clustered by the side of the stage in their finery,waiting patiently before they embarked on their performance . Young men clutched their instruments looking anxiously at each other while smoking cigarettes as men do when killing time.



We arrived just in time to see the breath of youth celebrate their musical and dancing traditions on the first morning of the festivities. The assembled audience crooned their necks, anxious not to miss a moment of the festivities .I simply gawped at the beauty and innocence of occasion, hugging myself with the satisfaction we had found the place.

We swiftly realised where the action was and drifted to the right of the simple stage. Conspicuous as we were, somehow we mixed with the musician and dancers and found ourselves taking pictures and sharing the results with everyone. The company of players were all in a festive mood, keen to show off their colourful attire and perform for the audience. A troupe of lads got up onto the stage, some blowing their pipes through their noses, others taking a more conventional approach. The sharp sunlight threw the spectacle into sharp contrast, accentuating the drama of the occasion while the rich colourful dresses of the girls shone with a contrast and brilliance we were not used to but would later become the hallmark for our memories of Liming.


This was our baptism for life in rural China. Over the next few days the market town of Liming was to throw up all manner of delights ,the festival being only a small part of that experience.



My two daughters Iona (left) India (right) posing with two Lisu girls who asked to have their picture taken. This was also the first outing for the new puffer jackets. It might appear bright and sunny but boy was it cold.

The last two images were taken at the finale. Notice the local dignitaries standing at the back. I think they were judging the performances