Daxi Village of Tadian Town in Eshan County, Yuxi

Overview

• Chinese Name: 玉溪市峨山县塔甸镇大西村
• English Name: Daxi Village of Tadian Town in Eshan County, Yuxi
• Location: Daxi Village located in Tadian Town, is situated 83 kilometers west of Eshan County, with an average altitude of 2,210 meters.

The village covers an area of 55.6 square kilometers and is divided into 16 villager groups. The entire village is inhabited by the Yi ethnic group, specifically the Shansu people. The Daxi Village Committee is an administrative village in Tadian Town, located 38 kilometers from the town government and 89 kilometers from Eshan County. The village houses are uniformly painted in earthy yellow, with golden corn strings hanging on every family’s walls, symbolizing harvest and joy. This unique and warm sight brings continuous surprise to visitors.

The primary economic sources of Daxi Village are agriculture, tobacco cultivation, and sericulture.

Mayinghua玛樱花节 Festival in Daxi Village

As the vibrant Mayinghua (pink cherry blossom) quietly adorns the mountains, Daxi Village in Tadian Town welcomes its annual spring celebration—the “Mayinghua Festival.” The origin of this festival is rooted in a poignant legend: A Yi girl named “Mei Weiru” resisted the tyranny of the local lord and ultimately sacrificed herself. Her blood stained the white Mayinghua blossoms across the mountains. Since then, each year during the blooming of the Mayinghua, descendants celebrate the festival in memory of this beautiful and kind-hearted Yi girl. On this day, people of all ages dance joyfully, sing harvest songs, and engage in “flower-picking tunes,” celebrating all night. Young men also pick bright Mayinghua blossoms to present to their beloved, expressing their affection and loyalty to love.

For the Shansu people, the Mayinghua Festival is a springtime party where villagers of all ages gather in Daxi New Village to dance and celebrate. In the mountains and on the square, men and women form circles, dancing to the rhythm of the flower drums. Daxi Village also hosts flower drum and square dance competitions, creating a platform for cultural exchange among villagers. As lively music plays and enchanting dances unfold, beautiful and simple Yi women express their heartfelt joy through synchronized movements and spirited performances, showcasing the positive spirit of the community in the new era. The enthusiastic performances of the eight participating teams receive rounds of applause from the audience.

Food is an essential part of the celebration. People slaughter cattle and sheep, sharing delicious local dishes paired with fine wine to celebrate the festival.

It is reported that the Mayinghua Festival in Daxi Village is fully organized by the local village enterprise, Eshan Shansu Service Co., Ltd. Through booth rentals and sales of local specialties like Sichuan pepper and honey, the village enterprise achieved a gross income of over 20,000 yuan.

Daxi Sacred Mountain

The Daxi Sacred Mountain Fire Altar is located at the peak of Daxi Mountain, near Huajie in Daxi Village, Tadian Town, with an elevation of over 2,600 meters, more than 100 kilometers from Eshan County. Daxi Mountain, the highest point in the area, reaches an altitude of over 2,400 meters. This mountain is regarded as a sacred site for the Yi people, serving as a location for the collection of the sacred fire. At the summit, there is a sacred mountain park where an annual grand ceremony for gathering the sacred fire takes place, featuring traditional fire-making techniques similar to the Olympic torch ceremony, adding to its sense of ritual. For this reason, Daxi Mountain is also referred to as the Daxi Sacred Mountain.

As you approach the summit, you will see a pink archway, signaling your entry into the sacred mountain park. The sacred mountain park hosts the annual grand ceremony for collecting the sacred fire, featuring traditional fire-making techniques that evoke the Olympic spirit, enhancing its ceremonial significance. This is why Daxi Mountain is known as the Daxi Sacred Mountain.

The Daxi Fire Altar covers a total area of 136 acres and consists of two main parts: the fire altar and a greenbelt. The base of the altar is at an elevation of over 2,600 meters. The altar has three tiers, standing 7.5 meters high, with a giant turtle-back stone on top measuring 2.1 meters, bringing the total height to 10.6 meters.

At the highest point of the park is the Yi ethnic October Solar Calendar Square. The October Solar Calendar is an ancient calendar created by Yi ancestors to observe the trajectory of the sun and changes in climate, consisting of 10 months and 360 days in total, with the Torch Festival lasting two days and the October Year Festival lasting three days, amounting to a full year of 365 days. The square features information about the October Solar Calendar and explanations of corresponding animals and auspicious messages for each month.

The origin of the Torch Festival is linked to the people’s reverence for fire, with the purpose of using fire to drive away pests and protect crops.

The origins of the Yi Torch Festival trace back to the ancestral worship of fire among the Yi people.

The Yi Torch Festival typically lasts for three days and three nights, divided into three stages: fire worship, fire playing, and fire sending.

First Day of the Torch Festival: Fire Worship

On this day, every village slaughters cattle and sheep, sharing the meat collectively while preparing wine and food to honor their ancestors. As night falls, people from nearby villages gather at a site selected by the elders to build an altar for the ceremony. Using traditional methods, they ignite the sacred fire with flint, while a Bimo (a Yi folk priest) recites prayers.

Step One of the Fire Gathering Ceremony: Worshiping the Heavens

Elders place incense and offerings in front of the sacred stone of the fire altar and respectfully bow in worship. They then scatter millet around, wishing for the health and safety of the people and bountiful harvests.

Step Two of the Fire Gathering Ceremony: Chanting Prayers

The Yi Beima chants the scriptures for gathering fire, praying for the fire god to grant them fire.

Step Three of the Fire Gathering Ceremony: Igniting the Fire

Amidst the rhythmic chanting, an elder climbs the sacred stone to begin the traditional fire-making process. After ten to twenty minutes of vigorous rubbing, a glowing flame finally emerges from the wood, producing “modern fire” using ancient techniques.

Returning Down the Mountain

Visiting Eshan and Daxi Sacred Mountain provides insight into the slight differences between the Yi ethnic groups in Eshan and those in Yunnan’s Chuxiong and Honghe regions.