Puzhehei - a Place of Abundance |
Travel in Yunnan | |||
Puzhehei (pǔ zhě hēi 普者黑) National Tourist Resort is located in Qiubei County (qiū běi xiàn 丘北县), Wenshan (wén shān 文山) in Southeast Yunnan, 280 km from Kunming (kūn míng 昆明). It takes on Karst geological features and covers a total area of 165 square kilometers. It was noted for the world- rare and domestic- unique karst landscape and pastoral scenery since 1993.
In the dialect of the Sani People (sā ní rén 撒尼人) who is a branch of the Yi (yí zú 彝族) ethnic minority, “Pu Zhe Hei” means a place abounding in fish and shrimps. The scenic area gets known for hills, lakes, underground Karst caves and ethnic villages etc. There are altogether 256 tourist sites, 312 isolate hills (peaks), 83 caves, 54 lakes and 40,000 acres of Karst wetlands. There are about 100 karst caves, most with two floors - a higher dry cave and a lower wet cave with an elevation of 1,450 meters. Puzhehei is deemed “the unique pastoral land with Karst landforms” and “beautiful paradise”.
Ethnics living there are mainly Yi, Zhuang (zhuàng zú 壮族) and Miao (miáo zú 苗族) all of whom have developed colorful ethnic cultures of their own. The Sani people there claim themselves “Sanipo”. They believe they are the descendants of the Sani People in the Stone Forest who fled to Qiubei Area some 400 years ago. The entire village is made up of 75 families or 780 villagers, all of whom are Sani - a branch of the Yi Minority. Girls of the Zhuang ethnic group dressed in folk costumes which are adorned with jingling silver ornaments and embroidery, row little wooden boats and send visitors along the winding 21-km water corridor through Luoshuidong Lake (luò shuǐ dòng hú 落水洞湖), Puzhehei Lake (pǔ zhě hēi hú 普者黑湖) and Xianren Lake (xiān rén hú 仙人湖).
Dragon Worship Festival of Zhuang Dragon Worship Festival (jì lóng jiē 祭龙节) of Zhuang is a famous tradional festival in Puzhehei. Date: 3rd of of the third month by lunar calendar Painted-Face Festival Date: 24th day of the sixth month - 24th day of the seventh month by lunar calendar Mizhi Festival Mizhi festival (mì zhī jiē 密枝节) is one of the main traditional festivals spent by the Sani people living in counties such as Shilin (shí lín xiàn 石林县), Mile (mí lè xiàn 弥勒县) and Qiubei etc. Functioning as a religious service of the Sanis, it is routinely held from the second Rat Day to the Horse Day of the lunar November, lasting about seven days; it's billed as "men's day" because many ceremonies are merely attended by male Sani villagers.
Luoshuidong Lake Luoshuidong Lake stretch 10 km from south to north. It is the deepest lake in the tourist region with an average depth of 4 meters, with the deepest point being 30 meters. Tourists can hear the Zhuang girls singing their love songs while sailing along with the current on the crystal water. The Yi and Miao live a peaceful life here. Puzhehei Lake Yezhutang Yezhutang (yě zhū táng 野猪塘) to the north of Puzhehei Lake is a perfectly protected cave burial ground of the ancient Yi people. The ancient Yi buried their dead in the earth and never visited the grave, but the head of the ethnic group would hide a cherry log (28 cm high with a diameter of 40 cm) in a cave in the forest, representing the soul of the dead. Locals hold a sacrificial ceremony every three years, which attracts many tourists and experts. Houpayan Gorge Xianrendong Village (xiān rén dòng cūn 仙人洞村) is a typical Sani village with limpid lakes and lush vegetation. It is totally a fairyland of Puzhehei. How to get You can take regular long distance buses at the bus station of Kunming heading for the seat of Qiubei County. The ticket costs 45 yuan in day time and 65 yuan at night. The distance is 275 kilometers. Driving time is about 4 hours to Qiubei. From Qiubei you can catch a minibus or taxi to Puzhehei. Costs range from 45 Yuan to 65 Yuan. You get off at the crossing near the Puzhehei Scenic Region and take a cab to reach the Xianrendong Village 3 kilometers' away. The best season there is from May to September, especially in July and August when the lotus flowers blossom. Don't forget to carry your swimming suit. Tourists can choose to lodge at the seat of the Qiubei County or to stay at the Puzhehei Resort where the price is slightly higher.
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