Yunnan

Author: Gao Yun et al. / Country:
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: To avoid making this book resemble the childhood legend of "Kua Fu," our authors have strived to share their personal experiences and genuine feelings, as well as the most valuable insights from their journeys. The book records and describes the landscapes and cultures of various places, much like the "wild grass" and "small stones" depicted by Tatsuo, which are some of the things you will encounter. You may not notice every one of them, but as long as you pay attention to them by chance, that is enough. After all, we are all still on the road. The term "solitary walk" does not mean you must travel alone. Rather, it means that your "journey" must have a personal touch. No matter how renowned or famous the destination may be, your "journey" must hold meaning and value for you! This is the principle of "Solitary Walk China."
"" (The Gentle Plains) — After waving goodbye to Jinghong from the Lancang River Bridge in Menglun, the car still needs to travel 37 kilometers south along the left bank of the river before reaching the town of Menghan in the olive plain, where it finally leaves the Lancang River waters and turns east. After driving for over 20 kilometers on a nearly straight plain road, the road begins to slope steeply, and in just a few minutes, we plunged into the dense mountains covered with thick forests. Xishuangbanna is a multi-ethnic region dominated by the Dai people. In addition to the Dai residents who cultivate paddy fields in the river valleys and flatlands, there are also smaller populations of the Hani, Kini, (), Yao, Lahu, and Han, Yi, and other ethnic groups who migrated here in modern times. Most of them grow upland rice and live in remote mountainous areas. During this stretch of road, we passed by several Hani villages and Ak villages. It is said that behind the towering mountains to the left is the famous Kini Mountain, which has been renowned for hundreds of years. There is another road in the mountain that connects Jinghong and Menglun, which has long been controlled by the Kini people living in the mountains.
After passing Kini Mountain, Rainforest Valley, and the small village of Manle, the Menglun plain comes into view. The Dai people call villages "man" and plains "meng," and "meng" later came to be used as an administrative unit to govern the villages in the plain. In the Dai language, "lun" means something soft and gentle, like glutinous rice. It is also said that when the Buddha came south to spread the Dharma, he was exhausted from his long journey. He randomly found a large stone to sit and rest: "Huh, how soft is this stone? It's so comfortable to sit on." The Buddha thought, "If the stone is so soft, then the people here must be even gentler and kinder." He decided to stay and build a pagoda to spread the teachings, naming this gentle place "The Gentle Plains."
When we emerged from the embrace of the mountains and the view opened up, patches of lush paddy fields stretched out into the unknown distance. Suddenly, about a mile to the right of the road, I spotted a strange hill: its surface was covered with dense old forests, with tall, umbrella-like tree canopies spreading wildly, layer upon layer, covering the entire hill. From a distance, it seemed ancient, majestic, and powerful, like dozens of Kongo warriors holding axes and flags, standing solemnly among the mountains. As soon as I saw this forest, my heart moved, and I gazed at it for a long time, as if I could feel its breath. I even heard a rhythmic, muffled drumbeat deep in my soul—it was a call to the travelers from afar. Later, I learned that the mountain is called White Elephant Mountain, the "Dragon Mountain" of the Dai village "Chengzi Village" below. The Longshan culture is a widespread religious belief among ethnic groups in southern China. It primarily involves villages protecting nearby forests as sacred spaces, often used as public cemeteries, seen as the resting place of souls. The community collectively believes in their mystery, avoiding them and refraining from cutting down any trees within them. The ethnic minorities in southwestern Yunnan have preserved some aspects of this belief, calling it "ghost forests" or "Mu Yiji sacred forests" in the Wa language, "Longshan forests" in the Dai language. These forests are usually located behind the villages and are slightly higher in elevation. According to research by relevant experts, the practicality of this religious culture is also very important. It effectively organizes all members of society to protect their living environment through a non-scientific, non-rational approach.