Sichuan Daliangshan

Author: Ba Mo Sisters Yi Studies Group
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: The Daliang Mountains are a time pattern without beginning or end. Gazing intently at this realm of Yi culture, you will be immersed in the splendor of ethnicity and culture, ancestors and descendants, history and reality, mystery and solemnity, eternity and the instant.
The Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province is located at the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau along the northern section of the Hengduan Mountains, transitioning to the Sichuan Basin. It borders the Dadu River to the north and the Jinsha River to the south. On this ancient land, the old "Shu-Shendu Road" and "Lingguan Road" wind through towering mountains and deep valleys, extending northward to Shu and the Central Plains, and southward to the frontier and foreign lands. Along this famous "Southern Silk Road," ancient bridges still cross the waters, and (zàndào - wooden - trails) still navigate the mountains. Here, peaks stretch across the landscape, canyons cut deep, and countless mountains rise from the earth, piercing the sky.
This southwestern wonder, which left ancient people in awe, has also placed the geographical environment of Liangshan in a relatively isolated and enclosed state. This has not only greatly influenced the production methods, daily habits, and behavioral patterns of the local Yi people but also profoundly impacted the concepts, awareness, and modes of thinking of the mountainous society. Due to natural geographical barriers, self-contained social systems, and relatively slow economic development, traditional Yi culture has been preserved intact here, continuing and evolving in its own way to this day.