Disclaimer: The content is translated from Traditional Chinese by AI. We’re reviewing all translations manually to ensure the accuracy!

‍

Yushuizhai

Yushui Village is located in Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, China. It is a tourist attraction with the theme of Naxi culture and natural scenery. It is also an important display place for Naxi Dongba culture. It is about 15 km from the ancient city of Lijiang and is located at the foot of Yulong Snow Mountain. It has clear springs, dense forests, and a rich ethnic cultural atmosphere. It is known as the “Holy Land of Dongba”. This national AAAA tourist attraction is also home to the Naxi people's annual “Dongba Puja” and “Three Festivals.”

‍

The scenic area was built entirely in accordance with the traditional lifestyle of the Naxi people. From the courtyard layout to the construction facilities, daily tools, and even the details of life, everything is filled with the atmosphere of traditional national culture. We entered the scenic area from the top entrance, and as soon as we walked in, we saw a block of smoking cessation signs with the words “Enter Wonderland, Please Don't Eat Fireworks”, which not only reminded visitors to protect the environment, but also cleverly displayed the characteristics of the scenic area.

‍

We went to “Nature's Dharma”, and the entrance sign has an East Pakistan pattern on it. This is a sacred place for the Naxi people to sacrifice nature and pray for good health. It represents the Naxi people's worship of everything in heaven and earth and the gods of nature. The court embodies the Naxi view of the universe and nature, and embodies the cultural concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

‍

‍

The god of nature is enshrined on the sacred spring of the Dharma, the origin of humans and nature described in Naxi mythology. They believe that humanity and the god of nature are half-siblings, but they are separated due to a dispute. The god of nature was outraged by humanity's wanton destruction of nature, and refused to be reconciled until the founder of East Pakistan made conciliation, and both sides achieved common understanding: humans need to regularly worship God of nature to show respect and accept the protection of forests and rivers. This tradition has spread to the present day and has become an important part of the Naxi culture.

‍

Continuing from Shenquan, you will arrive at Dongba Temple. Dongba characters are engraved on the top of the temple gate and on the constellation. Dongba Temple is an important symbol and heritage site of the Naxi Dongba culture. It is also a sacred place dedicated to the gods of Dongba religion. The temple combines culture, faith, and architectural art, and is a window to learn about Eastern and Pakistani culture. The temple enshrines statues of various gods and gods of the East Pakistan religion. The walls are painted with East Pakistani paintings and hieroglyphics, showing the religious ideals of Eastern Pakistan.

‍

The temple has an exhibition hall for Dongba cultural relics, which displays long volumes of Eastern Pakistani paintings such as Dongba books, puppets, prose tools, and “God Road Map”, which is a precious treasure trove of Western culture. The exhibition hall has a large collection of East Pakistan scriptures. These verses record the recitation content of East Pakistan rituals, and were included in the “World Memory Heritage List” by the United Nations UNESCO in 2003.

‍

‍

The “Zaishu Ge” in Dongba Temple is dedicated to the Western gods of wealth and medicine, so visitors can pray for good fortune and health.

‍

Dongba murals are one of the important crafts of Dongba culture. Six murals representing the spiritual ideas of East Pakistan were displayed in the scenic area. Among them, “Genesis” depicts that humans originated from white eggs formed by combining the beautiful sounds of heaven with the auspicious energy of the earth. They were nurtured by heaven and earth to hatch ancestors of humans; while black eggs hatch ancestors of ghosts and evil. The only surviving Sungren Lien after the Great Flood was the common ancestor of the Tibetans, Naxi, and Bai.

‍

I think “Man and Nature” is very interesting. The mural shows scenes where the ancestors of Naxi treated nature with respect, and scenes of those who destroyed nature being punished, vividly explaining the concept of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature.

‍

The main building in the temple, the “East Basra Hall”, is the highest religious temple in East Pakistan. It enshrines the three brothers of East Bashra, the founder of East Pakistan, the three protective gods of the Naxi people, and the ancestors of Shonen Lien, and the gods of nature. The inside of the hall is beautifully carved, fully showcasing the deep connotations of East Pakistan culture.

‍

‍

The concept of “nine blessings” in Eastern Pakistani culture symbolizes peace, health, longevity, marriage, filial piety, fortune, official fortune, wealth and wisdom. The Naxi believe that praying to the gods through the lucky bell can be blessed by nine blessings. Clicking the bell nine times means a happy, beautiful life, and good luck in everything.

‍

On the floor outside the temple, the Red Tiger and the White Cow are separate gods and colored horses in Dongba legends.

‍

The beams are decorated with brightly colored figures of red tigers and white cows, which symbolize Eastern Pakistani culture. After leaving Dongba Temple, we passed through many enchanting natural scenery, murmuring streams, and ancient trees along the way, making people revel in this quiet and peaceful space. Along the way, the surrounding scenery shone brightly with the East and Pakistan culture, as if every leaf and every clear spring were recounting ancient Naxi legends.

‍

Unbeknownst to us, we reached the Shinto Gate. The father and mother gods of the Naxi people sit on the left and right, symbolizing the origin and peace of life. Three East Pakistan characters are engraved on the gate, which means “the sacred place of the East Pakistan Altar.” At the bottom of the archway, there is also a line of Dongba text, translated as “Welcome to Yushui Village”. There is a duet engraved on the gatepost. The right link is “God bless the Father in all matters”, and the left side says “God bless everyone under Mother God.” The simple yet profound text shows the respect and prayers of the Naxi people for the gods of heaven and earth.

‍

Finally, we visited the “World Memory Heritage East Pakistan Ancient Books and Literature Monument” in the scenic area to commemorate that the ancient East Pakistan books were included in the “World Memory Heritage List” by the United Nations UNESCO. It is an important symbol of Naxi culture moving into the world. The monument is made of blue stone and copper, and engraves the story of the ancestors of Dongba and the gods of nature, reflecting the blood relationship between man and nature. The divine bird at the top of the monument means reconciling the harmonious relationship between man and nature, reminding humanity to respect the laws of nature and live in harmony with nature.

‍

How to get to Yushui Village?

💡 Location: Yulong Naxi Autonomous County, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province (Click to view Google Maps)
💡 Official website:http://www.ljshuhe.com/
💡 Business hours: 8AM — 6PM
💡 Flight ticket order：Use Skyscanner to compare flight prices to Yunnan and find the best dates and times!