Traditional fair in Dali presents a wonderful life

A traditional fair took place in west Yunnan’s Dali old town on March 25, inviting in tourists from home and abroad and presenting a wonderful lifestyle that features the Bai ethnic customs.

The one-km-long fair was filled with seasonal fruits, fresh vegetables and Chinese medicinal herbs. Tie-dyed clothing and other cultural products were appealing to the market goers, who stopped to taste rice noodles, milk fans and other snacks from time to time.

A traditional fair takes place in west Yunnan’s Dali old town on March 25.

  　　

With a history of about more than 1,300 years, the rural fair takes place regularly on the 2nd, 9th, 16th and 23rd days of each lunar month, but the busiest Third-Month Street Festival is held yearly from 15th to 21st in the third lunar month at the fair site. March 25 belongs to the 16th day of the 2nd lunar month, so this year's festival is still some 30 days away.

 

A traditional fair takes place in west Yunnan’s Dali old town on March 25.

 

At the very beginning, the festival was a religious activity, and then it turned into a trading fair where merchants from Yunnan, Sichuan, Xizang/Tibet, and areas south of the Yangtze River traded local produce, herbs, livestock and general merchandise. In 2008, the festival was inscribed into the list of national-level intangible cultural heritages.

 

A traditional fair takes place in west Yunnan’s Dali old town on March 25.

Reporting by Hu Yuya (Yunnan Daily); Trans-editing by Wang Shixue