Thousands of Jingpo people dance at Munao Zongge Festival

Dubbed the “Dance of Paradise”, the Munao Zongge Festival is the most important festival for the Jingpo people who mostly reside in southwest Yunnan’s Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture. The exciting festival attracts thousands of visitors every year as well.

The Munao Zongge Festival usually falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, which is March 2 this year. When it comes, Mangshi City of Dehong Prefecture is turned into a sea of joy. Tens of thousands of Jingpo people in splendid attire danced together all day long following specific moves and routes, to pray for a good harvest in the New Year.

In addition to singing and dancing, the unique “green leaves banquet” of Jingpo people is something you should try as well. It is so named because large green leaves are used as “plates” to serve food in the banquet, and people eat with their hands rather than chopsticks or forks. 

Editor: John Li