Beauty of Jingdong lies in nature, heritages

Located in southwest Yunnan’s Pu’er city, Jingdong Yi autonomous county is home to two national nature reserves of Mt. Ailao and Mt. Wuliang.

The nature reserves have serve as eco-shields, providing the richness of biodiversity. In 2019, Jingdong was entitled as a national “oxygen bar".

Known as a natural gene bank, the small county has one-third of the nation's species, such as black-crested gibbons, Phayre's leaf monkeys, slow loris and more.

The history of Jingdong dates back to 765 AD, when Jingdong belonged to the Nanzhao kingdom. One of the key cultural relics in Jingdong is the Confucius Temple. Built in 1442, the temple is a site under state protection.

26 ethnic groups live in Jingdong, such as Yi, Hani, Yao and Hui. The Yi people make up 42.9% of the total population and they created wonderful culture and customs.

Yi people are good at singing and dancing. Where there is a Sanxian tune, there is dancing. Sanxian is a typical Yi musical instrument. In 2012, a grand Sanxian show was staged by 7,979 local artists in the county seat square, setting a new Guinness record.

As a national intangible cultural heritage, the special dish-serving dance also prevails in the county. The dance originated from ancient rituals, and it aims to show hospitality and courtesy from the host when serving food at a banquet.

Reporting by Ma Yinchun (Yunnan Daily); Photos by Jingdong Media Center; Trans-editing by Mo Yingyi