Mohei entitled as Yunnan’s cultural town

The Mohei ancient town was selected as a provincial-level historical and cultural area, said a notice released by the Yunnan Cultural Relics Bureau a few days ago.

Located in Ning'er Hani and Yi autonomous county, southwest Yunnan’s Pu'er city, Mohei used to be a key stop on the ancient tea-horse trading route. It houses the historic Mohei High School and Yang Likun's former residence. Yang played the heroine in famed Yunnan film Ashima.

Local traditional crafts such as the salt-making skill and the caravan silver wares were favored by tourists.

"Mohei" means "salt well" in the Dai language. As early as the Han Dynasty (202BC- 220AD), locals in Mohei began to mine salt. In the Qing Dynasty, large-scale salt mining was carried out and a salt administration was established in 1725.

In the period of the Republic of China (1912-1949), Mohei, with a population of 40,000, was once the political and economic center in Pu’er area for flourishing salt and tea trade.

Mohei town is also famous for diverse ethnic cultures. Ethnic groups of Hani, Yi, Dai and more account for more than 50% of the population. They created unique architecture, music, food and lifestyle in Mohei.

Reporting by Dai Zheng (Pu’er Wenlü Information); Trans-editing by Mo Yingyi