Colors of China's Daliang Mountains

[Music] in this episode of travelogue we tour the lakes and mountains of Yongsan it's a visual cultural and literal feast from pottery to pomegranates plus we get a fascinating glimpse into a unique society where women rule and marriage as we know it it doesn't exist [Music] however and welcome to travelogue where you and I get to discover the best bits of China together my name is Minh surreally all right just call me Zuri and in this episode as well as the next I'm going to take you to the lakes and mountains of Yongsan in China's southwest now hear the coaches of nine ethnic minorities one strong including the Yi the Mongolian and Tibetan and also a long time ago this place was traversed by traders on the ancient southern Silk Road [Music] as far back as two thousand years ago merchants passed through here on the way to Southeast Asia India and the Middle East today I'm not carrying goods to sell only my trusty camera [Music] I'm glad I brought it along because well it's obvious I'll just let the Magnificent scenery speak for itself this vast range is the Dali yang or great cool mountains it extends across the border between the provinces of search one and unite we're on the search one side in yang Zhong Yi Autonomous Prefecture the Yongsan is home to the largest population of Yi people in China but there's also a vibrant mix of other ethnic groups so wonderful scenery rich ethnic culture what more could you ask for today why don't we start our journey in the prefectural capital of Yongsan known as seating and this place is said to be fifty percent urban 50 percent lake and mountain so I am 100% excited to share this place with you let's go we're starting our tour in the oldest part of the city Lea Joel ancient town unlike many of the more famous ancient towns in China which have become quite commercialized and thrive off tourism Lee Joel gets full marks for authenticity while the locals go about their business I go about exploring or at least what I hope isn't trespassing I've stumbled upon an abandoned courtyard a grand old residence whose secret dusty nooks and crannies echoes softly with muted stories of eons past I can't help wondering what the families who lived here were like once upon a time this ancient town was wants the Northern Gateway to huge hung city and it was really prosperous because it was a very significant point on the southern Silk Road as well as in terms of military strategy well these days after a few centuries it's kind of become a little more disheveled in appearance but you can still see some remnants of its glorious past there are seven main streets in Lee Cho and as I walk through them I'm drawn into a few more of the large courtyard homes some are in a very sad state of disrepair but many are flourishing converted into shops run by descendants of the original occupants not of whom seem to mind me peeking in Lee Joel ancient town traces its history back to the Ming Dynasty between the 14th and 17th centuries although most of the surviving buildings date from the following Ching dynasty still it's not everywhere that you get to see original Qing architecture and design with some tasteful new decorations of course this however is my favorite find so far in the Tong family compound it's a rare and intricately carved antique bed generously embellished with gold and my second favorite this little hoop [Music] well that's enough history for now let's look at present-day feature the city center lies alongside Shanghai Lake the second largest lake in such one province [Music] in recent years the lake has been the focus of a number of sustainability projects aimed at protecting its environment and the results have been extraordinary so much so that chunghae lake is now a popular eco tourism destination to traipse around the shoreline is to immerse yourself in the lushest of lush greenery interspersed with architectural relics from dynasties past it's tremendously lung and soul cleansing the climate is a definite plus to see Chung is known as spring city warm in the winter and cool in the summer and apparently it also receives more than 2300 hours of sunshine annually that's an average of six and a half hours every day of the year that makes for happy plants and people naturally see Chung also goes by another nickname moon city because it seems the moon right here is especially bright having figured that there's too much to see and too little time using just my two legs I get some help from a somewhat odd semi reclining two wheeler and so with minimal effort I can take it all in how picture-perfect is this hey well Chung how like is part of the largest city wetland in all of China and it's a protected area I've got tons and tons of flora and fauna and there's actually a walkway that one's around the entire circumference of the lake which totals 44 kilometers which is basically a marathon so you can choose to walk it jog it or like me do it on a bike if you tire off the view or much likely a tire of peddling you'll find peppered around the area several sacred spots we can take a spiritual breather [Music] say a prayer burn some incense summon up some inner peace and then hit the road again [Music] this time we come across a peculiar sort of landscape that's neither mountain nor lake this is Huang Li an earth forest and by earth I don't mean our home planet this is a forest of death it may not sound very appealing but in fact this earth voice is beautiful in its own way and quite rare at home Li and earth forest these strange structures aren't actually rock formations they are compacted soil and it's amazing that they haven't completely eroded from the time they were formed about 80 to 100 million years ago neither the best way to enjoy this place is to walk around and maybe use your imagination so is this a medieval fortress or a dog or gigantic mushrooms earth forests like this exist only in a handful of places in China as they require specific conditions to form namely tectonic movements turned specific conditions to last mainly a dry climate [Music] speaking of specific conditions the one concerning me at the moment is hunger so back in downtown tse-tung's I'm headed to a restaurant it's called Arsenal which in the Yi language means to sing and dance together well it's been a long and exhausting albeit rewarding day here in C Chun so I reckon it's about time that I get a decent speed and what's on the menu tonight authentic ethnic week Azim and the best thing is that I get a VIP pass to the kitchen man y'all need Hanyu for another asana nil this yes this yeah Oh Janine you lie woman tell you know what patty Tommy John meeting in LA New Yorker so that you go yes awesome huh in the kitchen puncture Ben worked his gastronomic magic he's been a chef for 20 years concentrating on yi dishes for the past eight he tells me ye people like the food a bit sour and spicy but the key is to retain the ingredients original flavors here at Assen you knew something else that's important is presentation little ashram and are you to judge a holder Yoda you got total nope I agree after Jessica I know keep on Twitter the head ah ha ha okay oh my god I am ravenous but this is just pure gluttony I guess I'll start with this one man digger I can't aah choking Jean Dada desert all my years with okra oh oh you need some good girl muscles for this maybe some sauce afterwards but it is very tasty oh yeah yeah oh yeah neither bread better without him okay it's very famous them even without the chili powder I dunno this food is just phenomenal you know I feel so lucky to be able to eat for pleasure instead of just for survival and I've tried a culinary kaleidoscope of because in here in China but this method is really really up there for me see ya coming up next we head to the south of yunxiang to the county of queenie known for its colorful trifecta Green ceramics copper hotpot and pomegranate porches [Applause] [Music] well now we're in the southern part of the darling mountains area and we're in a county called wheelie it's known in China as the hometown of pomegranate and also green glazed pottery now it's just waking up to another glorious morning let's see what we can check out here Kweli County is located at the southernmost tip of Yongsan ye autonomous prefecture and right in the heart of the old part of town an ancient ritual begins the day his own body with her Chilean teeny sugar flavor Kangin BOGO Tony eat wanton cool and easily yeah yeah homie are waiting for this yet ha ha [Music] and this is how even centuries ago residents would be roused from the slumber every day it's not performance for tourists like me it's just the way things are in Willy [Music] we leave history goes back more than 2,000 years although most of the buildings you see today a much more recent meeting from the Ming and Qing dynasties like lijo ancient town we visited earlier weally was also a notable military garrison and center of trade there's one alleyway here with a very special claim to fame it's said that every family living on Kirti our ally produced at least one successful candidate in the Imperial examination in one particularly celebrated family members of three successive generations passed the notoriously tough exam the old town also attracted many rich and influential families who migrated here from other areas hence the large number of sprawling compounds like this these days each one is home to several families and the quarters are open to visitors I always enjoy seeing how people customize the little space or respecting aesthetic traditions places like this look so raw and yet so refined at the same time sometimes you can spot lingering traces of a lavish heyday like these ornate Queen glazed pottery roof decoration as it turns out on our next stop I meet a man who specializes in this green glazed pottery he's a real local legend [Music] mr. Han is recognized as a master of intangible cultural heritage the inheritor of the skills required to make this special type of earthenware where these green glazed pottery is believed to have originated during the Song Dynasty 700 to 1000 years ago today the craft is being continued in the hands of mr. Han and his students there holds that she simply your heart syndrome of course it's not a real travelogue experience until I get my hands dirty right oh yeah so cool and silky to touch I think I don't my recovery after travelogue is addictive in case you're wondering the teal color comes from Malachi a mineral contained in the glaze it turns green after firing at high temperatures it's not only mr. Han's creations on display heather the compound also exhibits valuable ceramic pieces from various cultures which together trace the development of human civilization within his specialist field next another part of the local heritage created at high temperatures but tailored more to my taste well it is just about time for lunch and these craftsmen need a rate too yes here we go I've been waiting for this moment my whole life alright so we're at Willy County's most popular restaurant and we're about to try Willy County perhaps most popular dish or at least the famous local speciality so so I don't want me out kalyana what did I serve warm until the end all those times with over 40 them are teams on Touhou butcher resin passion misogyny Toshiro he and Jackie not focus on the challenge and a polymer charge chooses to go over Whaley copper hot pot is considered the epicurean hallmark of the County lashes layers of stewed meats and vegetables what's not to like [Music] energy levels replenished we head towards the outskirts of Whaley County where the hills are blanketed in groves of green pomegranates were purportedly introduced into China along the Silk Road during the Han Dynasty well in 2000 years ago someone then discovered that holy soil and climate were perfectly suited for the cultivation and now the area is the largest producer of pomegranates in China singleton are you number with liver and onions I do chairman true yeah Wow the unit I integrate the urgent problem uh depends on your science or fuu-chin challenge a mother reduces swetha oh wow so they see because the conjugal studio Oh soju Kolkata oh wow look how gorgeous it is it's like a chest full of rubies you're gonna love the pomegranate right it's such a versatile fruit you can put it in curries and cocktails but did you know in China it's also got important symbolic value you might be able to guess what it represents from all the seeds that it has well it's a symbol of fertility I wonder what the birth rate is here in this village [Music] coming up next a world so utterly different from what I know a society without fathers marriage nuclear families a society where women reign and all this setting paradise [Music] [Laughter] [Music] well we've now made it to the very west of the dialog mountains area in fact this is where citron province meets Yunnan Province and this is the lugu lake it was a very popular tourist destination around which live the more saw people and this place is also known in China as the kingdom of women now I'm going to have a local guide to take me around the lake and also to tell me a little bit about her own culture which is very very special local is an alpine lake shared by Union and search one provinces more than half of it belongs to search one yongsan prefecture to be precise it's much less touristy on this side compared to the Union side I mean look at that what you might call an unspoiled utopia [Music] several ethnic groups live along the lakeshore but because of their relatively large numbers lugu lake is considered the home of the morsel often described as one of the last matriarchal tribes in the world my guide akka a morsel lady is taking me on a private boat trip to one of the many islands in the lake it used to be inhabited but today it remains as witness to a significant slice of history relating to true events that serve to bridge the gap in culture and communication between China's Han majority and the remote warsaw people to achieve jacoba energy initial energy by God so for me Yahoo g-girl hotel I'm pretty sure Sam okay touching the handle Gounod an entire future I don't wanna shortchange utility adult sha sha sha sha hi Johanna konta she don't know J God with what you both have puts a tweetable Xiao Xiao Ming was 16 when she married the chieftain in 1943 she was clever and learnt them also a language within a year with time she took on the role of de-facto community leader she also facilitated Understanding between her birth and adopted cultures through her the world began to know about the mysterious moss war akka also tells me about the walking marriage in Warsaw society couples don't live together as woman and husband instead a man will visit his lovers boudoir at night and returned to his mother's home before sunrise as a adult one child on that date entail haha one is Johanna some doll candle she will feed con dinero modulation browser sorter and homicide topology / mood for the adiga yet - individual moments of wonder - loser hold up women are free to choose and change partners as they wish relationships can last from one night to a lifetime The Walking marriage is the best-known but perhaps least understood aspect of morsel culture it seems very simplistic and very romantic you know relationships are based on mutual affection there's no I guess no divorce and no custody battles I think it really challenges the almost universal concept of marriage it's quite thought-provoking [Music] Tyler changing your book honk I love you o'clock honk I love gig one fatal love leaned on more one dealer Sudhir Tiffany the Bogalusa muguruza former cha-cha go tunk tunk island fun fun some kind of AA window low Sun God what the Dollar City Eva died boo boo boo son fat loser [Music] fascinating isn't it women head up the household and make all the business decisions property is passed down through the family line and mothers have 100% rights of a children born to them kids are raised by the mums and grandmas and aunts and uncles in the moral language there are no words for father monogamy jealousy legitimacy as I may enter among the local lakeside villages I can't help wondering what it would be like to live in a moral community what a different world indeed I truly hope the moss will manage to preserve the unique lifestyle so when I'm invited into the main room of a traditional morse war home to witness a key ritual in a child's life i leap at the chance the park inertia engines are so vulnerable children in Georgia everything possible healers who can oppose Pikachu like angel told me pin your Baba logical at all this is a coming-of-age ceremony it's held when a child is between 9 and 13 years old a shaman decides exactly when it's a huge deal the boys and girls should their simple children's clothes in exchange for colorful adult outfits and from now on they have the right to participate in religious ceremonies for the mothers it's an emotional afternoon for me it's been an extremely enriching few days in the darling mountains and meeting the morale of lugu lake was the icing on the cake so far [Music] honk I love get 1 Satan love lean on more one Jesus yeah honestly the motorway of life is one of the most intriguing things I've ever learned to that it's very beguiling especially with this sort of backdrop isn't it now we've been to the south of Yongsan and the West as well next episode on travelogue we're going to be going to the east and we're going to be celebrating the torch festival with the Yi people it's going to be one big blazing extravaganza with tens of thousands of people so you'd better join me my name is min Zhu Li I'll see you next week for some epic cultural pyromania [Music] I can't show [Music]

Channel: CGTN

Views: 11,547

Rating: 4.9130435 out of 5

Keywords: CCTV, CGTN, ChinaNews, daliangmountain, sichuan, travelogue, travel, culture, adventure, cuisine, women, landscapes

Id: KHN91Yi4HW8

Length: 29min 20sec (1760 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 17 2018