Experts and scholars talk about Lijiang's Sanduo culture

A seminar featuring Sanduo culture was held in Yulong Naxi autonomous county, Lijiang, on March 23, to welcome the upcoming Sanduo Festival.

Sanduo Festival is a grand traditional festival of the Naxi people in which they worship their ethnic patron saint "Sanduo", the guardian and protector of the Naxi people in their times of need.

A seminar featuring Sanduo culture is held in the Yulong Naxi autonomous county, Lijiang, on March 23, to welcome the upcoming Sanduo Festival. [Photo by He Qianyi/xinhuanet.com]

The seminar aims to research and understand the Sanduo culture and combine it with the actual conditions of Lijiang and Yulong county to actively promote the construction of Sanduo cultural tourism brands for local economic and social development.

"In recent years, the Yulong government has attached great importance to the development of local ethnic cultures represented by the Sanduo culture," said He Hongwei, head of Yulong county.

Locals wearing Naxi traditional costumes perform at the Sanduo Festival. [Photo by He Jingyi/xinhuanet.com]

He added that Sanduo culture embodies the cultural accumulation and spiritual achievements of the Naxi people over thousands of years, reflecting their respect for nature and dedication to a meaningful life.

Yang Guoqing, president of the Lijiang Cultural Research Association, said that the culture itself dates back more than 1,200 years and noted that the Sanduo Festival, one of the most symbolic folk events held in Lijiang, has been listed as a Yunnan intangible cultural heritage project.

"I'm a native Naxi person though born in Beijing and I'm excited to attend the seminar of Sanduo culture back in Lijiang," said scholar Mu Jianhua.

A band made up of inheritors of Naxi traditional instruments goes on stage to celebrate this year's Sanduo Festival on March 24. [Photo by He Hongyan/xinhuanet.com]