Shibao Mountain

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Shibao Mountain Song Festival

Shibao Mountain Song Festival is one of the grandest traditional ethnic festivals of the Bai Minority, held annually from the 26th day of the seventh lunar month to the first day of the eighth lunar month. It is considered the most charming cultural event in Jianchuan, Dali.

During the festival, Bai people from Jianchuan, Eryuan, Lijiang, Dali, Lanping, and other surrounding areas all come in their national costumes. The mountain paths stretching for miles are crowded with people, forming colorful streams of visitors like vibrant dragons winding through the hills. Young Bai women dress beautifully and sing melodious Bai folk tunes along the way, while young men carry the traditional longtou sanxian (dragon-head three-stringed lute) on their chest, playing lively and cheerful melodies. The intertwining sounds of songs and instruments create a captivating atmosphere.
 

For the elderly, singing Bai folk songs during the festival is considered auspicious. Some also sing as a way to fulfill vows made earlier to the deities, seeking blessings for peace and safety. Middle-aged participants use the event to express emotions and showcase their singing talents, while young men and women often regard singing as a medium for courtship and finding a soulmate. The songs are based on the traditional Jianchuan Bai tunes, popular in northwestern Dali Prefecture, usually accompanied by the longtou sanxian or leaf whistling. The lyrics follow the classic “three-seven-one-five” poetic form of Bai folk poetry, with strict rules in rhythm and rhyme. Thus, singing here is not only about beautiful voices but also a contest of wisdom and creativity. Skilled singers can improvise on the spot, crafting witty and moving verses. Once equally matched, they may sing back and forth continuously for days and nights without a clear winner.
 

As evening falls, cooking smoke rises all over the mountains. People cook fragrant rice in iron pots with spring water and prepare rich local dishes. Strangers, once they start singing or playing music, are warmly invited to join meals and share conversations, reflecting the Bai people’s hospitality and rustic charm. At night, the mountain is lit with torches and flashlights like streams of shooting stars crossing the woods. In temples, groves, caves, and near murmuring springs, young men and women continue their singing duets under the stars. With passionate songs, they convey emotions and praise life’s sweetness, while the whole mountain resonates with music until dawn. Bonfire parties add to the excitement, featuring collective singing and dancing.

The Shibao Mountain Song Festival is truly an ocean of love songs. Many sincere and touching traditional ballads created by the Bai people have been passed down through generations, with some masterpieces still sung today.
 

As for its origin, local legends tell of a golden bell once located beside Shizhong Temple. When a ferocious dragon flew over and spewed flames, the golden bell turned into a stone bell, bringing disaster to the Bai villages. To resist the dragon, a young couple—A Shibo and A Guijie—along with ten sisters and ten companions, gathered thousands of singers at Shibao Mountain to sing day and night. Their songs eventually broke the dragon’s spell, though the brave couple tragically lost their lives from exhaustion. To honor their sacrifice and ward off evil, people have gathered every year at Shibao Mountain to sing, a tradition that has continued ever since.
 

The Song Festival is not only a grand gathering for the Bai people to express emotions and celebrate life, but also an important platform for poetic and artistic exchange, serving as a bridge for passing down folk literature and art. It is through this festival that the vast treasure of Bai poetry has been preserved and enriched over generations. Today, Shibao Mountain Bai songs have been listed in the international catalog of ethnic songs, and the festival itself is praised as the “Song City of the Bai People.”