A Cultural Tour Featuring Cliff Paintings, History and Folk Customs in Lower Tiger Leaping Gorge, Daju

The Observation Platform in Daju overlooks Lower Tiger Leaping Gorge. Standing here, visitors enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the gorge. The river winds like a silk ribbon. On both sides stand Yulong Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain, two snow-capped peaks facing each other silently. Their sheer precipices tower toward the sky and plunge straight down to the river below. Daju is nicknamed "the iron wok" for its sweltering heat, yet just above this hot basin lies a frigid icy world. Han villagers grow watermelons adapted to the warm lowland soil on the flatland, while Tibetan herdsmen raise yaks that thrive only in cold mountain highlands.

Daju boasts the lowest elevation among the ten basins in Yulong County, and it is well known as a lowland hot zone within Lijiang. In the Naxi language, it is called Dagushubudan, meaning "the bottom of an iron wok", which vividly describes the intense heat. Thanks to the warm climate, Daju is the only place in Lijiang that grows watermelons. This unique local variety is valued for its seeds rather than its flesh. Legend says the seeds were brought here more than 700 years ago when the great Mongolian leader Kublai Khan led his army across the Jinsha River on leather rafts. The melon later became a specialty of Naxi settlements. Its ruddy seeds are seen as auspicious omens and remain an indispensable treat at Naxi festivals and celebrations.

Daju is a land steeped in ancient history and culture. Neolithic relics and stone coffin tombs dating back to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods have been unearthed here, providing vital evidence for the study of Naxi history. Ancient people were deeply drawn to Lower Tiger Leaping Gorge. They left mysterious cliff paintings on a rock face not far from the Observation Platform, which marks the first discovery site of the famous Jinsha River Cliff Painting Group.

Papermaking ranks among China’s Four Great Inventions, and Daju Township at Lower Tiger Leaping Gorge is famed as the Hometown of Dongba Paper. This reputation stems from its status as a major centre of Dongba culture in the past. The handcrafted Dongba paper produced here was widely celebrated across Naxi territories and highly sought after by Dongba priests from all regions. In addition to paper production, a rare Dongba pictographic medical manuscript titled Book of Remedies was collected by Naxi healers in Shanglidu Village of Daju Township.

Daju is a multi-ethnic settlement inhabited by Naxi, Han, Tibetan and other peoples, creating remarkably diverse cultural traditions. Beyond Dongba heritage and cliff paintings, the area features many other folk arts. Toutai Administrative Village, for instance, is a time-honoured village famous for woodcarving. Ruined watchtowers still remain in Daju; these fortifications were built by the powerful Mu chieftains of the Naxi nationality during the Ming Dynasty, who once ruled northwest Yunnan and extended their influence all the way to Kham-Tibet.

Historically, Daju served as the quarry where the Mu chieftains mined white marble and marble stone. Several years ago, an inscription carved with the year "the 43rd year of the Wanli reign" was found at the ancient quarry. Locals name the site Lengbululagu, which translates to "the place where Bai stonemasons chiselled rock". This oral tradition matches historical records that numerous Bai craftsmen were recruited by the Mu clan to build the grand Mu Mansion.