Shede Pastureland And The Bo People

Shede Pastureland And The Bo People

Shede scenic resort is known for its pastureland, plateau landscapes, local specialties，ethnic customs and revolutionary base. The biggest draws there 
include a vast pastureland of nearly 100,000 Mu (appr. 16,500 acres), 
Bainitang Bo Ethnic Eco Cultural Village, Yangxiong Mountain and Huazhuqing 
Valley. 

 

Bo People

The Bo people in Qiubei County call themselves "Guo Bo" and "Bozu". They were identified as a branch of the Yi ethnic minority in 1956. According to research,
 the Bo people in Qiubei are the descendants of those in Yibin of Sichuan 
Province who fled to Qiubei County due to warfare. The Bos of Qiubei, with a
 total population of some 5,000, have been listed as a disappearing tribe in
 the world. Living compactly in rugged mountainous areas, the Bos are barely
 and even not assimilated at all by other ethnic groups. What is more, the 
poor and inconvenient transport and communication have left them isolated 
from the outside world. So the Bos have conserved intact and traditional 
culture and lifestyle of their own.

 

What is the most mysterious among the ethnic customs of the Bo people is
 the obsequy known as “Hanging Coffin” or “Suspending Coffin”. When in
 Bainitang Village, you have a good chance to witness hanging coffins (in 
other places of Yunnan such as Zhaotong, you also can witness hanging
 coffin on cliffs).

Each Bo household has a Zuguan coffin (ancestral coffin) that is chiseled out
 of cherry or birch wood. Any touch of the ground of the coffin is deemed 
ominous even in the process for making it. The annual Ancestral Worship ceremony
 of the Bos is carried out not on the Pure Brightness Day (April 4) but the
 first Snake Day of lunar October. However, for those poor families the
 ceremony is only held in every two and even three years.

 

Besides Bainitang Village of Shede Township, Liuwanpo Village of 
Shuanglongying Township is another ideal place in Qiubei County to witness
 the Bo Culture.