Kuoshi Festival, Nujiang, Yunnan, China

This is the most important festival for Lisu people, something like their New Year, and tradition dictates that the exact date of this festival each year must meet a series of phenological conditions(including when the cherry trees bloom), therefore varies among different villages -though since 1990, December 20th has been decided on as the official date. During the celebrations, you will witness various customs and rituals unique to Lisu people, such as dog-worshipping, playing on swings, and burying someone with river sand (with no harm done!). The gala at Liuku is particularly sensational and wild, where terrifying performances like
‘Over the Mount of Blades’ and ‘Through the Sea of Fire’ will definitely make an impression.

At Nujiang Prefecture

photo credit: RichardLu/ Viewfly视觉中国