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1-Each lunar July 24 sees the Yi ethnic group spend the traditional Torch Festival around Yunnan. In 1998, Shilin Yi Autonomous County in the southeast of Kunming named the festival “the Stone Forest International Torch Carnival” which attracts a growing number of travelers every year. The week-long event is usually highlighted by the night of lunar July 24 when one will witness a world of torches. (picture from: jinbifun.com；yunnan.cn)
2- The Sani people, a branch of the Yi ethnic minority living around the Stone Forest, stage performances during the festival. And many folk artists from Shilin County also show up, playing musical instruments for the audiences such as the Dasanxian (a kind of three-stringed and guitar-like instrument of the Yis). (Pictures from: jinbifun.com; yunnan.cn)
3-Bull/buffalo fighting is a traditional sport game of the Yis during the Torch Festival. A tussle between the two “players” can not only hopefully bring honor to their owners, but also is a health check for them as the Sani people mainly survive on farming. (Pictures from: jinbifun.com；yunnan.cn)
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