My Left Eye Sees Ghosts, and My Heart Rejoices

Yunnan, a land steeped in plateau sunshine and mysterious legends, holds a story with a unique spirit in every prefecture. At the foot of Cangshan Mountain in Dali, the tragic tale of the hunter Du Chaoxuan and two young women is told beside Butterfly Spring. To rid the land of a giant python, he ventured deep into Demon and God Ravine. In the end, all three became colorful butterflies, dancing above the water and creating the wondrous spectacle of butterflies fluttering through the air every April. At the summit of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang, Naxi Dongba mythology tells how Jade Dragon, true to his vow of love, became a snow-capped peak that remains white all year round, bearing witness to the ancient lament: "A lovesick man waits in vain for a faithless woman."

The Water Splashing Festival in Xishuangbanna originated with the heroic deed of seven Dai women who fought a demon king. Their bodies, each taking turns embracing the demon's severed head, became the water of blessing that now flows through the Dai New Year celebrations. Deep in the snowy mountains of Shangri-La lies the secret legend of the Kingdom of Shambhala. The earthly paradise described by explorer Rock and by Hilton eventually found its real-world counterpart among the snowy peaks and alpine meadows of the Diqing Plateau.

Farther away, the "Sleeping Beauty" of Kunming's Western Hills lies beside Dianchi Lake, her longing transformed into eternal mountains. The stone peaks of Ashima in the Stone Forest have stood for a thousand years, bearing witness to the Sani people's devotion to freedom and love. Like scattered pearls, these stories trace the cultural threads of Yunnan's sixteen prefectures. Amid Cangshan and Erhai, and along the Tea Horse Road, they tell of the eternal dialogue between people and nature, gods and mortals.