Dimalu

　　Dimalu is a term in the Nu language meaning "a pool of water in the valley." It is an ethnically mixed village of the Nu and Tibetan peoples, located in the valley of the Biluo Snow Mountain on the western side of Pangda Township, with the Dimalu River flowing through the valley, its waters churning with waves. The village consists of 13 natural hamlets, each situated on its own mountain peak, with houses built amid the clouds and cornfields stretching into the colorful sky. There’s a local saying: “Look for caterpillar fungus in the cornfields, and find wood ear mushrooms next to pigsties,” highlighting its high-altitude corn cultivation area. When peach and plum blossoms bloom, the entire valley bursts into vibrant flowers, with bees and butterflies dancing about, making it a truly enchanting sight. As for the origins of the Dimalu River and why there are no fish in it, a beautiful local legend is still passed down: It is said that in the distant Qinghai Lake, there lived a loving dragon couple with five daughters and one son. One day, the five dragon sisters invited their younger brother to go out and play. The youngest, Yuchu, was shy and ran back into the house to hide when his fifth sister tried to take him along. The five dragon sisters then decided that each would head in a different direction to find a good place to live, and they would all meet up again later. The eldest sister, the Jinsha River, brandished a golden axe and headed southeast. The second sister, the Yellow River, swung a jade axe and rushed eastward. The third sister, the Yarlung Tsangpo River, raised a silver axe and dashed west. The fourth sister, the Lancang River, and the fifth sister, the Nu River, wielded a bronze axe and an iron axe respectively, galloping southwest together. The young dragon prince, Yuchu, grabbed a large broadsword from beside the door and chased after them. Seeing that his fourth and fifth sisters had not gone far, he used his sword to force his way through and followed them. Along the way, the impulsive young dragon prince, full of vigor, swung his sword to cleave mountains and part ridges as he sped through the clouds. Just as he was about to pass through the main peak of the Prince Snow Mountain—Kawagarbo Peak—his loud, thunderous footsteps startled the mountain god Kawagarbo. The mountain god looked down to see a little dragon brandishing a sword, charging forward fiercely, smashing boulders and toppling ancient trees, sending birds and beasts fleeing in all directions. Even more infuriating to the mountain god was the pungent, fishy smell carried by the wind as the young dragon approached, almost making him gag. The mountain god lashed out at the young dragon with his divine whip, scolding him harshly as he struck. Terrified, the young dragon turned and fled westward. In his panic, he crashed straight into the arms of his fifth sister. Hearing how the mountain god had cursed and whipped her little brother, the Nu River, her fifth sister, roared in fury and swore that from that day on, the people there would never eat fish, and the land would turn barren. One day, while the mountain god Kawagarbo was resting, he suddenly caught the smell of something scorched. He looked around and saw withered grass and trees, barren mountains, and all the birds and animals gone. Heartbroken, the mountain god made a deep cut on his palm, severed one of his blood vessels, and used his own blood to nourish the land and save all living things in the mountains. With a few incantations, his blood transformed into a mighty, surging river. From then on, the region was always shaded by green trees, filled with birdsong and floral fragrance, abundant in crops, and thriving with people and livestock. Everyone lived a carefree and happy life. However, because the Nu River (the fifth sister) had sworn that the people would never have fish, to this day, there are still no fish in the Dimalu River. Legends aside, for reasons unknown, there still are no fish in Dimalu to this day.

　　In Baihanluo Village, there is a wooden building combining Chinese and Western architectural styles, covering an area of 545 square meters. Its entrance resembles a traditional Chinese memorial archway, and it is the Baihanluo Church. Every Sunday, worshippers gather here for Mass. This site was once the location of the shocking "Baihanluo Missionary Case," which caused an uproar across northwestern Yunnan. In 1897, Father Jean-Baptiste Rian, a priest from the Kangding Diocese of the French Catholic Church who had been preaching in the Zhawalong area of Tibet, came to Bingzhongluo to spread Christianity, which stirred strong dissatisfaction among the local Nu and Tibetan communities. However, Father Rian managed to win over Penlha Tsering Gyatso, the head of the Phuhua Monastery in Bingzhongluo, by offering small favors, and purchased a plot of land in Baihanluo Village to build a church. Within just a few years, he had constructed a three-story French-style building and seized over 20 acres of farmland from Baihanluo Village. The people of Bingzhongluo and surrounding areas repeatedly demanded the expulsion of the foreign missionary, but under pressure from French imperial forces, the Qing government ordered the Weixi Subprefecture to dispatch a company of Qing soldiers (approximately 80 men) to protect him. With the protection of Qing troops, Father Rian brazenly prohibited the locals from practicing Tibetan Buddhism, enticing and forcing them to convert to Catholicism. He also decreed that Catholics could not marry non-Catholics, interfering in local marriage customs. He banned villagers from inviting monks to chant scriptures or beat drums, sowed discord among ethnic groups, and continued to forcibly occupy land in Baihanluo, conscripting villagers to build the church. Father Rian’s tyrannical behavior provoked strong opposition from people of all ethnicities. On July 20, 1905, over 200 Nu, Tibetan, and Derung villagers armed with crossbows, muskets, spears, and machetes gathered in Bingzhongluo. One group, led by the young Nu villager Jiawang Cipu (a novice monk from Phuhua Monastery), marched southward along the Nu River and reached the Dimalu River, where they lay in ambush near the ropeway crossing to prevent Father Rian from escaping. Another group, led by Wu Xue and Gama Anzhu, crossed the Nu River to the east and stormed straight toward Baihanluo, surrounding the foreign church and apprehending Father Rian. When they stormed into the church, Father Rian had already fled. Enraged, the crowd set the church on fire. It turned out that Father Rian had fled early upon hearing the news, but on his escape route, he murdered Jiawang Cipu, who had been blocking the river crossing at the mouth of the Dimalu River. After escaping the Nu River, Father Rian fled to Kunming, where he lodged unreasonable demands with the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, Xiliang, via the French consul. He extorted 300,000 taels of silver in compensation from the Qing government, demanded military suppression, and insisted on the reconstruction of the church. Intimidated by imperialist threats, the Qing government agreed to these harsh terms. They also used a “reward official positions in exchange for reduced silver” scheme, granting Father Rian the title of a third-rank provincial governor (Dao-tai). The government paid 50,000 taels of silver to rebuild the Baihanluo Church, awarded the Phuhua Monastery 10 taels of gold, and required the villagers of Bingzhongluo to pay 3,000 taels of silver. In addition, the former monastery lands and rents of Baihanluo, Chala, and Qiunatong were transferred to the Baihanluo Church. When Qing troops entered Bingzhongluo, they brutally beat to death Gulu, a patriotic religious leader and supervisor of the Phuhua Monastery in Bingzhongluo, and threw nine uprising leaders, including Gama Anzhu, into prison in Weixi. To pay the silver indemnity, the ethnic communities of Gongshan were driven to poverty and ruin, suffering immensely. Yet the fearless spirit of the Gongshan people, who dared to resist aggression, is still celebrated to this day. The past has faded like mist. Today, Father Rian, who once devoted his life to spreading the gospel in the Nu River Grand Canyon, rests quietly in an unmarked grave beside the Zhongding Church, silently listening to the church bells and hymns under the chestnut tree he once planted.