Dayechang Yi Ethnic Culture Village

　　Dayechang Yi Ethnic Culture Village is located in Dashan Township, Xingren, about 40 kilometers from the county seat. It comprises two natural villages—Dayechang and Xiaoyechang. The area boasts beautiful scenery, a pleasant climate, abundant local specialties, and a rich ethnic cultural atmosphere.

　　When guests arrive in Dayechang, hospitable Yi women welcome them with steaming cups of rice wine in both hands, singing: “We don’t often gather, and it’s rare to meet; the Yi people have traditions—wine is served to guests first; the Yi land has fine liquors, meant to honor visitors; for gathering and joy, please drink your fill…” Festivals or village celebrations feature all-night antiphonal singing and joyful dancing. Warm-hearted elders also recount the origins, development, and aspirations of the Yi people to guests.

　　The houses inhabited by the Yi people of Dayechang maintain an ancient architectural style, built with wooden structures. Typically, there are three rooms: the central one is called the main hall, while the two sides serve as bedrooms. The upper floor is usually used for storing grain or large items. The main house is commonly built with three rooms and four posts. “Four posts” sounds like “four careers” (a homophone meaning “successful career”), symbolizing achievement, while four rooms and five posts are avoided, as they imply separation.

　　The Yi people of Dayechang place great emphasis on preserving their ancient language and script. From a young age, children are taught to read and speak Yi, resulting in a growing number of literate individuals and a continuously evolving culture. Poetry, stories, fables, proverbs, riddles, fairy tales, and dance—all forms of folk literature and art—flourish here.

　　The traditional attire of the Yi people in Dayechang is simple and elegant. Both men and women commonly wrap their heads with indigo, blue, or white cotton cloths. Women's headscarves are longer, wrapped in multiple layers, resembling a “large disc.” Both genders wear long indigo or blue robes over their clothes, paired with belts. Women’s robes often feature embroidered patterns or lace trim at the collar, cuffs, front edges, hem, and around the pant legs, and their shoes are also embroidered. During festivals or when visiting relatives, women dress in their finest, adorning themselves with silver plum blossom forehead ornaments, large floral silver bracelets, rings, and more.

　　The traditional festivals of the Yi people in Dayechang mainly include “Xiao Sacrifice Festival,” “Yi New Year,” “Harvest Festival,” and “Torch Festival,” among which the Torch Festival is especially grand. Legend has it that in ancient times, two powerful wrestlers—one from heaven and one from earth—competed in a match. When the heavenly wrestler lost, he released pests to ruin the crops. The ancestors of the Yi people drove away the pests with torches, giving rise to the tradition of the Torch Festival. The Yi people of Dayechang hold the Torch Festival annually, and the event is spectacular. At the festival, Yi people from Dayechang and nearby villages carry torches, circle their homes, and plant pine torches along the field ridges to drive away pests. After the procession, they gather around bonfires at the edge of the village, playing moon lutes, drinking, singing, and dancing all night long in a lively celebration.

　　Marriage customs. The Yi people of Dayechang practice free marriage but have rules such as prohibiting marriage between those of the same clan, lineage, surname, or maternal cousins. Most marriages are arranged by parents. The marriage process includes: engagement. After a young man and woman fall in love, they exchange “tokens of affection.” With parental consent, the man asks a matchmaker to propose to the woman’s family. Once the woman’s parents agree, the matchmaker brings the man and two bottles of wine to the woman’s home for the engagement. With her daughter’s approval, the woman’s parents open the bottles and drink to signify consent, and the man presents a betrothal gift to seal the engagement. Eating the chicken hanging. On an auspicious day after the engagement, the matchmaker brings fabric, two bottles of wine, and visits the woman’s family. The woman’s family slaughters a chicken to entertain the matchmaker, with the clan chief and village elders attending. The chicken is offered to the matchmaker, who then ties it up with string and takes it to the man’s home. The man’s family also slaughters a chicken to host the matchmaker, and once the matchmaker eats the chicken, both pieces are tied together and kept by the man’s family as proof of the lifelong commitment.

　　When the couple reaches marriageable age, both families choose an auspicious day to “hold the incense wine ceremony.” The matchmaker and gift envoy lead the man’s close relatives, bearing agreed-upon gifts and cash, to the woman’s home, where they are warmly hosted by her relatives. As the relatives pour wine for the guests, they take three steps forward, three steps back, moving in a circular fashion before handing the wine to the guests at chest level. After three rounds, they withdraw. The gift envoy places the betrothal gifts and money on a tray with wine cups and hands it to the woman’s parents to prepare her dowry.

　　Wedding. Three days before the wedding, the bride is accompanied by other village girls in two to three days of weeping. They lament the pain of leaving home and express sorrow at parting. On the night before the wedding, in a designated area, elderly women sing wedding songs in Yi while drinking. The songs convey hardship and offer encouragement to the bride, teaching her to be courteous, well-mannered, and diligent in managing her new household. On the wedding day, the groom does not go to the bride’s home; instead, the matchmaker, gift envoy, and a group of young men carrying the bridal gifts and two fine horses go to fetch the bride. Before departure, a young man carries a box containing a pair of shoes and a pair of pants for the bride and returns to the groom’s home before dawn—a custom known as “grabbing the road.” On the wedding day, the groom may not enter the bridal chamber freely; the bride is accompanied by the bridesmaid or her younger sister. On the second day, the bride returns to her parents’ home. After the wedding feast, the groom’s family thanks the matchmaker, marking the completion of the event. Later, on another auspicious day, the bride is brought back to the groom’s home, accompanied by her brothers, sisters, and other relatives. Only after completing certain rituals can the couple share the marital bed.

　　The funeral customs and beliefs of Dayechang are also diverse. Since 1990, several tour groups from Japan and tourists from the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and other countries have visited Dayechang to experience the simple lifestyle of the Yi people. The warm hospitality of the Yi left a deep impression on the visitors. In October 1996, the Emei Film Studio of China specially came to film the Yi ethnic culture of Dayechang.