Chuxiong

The heartland of Yi culture, with nightly left-foot dance revelry at Yi Ancient Town, camellias on Zixi Mountain and the Torch Festival, plus Guanglu and Shiyang ancient towns and the Dayao White Pagoda along the northern route.

Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture lies in central Yunnan between Kunming and Dali. Its capital, Chuxiong City (also called Lucheng), sits in the Longchuan River valley and is the seat of one of only two Yi autonomous prefectures in China, earning it the name “Center of Yi Culture.” The climate is mild and spring-like all year, with sunny, dry winters and springs and a rainy season in summer. The liveliest time is the Yi Torch Festival around the 24th day of the sixth lunar month (usually late July to August), when Yi Ancient Town and the Solar Calendar Park host fire ceremonies, circle dances and all-night celebrations; the Jun–Sep rainy season is when wild mushrooms flood the markets.

Where to go: ① The city — Yi Ancient Town (left-foot dancing and long-table banquets at night), Chuxiong Prefecture Museum, Chuxiong Confucian Temple, Yanta Pagoda, Longjiang Park, Futa Park and the October Solar Calendar Cultural Park on the northern outskirts; ② The western outskirts — the forests of Zixi Mountain and Ziding Temple, with camellias blooming in winter and spring; ③ Northern day trip — Guanglu Ancient Town in Yao'an, the Dayao White Pagoda and Shiyang Ancient Town. Heijing Ancient Town and World Dinosaur Valley in Lufeng, as well as the Yuanmou Earth Forest, are covered as separate destinations.

Getting there and around: Bullet trains from Chuxiong Station reach Kunming (about 1 hr) and Dali (about 1.5 hrs), and the G56 Hangzhou–Ruili Expressway crosses the prefecture. Taxis work well for sights in the city; for Zixi Mountain and the northern towns, drive yourself or hire a car with driver. Plan on 2 days: one for the city plus Yi Ancient Town by night, and one for Zixi Mountain or the northern towns. Local specialties include wild mushroom hotpot, Yi-style mutton soup hotpot, tuotuo rou (chunky Yi-style pork) and Nanhua wild mushrooms. Mountain roads are slippery in the rainy season, and wild mushrooms should only be eaten fully cooked at reputable restaurants.

Top sights