Nujiang River lies in the northwest of Yunnan Province. Originating at the southern foot of the Tanggula Mountain, it forms the western edge of the Three Parallel Rivers area.
The upper reaches of the Nujiang are called the Nagqu River. Because its water is black, it was once called the Black Water River.
Running between the Gaoligong Mountain and Biluo Snow Mountain, over time the Nujiang formed a 300-kilometer long and 20-kilometer wide canyon, with the climate subtropical.
In late April, before the rainy season, I flew from Xishuangbanna to Lijiang to rendezvous with my friends. We drove southwards from there, passing Jianchuan and Eryuan, and then westward to cross the Lancang River. After that we headed north for Nujiang Canyon.
Transportation in northwest Yunnan has been developing rapidly in recent years and the winding mountain roads had been tarmacked, so we were spared the dust of the old dirt roads.
As we journeyed to lower altitudes, the temperature rose and by the time we reached the Nujiang River, the sultry and humid feeling characteristic of subtropical climates, occupied us.
We crossed the Lancang River in less than half a day of leaving the Jinsha River. As we neared the Nujiang, the thought of seeing these three great rivers in one day excited us.
Liuku, capital of the Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, is a mountain city built on both sides of the Nujiang River. On the east bank is the commercial centre and opposite, the cultural district and canyon entrance.
A near 100-meter-long concrete bridge crosses the Nujiang River. Not far away is the drawbridge which once served as the key communication hub. Today only pedestrians use it.
There are various legends about the name of "Liuku." The Bai people say the area was once home to many prized animals, and attracted deer hunters the word Liuku means deer trap.
But according to Han tradition, it got its name from the fact that it is surrounded by six mountains, each of which, says legend, contains treasure, and Liuku means six treasure houses.
As for the Lisu people, who were early habitants of the place, Liuku in the Lisu language means dragon cave.
The Nujiang is 3,200 kilometers long and runs from China, through Myanmar (where it is called the Thanlwin River) and eventually out into the Indian Ocean. The Chinese section is 1,540 kilometers long, of which 547 kilometers flow through Yunnan.
The 300 kilometer-plus Nujiang canyon is largely unspoilt by man. To its east is the Biluo Snow Mountain (or Nushan Mountain), which rises to 5,500 meters above sea level, and to its west is the 5,000 meter Gaoligong Mountain.
Though the Nujiang Canyon is much shorter than the Grand Canyon in Colorado, the difference in height from the bottom of the Nujiang Canyon to the top of the mountains is over 2,000 meters, some 500 meters higher than the Grand Canyon in the United States.
Rapids, shoals, streams, waterfalls, bamboo forests and clouds compose the majestic scenery of Nujiang Canyon, called by many foreigners the mystical grand canyon of the Orient.
A tarmacked road runs north to south and the 635-kilometer road from Liuku to Kunming, and the 235-kimometer road from Liuku to Dali are also high-quality roads.
Ancient people
Lisu is an ancient ethnic group. According to historical records, the name "Lisu" was first recorded in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). Their language belongs to the Yi branch, the Tibet-Burmese group of the Sino-Tibetan language family. The Lisu people of China and those in Myanmar, Thailand and India speak basically the same language.
In history, the Lisu were a migratory people. They moved from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the Sichuan Basin, and then to the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, with some traveling south to northern Myanmar, and others to Thailand.
Today Yunnan is home to 600,000 Lisu, who occupy 4.48 per cent of the minority population of the province.
Driving along the river, we saw lush forests on both sides of the canyon and villages scattered in the cloud-decorated mountains. Though the rainy season had not yet come, the waters of the Nujiang were already muddy. One after another whirlpools formed and disappeared in the rapids.
In the canyon, there were few cars or people. The road runs alongside the river, and cloud mingled with mist. With the accompaniment of the mountains and rapidly flowing river, we began to enjoy the humid and fresh air and unique landscape.
The Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture has jurisdiction over the four counties of Lushui, Fugong, Lanping and Gongshan. Lisu, Nu, Bai, Pumi, Dulong and the ethnic Tibetans dwell there.
In the 15th century, the Lisu people began moving westward from their domain along the Lancang River. Generation by generation, they crossed the Lancang and climbed over the Biluo Snow Mountain. Those who made it arrived in the Nujiang River area, and ever since then they have lived in this serene and isolated canyon.
In Fugong, we saw that most Lisu villages were built on hillsides, with houses mostly made of wood or bamboo.
Large villages comprise a 100 or more households, while small settlements have just 30 to 40. My Lisu friend told me that most of the villagers were from the same clan or tribe.
A mixture of religions co-exist here, from primitive ones, to Tibetan Buddhism, Catholicism and other Christian sects. Most Lisu families consist of two generations a couple and their children. Very few households are made up of three or more generations, although the youngest son of a family takes responsibility for looking after his parents. Generally men do the farm work and conduct business, while women and children take care of the household chores.
In the past the Lisu's lives were governed by nature. They divided a year into 12 months, and each month into 30 days by observing phases of the moon.
A small number of the Lisu use a cycle of animals representing the 12 Earthly Branches to number the years. But most combine the solar calendar and the cycle of animals. Some elderly Lisu who continue to live in the mountains still number the years according to changing seasons.
(China Daily June 3, 2005)
