Quick Answer: What Is Bai Raosanling?
Raosanling (绕三灵, Rào Sānlíng) is a Bai (白族, Báizú) festival around Dali, Yunnan. Village groups walk between places of worship near Cangshan and Erhai Lake. The processions combine offerings, singing and dance.[4]
- The traditional core dates are the 23rd through 25th of the fourth lunar month.[4]
- A benzhu (本主, běnzhǔ) is a local guardian deity honored at some of the stops.[2][3]
- The route includes Buddhist and local patron sites.[2][3]
The name refers to three principal sacred centers. Accounts of the full procession also describe additional stops.[1]
The paths between shrines are part of the event. People come as village groups, and the music can resume when the procession pauses.[1][4]
The Three Principal Sacred Sites
- Chongsheng Temple (崇圣寺, Chóngshèng Sì), near Dali Old Town, is traditionally known as the Buddhist center.[2][3]
- Shengyuan Temple in Qingdong Village is a shrine of Bai benzhu worship, known as the center of the gods.[2][3]
- The Erhe shrine at Heyicheng is associated with the lake deity and is traditionally called the center of the immortals.[2][3]
The national heritage description also includes worship at Dali’s City God Temple and the patron shrine at Majiuyi.[1]
What Happens Along the Route
The national description puts elder leaders at the head of village groups, with willow branches and a cow’s tail among their emblems. Other participants play flutes, dance with a money drum or carry the bawangbian (霸王鞭, bàwángbiān), a percussion stick used in dance. In accounts of the celebration, paired singers exchange lines at gathering places. The songs and dances are part of the way local groups share Bai cultural traditions across villages.[1][3]
When Raosanling Takes Place
Its core dates follow the Chinese lunar calendar, so they shift on the Gregorian calendar. Prayers for rain and a good harvest reflect the agricultural season.[2] Raosanling entered the national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2006.[1]
FAQs About Bai Raosanling
What does the name Raosanling refer to?
It refers to a circuit of three principal sacred centers around Dali.[2][3]
Do people worship at only three sites?
The traditional account names three principal centers, and the national heritage description records other stops too.[1]
What sounds are associated with Raosanling?
Accounts describe paired singing, flutes and rhythmic percussion during the processions and gatherings.[1][3]
Sources
[1] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Museum. Bai Raosanling national heritage entry
[2] China Development Gateway. Carnivals between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake
[3] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Museum. Dali Bai Raosanling between Cangshan and Erhai
[4] Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office. Raosanling in Dali, China