Mule and Horse Fair of Naxi Ethnic Group

Date: In the middle of seventh lunar month
Place: In the Lion Hill(Shizishan) in Lijiang Town.

The Naxi people have long had a tradition of raising fine horses. Their caravans have remained prosperous over hundreds of years, reaching Dali, Kunming and even Lhasa . During the Ming (CE 1368-1644) Dynasty, the feudal headman from Lijiang, Mude, was even permitted to pay his annual tribute to the emperor in the form of Lijiang horses instead of currency. Since then, Lijiang horse have become well known. With the development of the modern trade economy, Lijiang horses have become a brand name, and therefore an annual horse and mule fair has been formed.

Now, not only do the Naxi people participate in this annual Mule and Horse Fair in Lijiang, but neighboring peoples from the Lisu, the Pumi, the Han, the Bai, the Tibetan , and the Yi nationalities come to the Mule and Horse Fair to buy, sell – and just see – horses and mules. With the development of China's economic reform and its open trade policy, many other activities add to the content of the Mule and Horse Fair in Lijiang. For example, there are national sports games, national style song-and-dance performances, painting and calligraphy exhibitions, Lijiang ancient music performances, and so on. All these initiatives promote the development of the local economy and its culture while enriching the content of the festival.