Slideshows

A so-called Super Moon coinciding with Mid-Autumn Festival in 2015. Yes, it is Kitsch.

Rushan is a Bai cheese traditionally served only at special occasions. It is made by heating cow's milk with sour milk, stirring it with large chopsticks until it curdles into the consistency of mozzarella, before being stretched across bamboo frames to dry for a day. It is eaten usually grilled or fried, but is also an ingredient in the Bai Three Course Tea 三道茶.

Bai people perform ancient ritual music at the Benzhu Temple in Dazhuang, south of Dali.

A week after Ghost Festival boats set out at dusk on Cibi Lake to make offerings to the Dragon King.

Panorama along the 金沙江 between Tuoding 拖顶 and Jinjiang 金江 during the rainy season.

Beautiful scenery along the Zhubaluo River, a Jinsha tributary disgorging from the slopes of Mt Baimang.

Tibetan midsummer festival celebrated around the full moon day of the seventh lunar month.

The central meat market in Zhongdian.

Far from being just a celebration of the Yi people, in Mangkuan the Torch Festival is enjoyed by everyone.

Cock fighting is a popular pastime in the countryside, particularly with the Dai.

Where the Nujiang first opens to a broader valley lies Mangkuan, home to one of the northernmost Dai populations, with Lisu, Yi and Miao living in the mountains to either side.

Horse caravans still cross the Nujiang on one of the oldest chain bridges in Yunnan.