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Qingsuo Village River Lantern Festival (15th day of the seventh lunar month | Zhongyuan Festival)

Qingsuo Village River Lantern Festival (15th day of the seventh lunar month | Zhongyuan Festival)

Map location: 青索村

Distance from ancient city: 35km

Holiday information confirmation: Qingsuo Village Committee 08722436215

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Qingsuo Village is located in Shangguan Town, on the north shore of Erhai Lake in Dali City. Legend has it that in 225 AD, Zhuge Liang led his army on a southern expedition divided into three groups. Because the Miju River blocked the way, he ordered the soldiers to gather green cattails and twisted cattails into ropes, allowing the army to cross the river smoothly. The village was named Qingsuo Village, and the bridge was named Qingsuo Bridge. In the 23rd year of the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty, the Qingsuo Bridge was demolished, and a magnificent three-arch stone arch bridge was built in its place, renamed Tianqu Bridge.

Our "Follow Brother Ding" rural cycling activity will pass by and visit this village along the way.

One day, while visiting Qingsuo Village on my own, I ran into a fellow cyclist. I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I returned the next day for a picnic on the bridge. Just a few meters away, the Yong'an River runs parallel. So, this place is not only special during the Lantern Festival, but it's also a wonderful trip anytime. The Miju River and the Yong'an River run parallel to each other, just ten meters apart, in this ancient village.

Every year on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, Qingsuo Village in Shangguan Town celebrates its most important festival: the River Lantern Festival. On this day, nearby Bai villagers gather around Tianqu Bridge, where they hang colorful offerings for worship. Elderly people chant scriptures and burn incense, praying for good weather and a good harvest, remembering their ancestors, and praying for the souls of the deceased.

At dusk, pairs of young men and women, full of piety, go to the main temple to worship and make a wish. Then they go to the river to light up the exquisitely crafted river lanterns one by one and put them into the Miju River, letting them float downstream.

Our friend Lele once went to Qingsuo Village to attend the River Lantern Festival during the Ghost Festival:

"Children, crammed into the crowd, held various creative river lanterns above their heads. On this day, villagers from nearby villages flocked to Qingsuo Village, casting tiny starlights beside the Tianqu Bridge, a relic from the Ming Dynasty..."

Another friend Queenie said:

"I was taken by a friend to Qingsuo Village in Shangguan to release river lanterns. Only by seeing it with your own eyes can you truly appreciate their reverence for the Ghost Festival. Yue said that they also released river lanterns when they were young. It seems that the northern part of China lacks a sense of ritual in folk festivals. I released my first river lantern in my life, and sent my thoughts to my old friends."

The following are photos recorded by Lele (2024 Ghost Festival):

My own record of my visit on September 6, 2025: River lanterns floated down from the black waters far upstream:

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