For Pumi people living in Lanping Bai and Pumi Autonomous County, in northwest #Yunnan’s Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, May 30 is not only the Chinese traditional Dragon-boat Festival, but also the annual local Valentine’s Day. 

    Accordingly, the Pumi Valentine’s Day began in the Yuan(1271-1368) and Ming(1368-1644) Dynasties. At that time, people were banned from getting married among different ethnic groups in Lanping, according to custom. To abandon this updated custom, local royally-appointed hereditary chieftains carried out a policy to encourage marriages among people from different ethnic groups. Since then, on every May 5 in the Chinese lunar calendar, local youths have gathered for dating at the Luoguqing Grassland through singing and dancing. In 2003, this special event was named by the Lanping government “Eastern Valentine’s Day”. In 2011, the government renamed the event “Pumi Valentine’s Day” which is becoming a well-known ethnic celebration. 

     Pumi is one of the ethnic groups living in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. They have profound culture and history. To protect Pumi culture, local Lanping farmers have already formed a team and launched mentoring program to pass on Pumi folk songs and dances. All of the team members are learning and passing on the tradition with strong will, devotion and responsibility. They play the harmonicas and four-stringed guitars to express pleasure, anger, sorrow and joy in Pumi people’s daily life. During this Dragon-boat festival, thousands of domestic and foreign tourists were attracted to Lanping for the Pumi Valentine’s Day. And They enjoyed the Pumi songs and dances performed by the Pumi culture mentoring team.