Baishui Terraces
The Baishui Terraces (baishui
tai) are the cradle of trhe Dongba culture of
the Naxi people. It is said that the founding
father of Dongba culture settled here to spread
his beliefs on his way back from Tibet. On the
eighth day of the second month of the lunar calendar,
that is, the day when the founding father held
his founding ceremony, people of various groups
congregate round the terrace, singing and dancing
and slaughtering chickens to pay tribute.
Springs here, high in calcium
carbonate run down the mountain slopes forming
terraces covering an area of three square kilometers.
From a distance, the silver terrace appears to
glitter under the sun. Below the spring terrace
is a natural statue shaped like a pregnant woman,believed
by local people to be the goddess of reproduction.
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