Visit the Jingpo Munao Zongge Festival in Mangshi

'To the Tune of Linjiangxian' Longing to set eyes on Dehong, a myriad of Dai customs unfold. Plagues and barriers hinder our way. The light clouds know my intent, to go in my stead with the gentle breeze. Munao Zongge fills Mangshi, spring nights leave dreams unsettled. Hastening forward as if by lightning's race. Revelries often last into the night, fatigue too becomes light. At the onset of early spring, we choose to visit Mangshi, the capital of Dehong Prefecture, during the Jingpo Munao Zongge Festival. Driving from Dali, we take the Hangrui Expressway to Mangshi, covering about 325 kilometers, stopping for meals and rest along the way, and arriving in the afternoon at the Jingpo International Munao Zongge Cultural Park, 14 kilometers from the city center of Mangshi. The car is parked in a temporary toll parking lot, 30 yuan per entry, not timed. Inside the cultural park, music, singing, and the sound of gongs and drums weave together to create a strong festive atmosphere. The Munao Zongge Festival is the grandest traditional festival of the Jingpo people, originating from their folk legends, flourishing in religious sacrificial activities, and gradually evolving into a mass song and dance festival after the founding of New China, with Munao Zongge meaning everyone dances together. Inside the park, a fence encloses a large square, separating the dancers from the audience, with guards at the gate, but not preventing people from entering and exiting. Outside the fence, the audience is packed shoulder to shoulder, fully engrossed or tirelessly taking photos, with a corner featuring a stone sculpture of the Jingpo's ancestral creator Ningguanwa, towering and piercing, watching over the Munao Zongge activities. We enter the enclosure to closely appreciate this lively scene. In the center of the square stands a tall, colorfully painted archway called 'Munao Shidong', with patterns of the sun, moon, chains, and symbols such as swords representing the totem worship and beliefs of the Jingpo people. Giant speakers play music, and on the steps, rows of Jingpo men and women sing and dance. The singing and music echo to the heavens, also driving the rhythm of the dance on the square. Munao Zongge is divided into organized teams led by 'Nao Shuang' and mass teams led by 'Nao Ba'. Nao Shuang consists of several Jingpo men dressed in red (Sun) robes or yellow (Moon) robes, wearing hornbill crowns, inserting feathers of peacocks and other birds, holding Fubang knives, and Jingpo women adorned with silver bubbles and holding red fans. Nao Ba is made up of several Jingpo men dressed in distinctive costumes, holding Fubang knives. Nao Shuang and Nao Ba lead their teams around the square, tracing different patterns, with people either showing joy or immersed in enjoyment. Women twist their waists gracefully, men step firmly with vigor. Under the bright sun, the continuous dancing on the square inevitably becomes hot. Women use parasols for shade or fans to create a breeze as if using props to add grace, while men can only let sweat beads flow down their foreheads, soaking their clothes. Munao Zongge lasts two hours per session, and as it nears the end, Nao Shuang and Nao Ba lead the teams slowly out of the enclosure to the music, and in ten minutes, the square becomes empty. We too leave the cultural park and head for other attractions.