The main content of "Dali March Street": In those prosperous spring and autumn years, millions of money flowed like water. Exquisite goods from Sichuan, Guangzhou, Suzhou and Hangzhou are the best trading market in Asia. Black silk scarves and crested shoes, they go to the Moon Street together in groups. I went to burn incense by the Guanyin Stone and came to buy goods in front of the Yuanzu Monument.

Ashan, a young Bai fisherman, lives on the shore of Erhai Lake in Yunnan. At night, he fishes in the moonlight, plays the three-stringed string instrument, and sings fishing songs, which are spread to the Dragon Palace. Axiang, the daughter of the Dragon King, heard this, came to the boat, and married Ashan.

March 15th is the market day in the moon, and all the gods and goddesses go to the moon palace to buy things. Axiang turned into a little yellow dragon and carried Ashan to the market. They came to the Moon Palace and visited the Moon Street under the big green trees with Chang'e and Wu Gang. The street was very lively, and everything was transparent and shiny, visible but intangible.

They returned to the village and told the villagers about the market in Moon Street. They decided to imitate Moon Street and planted three big green trees at the foot of Cangshan Mountain, and set up stalls around the big trees on March 15th. Set up a point to allow people from all over the country to come to the market, and Dali's "March Street" continues to this day.

As far back as the Nanzhao period of the Tang Dynasty, Nanzhao Yangju (jū) 咩 (miē) City (now the ancient city of Dali) was not only the political, economic, and cultural center of Yunnan, but also the important link between Nanzhao and various ancient countries in Southeast Asia. An important gateway for cultural exchanges and trade. At this time, Buddhism had been introduced to Nanzhao.

The ancestors of the Bai people in Nanzhao worshiped the Guanyin Bodhisattva in Buddhist legend. According to legend, this empress Guanyin, who was kind-hearted and rescued those in distress, also subdued the demon Rakshasa who was entrenched in Dali. Therefore, in order to repay the merits of Guanyin Bodhisattva, "every year on the 15th day of the third month, everyone would gather together and offer vegetable food as a sacrifice to Guanyin Bodhisattva, which was called a sacrifice to Guanyin Bodhisattva."

Later generations traded here and passed it down as a sacrifice. "Guanyin Street" ("The Cause of the Bai Kingdom") "Yunnan General Chronicle" compiled by Li Yuanyang, a Jiajing scholar and Bai historian in the Ming Dynasty, also has such written records, "On the Guanyin Festival, goods from various provinces are traded at the foot of Cangshan Mountain on March 15th. . Knowing that Guanyin entered Dali, later generations burned incense and came from all directions with their goods."

Extended information:

March Street is a place with a history of thousands of years. A traditional national event, it is the oldest in western Yunnan and the March Street Market is located outside the west gate of the ancient city of Dali City, covering an area of ??90 acres.

Carry out material exchanges, including velvet antler, musk, Codonopsis pilosula, safflower, white peony root, Chuanxiong, cordyceps, bear paw, snow lotus, pig sand, ginseng, gastrodia elata, bezoar, tortoise shell, and turtle shell from various provinces and regions. , Amomum villosum, Fritillaria fritillary, Qingui, Fupian and other bulk medicinal materials.

The amount and variety of medicinal materials it trades are the largest in western Yunnan; followed by large-scale livestock trading, including cattle from Myanmar, camels from Inner Mongolia, mules, horses, and cattle from various parts of Yunnan, etc., every day. The trading volume during the session was over tens of thousands.

Thirdly, local products from all over Yunnan are sold on Moon Street. The more famous ones include tea from Fengqing and Pu'er, sugar from Jingdong, ham from Xuanwei and Heqing, and ham from Baoshan and Tengchong. Gemstones, amber, jade, Dali straw hats, tie-dye, marble, Xiangyun spicy seeds, Yangbi walnuts, Eryuan breast fans, plums, Midu's rolled hooves, Jianchuan wood carvings, etc.; and finally, other production and daily necessities transactions.

Hold large-scale ethnic sports exchange activities and cultural performances, including horse racing, archery, wrestling, shooting, martial arts, chess, ball games, and large-scale ethnic cultural performances held at Yuejie Street. , folk art performances, dragon and lion dances, cranes, clams, horses and elephants, Overlord's Whip, etc.

A grand event for tasting the delicacies of various ethnic minorities. On Moon Street, various snacks with unique local ethnic characteristics make people who come to the street linger. Snacks are generally divided into three categories: raw, cold and cooked. There are famous Dali foods: raw snails, rawhide, "Yizhangxue", casserole fish and so on.

During the Moon Street Festival, the ancient city of Dali is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. Every household places flowers and trees in front of the door and builds a "flower mountain" in the market.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Dali March Street