On March 3rd of lunar calendar every year, She Nationality people in She Village gather together to celebrate their festival in a special way. On the occasion of Black Dining Festival (Wufan Festival), men and women of She Nationality go for an outing in spring, pick a plant called “Nian Mi Wu” (Wu Nian), pound it to get soup, soak glutinous rice in this soup, and steam the rice to “Wufan” (black rice) to eat.

March 3rd of Lunar Calendar of She Nationality

She Nationality carries out monogamy, and distant relatives with the same surname may marry. Folk procedural law of marriage includes blind date, engagement, notification of the wedding date, sending liquor-making rice, wedding feast at the bride’s home, wedding feast at the bridegroom’s home, first visit to the bride’s home after marriage, paying a New Year call at the first spring festival and so on. If free love succeeds, the process of blind date is omitted. The most characteristic one is to hold wedding feast at the bride’s home. That day, the bridegroom leads a team to escort the bride, and sets off triple-bang and double-bang firecrackers when entering the village. Therefore, women in the village put a fir branch on the road outside the door, indicating that there shall be an antiphonal singing in the evening. Chi Lang (antiphonal singer, the bridegroom’s full-fledged member) snaps a small part of the fir branch and throws it in front, snaps two small parts of the fir branch and throws them behind, sets off lots of firecrackers and gives a red packet to women. Then, women remove the blockage. In some places, the bridegroom’s team welcomes the bride from behind a door. That is to say, the bridegroom’s team sets off lots of firecrackers outside a door and then slips a red packet into the door, so women inside will open the door.

Unique Wedding Customs of She Nationality

She Nationality shall “operate stone plinths” from the 2nd day to the 15th day of the first lunar month. In fact, “stone plinth” is a stone block with smooth bottom, which is able to slide on streets. Some stone blocks weigh several dozen kilograms, and some even weigh as much as 50 kilograms. There are multiple ways to operate stone plinths. One way is to have two persons in one group: one person embraces and lifts up the other one’s waist, and the latter kicks the stone block that is as large as a millstone. They run on stone-laid street, and send out bangs. This way is called “operating dog plinths”, usually played by children. Another way involves 3 young men; 2 of them hold a bamboo pole as big as the mouth of a bowl, kick a 50-kilogram large stone block and run like split. Both sides are not far from each other on the street. They get into position and gather all forces to kick stones. As a result, two stone plinths bump into each other, and send off bangs. This is called “plinth fighting”. However, both ways are called “operating stone plinths”. Senior citizens say that there is folklore behind the operation of stone plinths by She Nationality.

Folklore of She Nationality—Operate Stone Plinth

This is a mysterious folk stunt of She Nationality. First, the performer puts up a bamboo pole, washes 5 fresh eggs in brine, mumbles and sprinkles clear water in the basin onto bamboo pole. Then, the performer points at the bamboo pole, mumbles, and then bask eggs one by one on the bamboo pole.

Bask Eggs on a Bamboo Pole

Smelting in Fire, commonly known as “trampling on fire”, was first used to exorcise and get rid of diseases. This may be a feudal superstition, but also a large-scale autumn sacrificing. At the climax in gong and drum sounds, the barebacked and bare-footed performer sings loudly, dance wildly, rushes into glowing bonfire, and runes on flaming charcoals. The performer carries out this courageous and bold behavior coolly, but the viewers are greatly shocked by grand and inspiring phenomenon. This project has already been listed on the second batch of intangible cultural heritages publicized by Jingning County Government.

Smelting in Fire

“Millenary She Mountain” large-scale singing and dancing performance is built by Window of She Hometown Scenic Area at full blast. This performance bases on She Nationality culture, integrates Oujiang culture and Dajun culture, uses modern high-tech to construct a dreamlike and fantastic atmosphere, and provides tourists with intense visual impact.
In order to build the most representative She Nationality style tourism base, the planning and design of custom performance boast high-grade taste, and thus set the pace among Zhejiang Province ethnically themed tourism performance and national She Nationality themed tourism performance; form brand attraction— “come to She Hometown for ethnical tourism in East China, and come to Jingning for night tourism in Lishui”. The whole performance features mysterious, romantic and festive style, and exhibits the essence of She Nationality culture and art, such as folk song, dance, tea ceremony, sports and stunt etc. The stage is semi-closed. Dragon Head Mountain, lake and ancient She Nationality stage compose a large panoramic stage. Its lighting design makes full use of internationally fashionable creative ideas, and thus forms a fast-tempo, three-dimensional, crosswise and grand lighting cultural atmosphere. As a result, audience will feel as they were right on the scene. Dreamlike and fantastic performance deeply enchants all audience.

Millennium She Mountain

Dajun Rafting, also known as Immortal Rafting of Floating Umbrella, starts from Plum Blossom Dyke and ends in Floating Umbrella Ferry. It takes you about 45 minutes to go through this 4-km rafting. This rafting is engraved on every tourist’s mind since it is “bizarre, steep, secluded, wild and interesting”; it is also lyrical, exciting and adventurous. Tourists increase year by year since it was opened in 1998. Now, it receives more than 100,000 person-times every year.

Dajun Rafting