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Dimaluo
迪麻洛村
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|---|---|
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| Country | China |
| Province | Yunnan |
| Autonomous Prefecture | Nujiang Lisu |
| Autonomous County | Gongshan Derung and Nu |
| Township | Pengdang Township [zh] |
Dimaluo (Chinese: 迪麻洛村; pinyin: Dímáluò Cūn) is a villageinGongshan Derung and Nu Autonomous County located in a side valley of the Nu River Valley in the north-western part of Yunnan, China.[1][2] The Dimaluo River flows through the village and is a tributary of the nearby Nu River.[citation needed]
"Dimaluo" is a Lisu word meaning "plains".[1]
French Catholic missionaries first arrived in Dimaluo during the 1840's, and later on, Swiss and French missionaries from the Paris Foreign Missions Society would continue converting the area.[1][3] They had been successful in making a number of Nu converts in the Dimaluo area.[citation needed] Because there was no written Nu language, instructions took place in Tibetan, giving rise to Tibetan as a language of high status among converted communities.[citation needed]
Electricity was introduced to the village in 2008, and a hydroelectric dam has been built along the Dimaluo River.[3]
In recent years, large numbers of Han Chinese workers have moved to the area for employment in construction jobs, which largely involves building infrastructure in the region.[3]
Dimaluo is located at an altitude of approximately 1,815 metres (5,955 ft) above sea level.[1] It is bisected by the Dimaluo River which flows directly into the Nu River roughly 10 km downstream from Dimaluo village.[citation needed] The village sits in the Dimaluo River Valley and is surrounded by the steep valley walls.[citation needed] The valley's peaks reach a height of around 13,000 feet (4,000 m).[3] The village is bordered by Myanmar's Kachin State to its west, and 12 miles north of the village lies the border with the Tibet Autonomous Region.[3]
Dimaluo is located in a subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb), and, due to its high altitude, never gets very hot in summer.[citation needed] The rainy season is typically from June through September and receives its first snowfall in early November.[citation needed]
The economy of Dimaluo primarily consists of agriculture.[citation needed] Locals typically grow wheat or corn and raise livestock such as sheep, goats, and pigs.[citation needed] Due to the development of infrastructure in the village in recent years, Dimaluo received around 400 tourists per year as of 2018.[3] Trekking through Dimaluo has become increasingly popular with tourists from China, with many following an ancient pilgrimage route linking the Nujiang Valley with a neighboring one.[3] A couple of guesthouses have started up in Dimaluo and operate with some success, especially during the spring and fall months and during national holidays.[citation needed]
Dimaluo is largely Catholic.[1][3] Many in the village go to church on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings.[citation needed] During Sunday morning services, churchgoers pray, sing, and chant in both Mandarin and Tibetan.[citation needed]
The village is a small enclave of Tibetan culture in a county that also contains people of Lisu, Nu, and Dulong descent.[citation needed] As the original population of the valley was predominantly Nu, many of the families here are now mixed Nu-Tibetan descent.[citation needed]
Many of the people in Dimaluo speak Tibetan, Nu, and Lisu, and some can speak Derung.[citation needed] Tibetans do not actually form a majority of the village's population, but the dominant language and the public displays of culture (music, dance, and traditional dress) are all Tibetan.[citation needed] Most of the younger people also speak Mandarin, some with a Gongshan accent.[citation needed] Most of the people in the village have at least three names: a Tibetan one, an English (Catholic) one given to them at birth, and a Chinese one they were given when they started school – as well as whatever nicknames they have acquired along the way.[citation needed]
Several nights per week, traditional Tibetan dancing takes place at the center of the village on the basketball court or in private homes which have rooms big enough to accommodate a crowd.[citation needed] Singing is usually divided up into men's and women's rounds, and takes place along with the dance and accompaniment by the men on the traditional two-stringed instrument called the xianzi.[citation needed]
Along with dancing, basketball is one of the most popular recreational activities in Dimaluo.[3] The basketball court is at the very center of the village, and serves as a gathering place.[citation needed] Several of the local villages have teams, and may travel a two-hour walk to compete with other teams.[citation needed]
27°56′20″N 98°42′02″E / 27.93897°N 98.70043°E / 27.93897; 98.70043
