Midu was once named Midu. According to legend, this place was originally a vast water country, and it was easy for travelers to get lost, so it was named "Midu" or "Midu". To avoid flooding, it was renamed Midu in the Qing Dynasty. It is like a piece of jade inlaid in the western Yunnan Plateau. In the Tang Dynasty, Midu was the heart of the Nanzhao Kingdom. More than 100,000 soldiers and merchants from the Central Plains not only brought agricultural and commercial technology to this fertile land, but also spread the Yellow River culture to this passionate place. Therefore, there is a saying in Midu that "Lamps come from the Tang Dynasty and art starts from the Tang Dynasty". During the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, the immigration activities of military settlements, civilian settlements, merchant settlements and Kaijiang settlements continued continuously, bringing the lingering and graceful Yangtze River culture here. After the vicissitudes of history, Midu has exchanged and penetrated the cultures of the Han people and the Yi, Hui, Bai and other ethnic minorities within its territory. It has integrated the strengths of its own local ethnic culture and absorbed the essence of the cultures of the north and south of the motherland, forming a unique local ethnic characteristics. splendid and colorful traditional culture.
Midu is the "hometown of lanterns", "hometown of folk songs" and "hometown of folk songs". "The River Flowing" originated from Mi Zhi. The composer of lyrics and music, Mr. Yin Yigong, was born in Mi Zhi, Midu County in 1924. He recalled the scene when he composed this piece of music one night in the spring of 1947 and said: "The beautiful melody of Mi Zhi's sheep-herding tune reminds me of the moon, deep mountains, forest breezes and winding rivers in my hometown." "The title of the song. Jiang Qian, editor-in-chief of "Teaching Sing" of Yunnan University, suggested that "Little River Flowing Water" would be better. After this song was published, it gradually became popular. "Mi Zhi is not only a beautiful folk song, but also an important part of Yunnan lanterns. birthplace. The Dragon Lantern Festival here originated during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty and has a history of nearly 300 years. Every year on the 15th and 16th day of the first lunar month, people from 18 villages gather at the Mirzhi Temple. Lions, dragons and phoenixes rise and dance, men, women, old and children compete and sing together, carnival day and night, the atmosphere is lively, it is rare, and it is known as " Carnival of the East.”
The Midu lanterns and folk songs are overwhelming. There are more than 400 Midu lanterns and folk songs, and more than 250 traditional plays. "Ten Big Sisters", "Embroidered Purse", "Midu Folk Song", "Strong Wind Makes Tree Tops Rotate", etc. have been sung for a long time and are very popular.
Successive leaders of Midu County have attached great importance to inheriting and developing local ethnic culture, and have put forward the slogan of "singing "Little River Flowing Water" and dancing on red Midu lanterns" for the construction of local ethnic culture. In 1999, 13 famous songs, represented by "Little River Flowing Water", were selected from more than 400 Midu folk songs, and a 60-minute VCD music and art film called "Midu Journey" was filmed and released at home and abroad. In the past few years, Midu County has held a large-scale Spring Festival lantern show every year, carried out large-scale lantern singing training and lantern group dance competitions, and has a professional lantern troupe and more than 130 amateur lantern teams active in urban and rural areas all year round.
“When we arrived at Hongyan Slope, we heard singing everywhere” and “Nine of ten Midu people can sing lanterns”. Midu, the place where the river flows, is showing to the world with a grace full of traditional cultural charm of local ethnic groups.