BUTTERFLY SOURCE

It is located 5 km north of Shaping, in a pleasant environment at the foot of the Yunnong, one of the mountains of the Cangshan chain, north of Dali. Originally, this 4 m depth source was called the "Source without Substance". A legend tells us that two lovers, persecuted by a lord who tried to remove the girl, threw himself into the source to save their love. And they métamorphosèrent into two butterflies. Even today, at the edge of the source, grows an old tree of albizia, practically surrounded by age, and whose branches overlook the surface of the water. Every year, in the fourth lunar month, the flowers of the tree thrive by taking the shape of a butterfly. By mimicry, these flowers attract thousands of butterflies that come from everywhere to the tree. They form "colored ribbons" from the top of the tree to the water. The people of the region call this unique event the "butterfly meeting".