Join Kuoshi, the Lisu New Year, on Liuku's riverfront from 20 December
Nujiang West Bank, Liuku, Lushui
Kuoshi means new year in Lisu, and it is the biggest festival in the prefecture. Its official start is fixed at 20 December by the Western calendar, and the prefecture now runs a festival of two to three weeks from there, with Liuku as the main stage; the 2026 edition ran from 20 December 2025 to 5 January 2026. Come for the blade-ladder climb, where climbers go barefoot up rungs made of sword blades, fire-walking over hot coals, crossbow contests and antiphonal singing; during the 2024 festival there were also nightly circle dances on the West Bank that visitors were invited to join. Villages that keep the old timing celebrate when the wild cherry blossom opens, anywhere between the 5th day of the 12th lunar month and the 10th day of the 1st, so those dates change every year.
What locals sayLocals compare it to Spring Festival, with pigs slaughtered, houses swept and home-brewed liquor going round, so expect the canyon to be busy and noisy rather than quiet.
- Time
- Half a day to several days · From 20 December into early January
- In Chinese
- 傈僳族阔时节 怒江西岸
Checked on site by visitors
No visitor has checked this note on site yet. Been here?
Based on what locals and regular visitors share, checked against current sources · Updated September 2026. Details change — check opening times locally.
