Great Altar of Chuxiong Solar Calendar Park

At the highest point of Chuxiong, a massive circular step-pyramid of stone rises to meet the sky. This is the Sacrificial Altar, a 5,220.4-square-meter observatory built in 1998 and expanded in 2016. Its design follows the ancient Yi practice of using vertical poles to track the movement of the sun and stars—a method once employed by Bimo priests to determine the seasons. To ensure precision, astronomers were consulted to align the stone columns with the celestial bodies.

Visitors ascend the monument through five distinct staircases. These steps represent the five seasons of the Yi solar calendar: Spring, Summer, Long Summer, Autumn, and Winter. The structure itself is divided into three tiers representing Heaven, Man, and Earth, expressing their ultimate unity.

At the summit, ten totem poles carved from rough, red ochre sandstone stand against the elements. In the center, the Ancestor Totem Pole, measuring 3.5 meters in diameter, holds a gleaming, ten-meter-tall stainless steel sculpture of Three Maidens Holding up the Sun. This central pillar points directly toward the Big Dipper. Surrounding it are nine other deities. To the north, the Gourd God pillar tracks the Big Dipper to mark the extremes of Great Cold and Great Heat. To the west, the Dragon, Eagle, and Sheep pillars cast long shadows at sunset. On the summer solstice, these shadows stretch across the stone floor to touch the central Ancestor Pole.

Today, the altar remains a living site. During the annual Torch Festival and the Ten-Month New Year, Bimo priests gather here to light the sacred fires. The smell of burning pine and the sound of crackling flames fill the air as thousands join in the traditional Left-foot Dance, connecting modern lives to a calendar system that has measured the earth's journey around the sun for millennia.