★ Classics of Yunnan Ethnic Groups in English Translation is a collection of 17 classical works from 11 ethnic groups in Yunnan Province, published in the bilingual form.
★ This is the first time in China that a large-scale English translation of Yunnan's rich ethnic classics has been undertaken.
★ The classics selected for the set are mainly myths and epics of various ethnic groups, such as Zhaoshutun, Old Folk Songs of the Dai & the Naxi, Manau Jaiwa, PamiChali, Zhisa Jiabu, Chamu, Meige and The Gold Flute, etc.

Zhaoshutun (also called Zhaoshutun and Nanmunuona), a secular folktale, is one of the most renowned classics of the Dai ethnic group in China. It is derived from Pattra-leaf Scripture, a Buddhist scripture. Zhaoshutun is a narrative poem widely read in Xishuangbanna, Simao, Dehong and some other Dai communities in China and in Southeast Asian countries. In 2008, Zhaoshutun and Nanmunuona was included in the second batch of The National List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of China. Zhaoshutun is the first literary work of the Dai ethnic group that has been translated from the Dai language into Chinese.
Zhaoshutun is a narrative poem, collected and edited by Ai Die and other scholars, and published by Yunnan People Publishing House. It tells the fabulous story of Dai Prince Zhaoshutun falling in love with the youngest daughter of the Peacock Kingdom and the two lovers undergoing hardship and eventually getting married. The whole poem contains twelve cantos: The Song of a Poet; Prince Zhaoshutun; Seven Princesses in Mengdongban; The Hunter; Farewell; Love; The Rite of Tying a Thread; The War; The Disaster; The Chase; Arriving at Mengdongban; and Reunion. Like all fairy tales, the prince and the princess lived happily ever after.

Canto 1 The Song of a Poet // 1
Canto 2 Prince Zhaoshutun // 7
Canto 3 Seven Princesses in Mengdongban // 13
Canto 4 The Hunter // 19
Canto 5 Farewell // 31
Canto 6 Love // 41
Canto 7 The Rite of Tying a Thread // 55
Canto 8 The War // 63
Canto 9 The Disaster // 77
Canto 10 The Chase // 99
Canto 11 Arriving at Mengdongban // 129
Canto 12 Reunion // 145