Saturday afternoon prayers at the mosque, Dong Lian Hua ('East of the Lotus Flowers'), a Muslim village near Weishan, south of Dali and Xiaguan, on the Tea-Horse Road (Cha Ma Gu Dao).

Saturday afternoon prayers at the mosque of Dong Lian Hua ('East of the Lotus Flowers'), a Muslim village just north of Weishan, that ran many of the pack trains (mabang) in this area. Descendants of the Mongol invaders who conquered Yunnan in the middle of the 13th century, the Hui Muslims maintained a strong affinity for horse caravans. Indeed, the most common surname in the area is Ma, meaning horse.