The Lisu Knife Pole Festival, called "Atangde" in Lisu language, means "Knife Climbing Festival". It is a traditional festival of the Lisu and Yi people living in Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. The festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month every year. "Climbing the knife mountain and descending into the sea of fire" is the main custom performance activity in the Knife Pole Festival. It reproduces the life experience of mountain ethnic groups climbing mountains and ridges and the arduous and outstanding spirit of climbing vines and carrying kudzu. It is also a traditional folk custom activity. There is such a legend about the origin of the Knife Pole Festival: Wang Ji, the Minister of War in the Ming Dynasty, was sent by the court to lead troops to the Lisu-inhabited areas on the border of Yunnan to deploy military defense, quell rebellion, recover the occupied land, and drive away the invading enemies with the cooperation of local people. In order to make the border people rich and the soldiers strong, he led the Lisu youth to practice martial arts and bravery. Later, the emperor believed in slander and poisoned Wang Ji to death. The Lisu people celebrated the "Knife Pole Festival" to commemorate this patriotic general. "Climbing the knife mountain and descending into the sea of fire" includes the steps of lighting flowers, lighting knives, playing with knives, welcoming flowers, setting up altars, offering sacrifices to knife poles, erecting poles, offering sacrifices to dragons, putting on knives, folding knives, and descending into the sea of fire, and there is a set of strict rituals in between. Climbing the knife mountain and descending into the sea of fire are the most thrilling parts of the ceremony. Climbing the knife mountain is to tie 36 sharp knives to chestnut poles four or five feet high, with each knife about a foot apart and the blades all facing upwards. The performers step on the sharp steel knives barefoot and climb to the top of the knife pole step by step, and perform performances such as opening the sky gate, hanging red, and scattering grain in turn. Descending into the sea of fire is when the performers step down the knife pole and then step into the red-hot charcoal fire to perform stunts. In today's festivals, the content of primitive beliefs has been replaced by "Tiaoga", which shows healthy and novel lyrics and rich hand dance movements, and has a wider range of mass appeal. The Daogan Festival is a product of the Lisu people's worship of nature. It is also a manifestation of the Lisu people's patriotism and their national spirit of fearlessness in the face of danger and hardship.