Abstract: Mei Shaonong (1903-1992), a modern poet acclaimed as “Yunnan's Poetry Champion” and “Father of New Poetry of Yunnan,” reached unparalleled heights in his masterpiece Shege's Fossil. Rooted in the widely circulated “Hanging Maiden Cliff” legend of the Yi people in Luquan County, Yunnan Province, the work elevates the literary tradition of eulogizing Yi women exemplifying steadfast virtue since late 14th century, marking the decisive triumph of Confucian values in the multi-ethnic region south of the Jinsha River (upper reaches of the Yangtze River). Under Confucian influence, the literary construction of “Yi paragons of virtue” like Shege the heroine, by hands of scholar-officials represented by Gou Shangli, Tan Cui, Yang Guozhu, Mei Zengrong and others of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), became emblematic of cultural ascendance of Luquan. The “Yi paragons of virtue” and “Yi chaste widows,” ceaselessly extolled by local elites, provided Mei Shaonong, who was deeply influenced by the Creation Society during his youth, with an enduring wellspring of inspiration for both his classical and modern poetry. His Shege's Fossil ruthlessly exposed the tragedies of traditional marriage and misery of the Yi women, pioneering a new path for Chinese poetry at the time. Even over half a century later, Shege's Fossil continues to resonate through “new editions,” cementing its status as a seminal work in literary canon of women of ethnic minority groups of Yunnan Province

Key words: “Hanging Maiden Cliff” poetic exchange in Luquan County, Shege's Fossil, Mei Shaonong (1903-1992), Confucian tradition, localized interpretation