Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


Dancing under the Moonlight: the Costume Festival of Zhizuo

Dancing under the Moonlight: the Costume Festival of Zhizuo
As villages go, Zhizuo could hardly be more remote. Some 70km from the county town, first along a winding mountain road, then on a deeply rutted track without public transport: even in the dry season it takes several hours and a bit of stamina to reach. Yet, at least on the first full moon of the year, the effort is worth it, as Zhizuo holds one of Yunnan's most colourful festivals, the Dress Competition Festival or Caizhuangjie 赛装节.



The watermills in Fengqing's Gumo village operate just like a thousand years ago.


Liao Yiwu: God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China

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Liao Yiwu, one of China's most prominent dissidents, was driven out of China, but not before he used a period of internal exile to research Christian groups, mainly in Yunnan. In this book he tells the stories of the Christians of Dali and of Wuding county.


A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.

The Danxia, or red sandstore, cliffs around Liming are a hikers' and climbers' paradise that is just now being discovered.


C. Patterson Giersch: Asian Borderlands: The Transformation of Qing China's Yunnan Frontier

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Yunnan was not always China: indeed not so long ago large parts of Yunnan were only nominally part of the empire. To make Yunnan, outside the main Han cities, a Chinese province required significant effort. Here Giersch's study on Yunnan's hinterland makes an interesting if academic read.


The Danxia, or red sandstore, cliffs around Liming are a hikers' and climbers' paradise that is just now being discovered.

Markets this Wednesday

Kunming 昆明
Jiulong 九龙乡
Shilin 石林彝族自治县
Longtou 龙头街

Dali 大理
Shanyang 衫阳
Longjie 龙街
Xintun 辛屯
Haidong 海东
Shunbi 順濞
Songgui 松桂
Shaba 沙坝
Yinqiao 银桥
Longjie 龙街
Caojian 漕间
Zhongying 种英
Huangping 黄平镇
Shanglan 上兰
Zhouguanying 周官营
Qinghaiying 青海营
龙街
Puping 普淜镇
Shangcang 上沧
Midian 米甸镇
Junhuacun 均华村
西庄
Gongguoqiao 功果桥镇
寅街村
顺荡

Lijiang 丽江
Shigu 石鼓镇

Dehong 德宏
Husa 户撒乡
Nangsong 曩宋阿昌族乡

Honghe 红河
Zhicun 芷村镇
Sankeshu 三棵树
Dixibei 地西北
Baiyun 白云乡
Xinjie 新街
Yongning 永宁乡
Tutai 土台
Hongtian 红田

Wenshan 文山
Badaoshao 八道哨乡
Banlun 板仑乡
Heizhiguo 黑支果乡
Dongma 董马乡
Boai 剥隘镇
Xinzhai 新寨乡

Chuxiong 楚雄
Maojie 猫街镇
Shizhong 适中乡
Yaoan 姚安县

Baoshan 保山市
Manglong 芒龙

Lincang 临沧
Cangyuan 沧源佤族自治县
Yalian 亚练乡
Quannei 圈内
Shuangjiang 双江拉祜族佤族布朗族傣族自治县
Junsai 军赛乡
Zhenkang 镇康县

Qujing 曲靖市
Daba 大坝
Jiache 驾车乡
Kuangshan 矿山镇
Sandao 三道
Xitu 西土

Zhaotong 昭通
Shikan 石坎
Jiucheng 旧城
Weixin 威信
Changan 长安

Yuxi 玉溪
Jiasa 戛洒镇
Tadian 塔甸

Nujiang 怒江
Lazan 腊咱
Lumadeng 鹿马登乡

Puer 普洱
Baozang 宝藏乡
Fuyan 富岩
Mengxian 勐先镇

Diqing 迪庆
Shangjiang 上江
Kaifaqu 开发区