The Old Bridges Across the Longjiang
Many old bridges still span the Longjiang River in western Yunnan.
Early 20th century murals at Mangzhong Temple near Menglian
Jim Goodman: Living in Shangrila: Tibetans and Mosuo in Northwest Yunnan
Abstract: When Diqing Prefecture, opened its doors to foreign visitors in 1992, tourist agencies and government officials promoted Zhongdian County as the Shangrila of James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon. In 2001 the city officially changed its name to Shangrila. On a high plateau of over 3200 meters, surrounded by snow covered mountain peaks, inhabited mainly by relatively prosperous, friendly and contented Tibetans, with beautiful monasteries, lakes, forests and summer flowers, the county’s scenery and lifestyle certainly bore a strong resemblance to that in the novel. Living in Shangrila describes the life and environment of the Tibetan people throughout Diqing Prefecture. It also examines their neighbors the Mosuo, a branch of the Naxi nationality, who adopted Tibetan Buddhism as their religion, but are still mainly a matrilineal society, unique to Yunnan, living around Lugu Lake, the most picturesque body of water in the province. The book includes over 200 photographs.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
A fake festival that has become part of Dali's intangible cultural heritage.
Liao Yiwu: God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China
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.
Tie-Dye is an Bai traditional technique with its centre in Zhoucheng 周城.
An unspoilt Tibetan area along the Zhibaluo River.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Buddha Relic Worship | 17 Apr |
| Buddha Relic Worship | 18 Apr |
| Buddha Relic Worship | 19 Apr |
| Hanna Temple Worship | 20 Apr |
| Ximu Buddha Print | 21 Apr |
| Zhefang Buddha Print | 22 Apr |
| Woba Festival | 23 Apr |
| Tongkuang Bada | 23 Apr |
| Manluo Temple Fair | 23 Apr |
| Benzhu Worship | 24 Apr |
| Fumeng Bada | 24 Apr |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 24 Apr |
Markets this Friday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Xiangtu | 象图乡 |
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Hecun | 萂村 |
| Jiancao | 捡槽 |
| Haidong | 海东 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Waxi | 瓦溪 |
| Gunipen | 沽泥盆 |
| Wuxing | 五星 |
| Pingchuan | 平川 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Yangbi | 漾濞彝族自治县 |
| Baidangping | 白荡坪 |
| Shaxi | 沙溪 |
| Yousuo | 右所镇 |
| 西庄 | |
| Wachang | 瓦厂乡 |
| 汤涧 | |
| 寅街村 | |
| Xishan | 西山乡 |
| 大栗树 | |
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Xinhua | 新华乡 |
| Lengquan | 冷泉镇 |
| Lengdun | 冷墩 |
| Dongshan | 东山镇 |
| Sankeshu | 三棵树 |
| Shitouzhai | 石头寨 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| Dixibei | 地西北 |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Xiaopingtian | 小平田 |
| Tengchong | 腾冲县 |
| Wama | 瓦马彝族白族乡 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Shuanghe | 双河 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Zhonglu | 中路 |