Manglao - A Dai Village in Winter
Even in the depth of winter, life in a Dai village does not truly slow down—it merely changes its rhythm.
Hand-made giant sparklers, called "Fire Flowers" 火花, are part of the firework displays for temple fairs in Menglian county.
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.
A history trading post on the upper reaches of the Yangzi.
Jim Goodman: Children of the Jade Dragon: the Naxi of Lijiang and their mountain neighbours the Yi
In the first half of the 1990s Lijiang had barely made its appearance on the Chinese tourism stage, even less so the then remote mountains of Ningland and Lugu Lake. Jim Goodman's account of the Naxi and the Yi draws back to a time where not everything was staged for mass tourism: an account of a lost world.
Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Opening of the Fishing Season | 28 Oct |
| Guanyin Enlightenment | 28 Oct |
| Dharmic Assembly | 31 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 31 Oct |
| Pupeng Zhejume Pilgrimage | 31 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 01 Nov |
| Open Door Festival | 01 Nov |
| Anniversary of Yangbi County Foundation | 01 Nov |
| Benzhu Festival | 01 Nov |
| Temple Fair | 01 Nov |
| Dongshan Tuzhu Temple Fair | 02 Nov |
| Jingpo New Rice | 04 Nov |
Markets this Monday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Shanyang | 衫阳 |
| Biaocun | 表村 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Jizushan | 鸡足山 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Misha | 弥沙 |
| Tuanjie | 团结 |
| Baishi | 白石 |
| Caojian | 漕间 |
| Shaping | 沙平村 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Junhuacun | 均华村 |
| Xinjie | 新街镇 |
| 果城村 | |
| Mizhi | 密祉镇 |
| Taiping | 太平乡 |
| Liuchang | 刘厂镇 |
| Miaowei | 苗尾傈僳族乡 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shigu | 石鼓镇 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Longpeng | 龙朋镇 |
| Daqiao | 大桥乡 |
| Sancun | 三村 |
| Laozhai | 老寨苗族乡 |
| Chemalong | 车玛龙 |
| Shalatuo | 沙拉托 |
| Puxiong | 普雄 |
| Baihe | 白河乡 |
| Panzihua | 攀枝花 |
| Tongchang | 铜厂 |
| Zhemi | 者米拉祜族乡 |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Xiaopingtian | 小平田 |
| Tengchong | 腾冲县 |
| Wama | 瓦马彝族白族乡 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Zili | 梓里 |
| Shangjiang | 上江 |
| Kaifaqu | 开发区 |