Marco Polo in Yunnan?
Did the great Venetian traveller reach Yunnan? Almost certainly not, but still his accounts are the first words Europeans heard about this far-away region.
Hidden in the forests above Shangyun 上允 are the ruins of a Buddhist temple fortress founded during the Qing Dynasty by separatist monks from Jizushan who built a significant religious following by the local Lahu and Dai people.
Judith Shapiro: Mao's War Against Nature: Politics and the Environment in Revolutionary China
Even if Chinese civilization has developed more against than with nature, the Mao years were a particular exercise in environmental destruction. In one case-study Shapiro tells the story of the draining of the northern part of Dianchi Lake, one of the first steps turning Kunming's lake into the fetid cess-pool it is today.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
An ancient Bai wedding ritual only found in Yunlong county.
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.
The Yi in the southern part of Dali have a special Dance and Song Festival.
Once an important salt-mining town, now the second largest town along the Heihui River north of Yangbi.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Walnut Festival | 01 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 23 Sep |
| Yellow Dragon Temple Fair | 23 Sep |
| Autumn Equinox | 23 Sep |
| New Rice | 24 Sep |
| Across The Bridge Noodle Festival | 24 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship | 24 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship | 24 Sep |
| General's Cave Festival | 25 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship | 25 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship (Fengyu Area) | 25 Sep |
| Yangle Festival | 25 Sep |
Markets this Tuesday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Fuheng | 富恒 |
| Zhongsuo | 中所 |
| Liandong | 炼洞 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Fengyu | 风羽 |
| Guanping | 关平 |
| Baofeng | 宝丰乡 |
| Binju | 宾居 |
| Madeng | 马镫 |
| Shuijing | 水井 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Zuòyì | 作邑 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| 龙洞村 | |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| Hongyan | 红岩镇 |
| Beiya | 北衙 |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| Hedian | 禾甸镇 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shunzhou | 顺州 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Shengcun | 生村 |
| Mingjiu | 鸣鹫镇 |
| Wantang | 湾塘乡 |
| Caoba | 草坝镇 |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Sancun | 三村 |
| Yafangzi | Yafangzi |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Wuwan | 乌弯 |
| Daheigong | 大黑公 |
| Dayangjie | 大羊街 |
| Mengping | 勐坪 |
| Nujiang | 怒江 |
|---|---|
| Gudeng | 古登 |
| Bingzhongluo | 丙中洛 |
| Lishadi | 利沙底乡 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Jiangcheng | 江城哈尼族彝族自治县 |
| Mangxin | 芒信镇 |
| Qiannuo | 千糯 |
| Meizi | 梅子镇 |
| Wenggake | 翁嘎科镇 |