Watersplashing in Yongping
Ask for the Watersplashing Festival, or Poshuijie 泼水节, and everyone will tell you to go to Jinghong, capital of Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Region: the 'biggest and best' Dai celebrations to mark their New Year are taking place there. And big it is. Thousands of Han Chinese and foreign tourist flock to Jinghong every year. Jinghong's Poshuijie certainly is big -- and very commercial. If big crowds and big events are your thing, go to Jinghong.
The Gourd Festival 葫芦节 is the main festival of the Lahu people. In Lancang, its date has been moved into April to coincide with the county's foundation.
Jim Goodman: The Terrace Builders: The Hani and their Neighbors in Yunnan's Ailao Mountains
Abstract: The rice terraces of the Ailao Mountains in southern Yunnan province, China, are some of the oldest terraced farms in Asia. First mentioned in Tang Dynasty records, these farms, 80% of which are irrigated, with water running through them all year round, have been in continuous use for over a thousand years. In 2013 UNESCO declared the heartland of this area a World Heritage Site. The Terrace Builders is a detailed account of how these farms are made and used, the cities and mountains of Honghe Prefecture and the far north of Vietnam, as well as the various ethnic minorities who live there. The book pays special attention to the Hani people, the largest ethnic group in the area, and includes summaries of the culture and clothing of their neighbors the Yi, Miao, Yao, Zhuang and Dai. The book includes 300 photos of the land and its people.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Rushan is a dried cheese made from cow-milk.
Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.
John Israel: Lianda: A Chinese University in War and Revolution
Everyone knows about the Mao's Long March, but a few years later another long march took place: that of Chinese students leaving their cushy campuses on the east coast, trekking all the way to Yunnan where their universities reformed as Lianda, the united university. Kunming, then a total backwater, became a hotbed for new ideas, not just scientific. We liked the section of east coast girls scampering around Mengzi in their latest fashion.
Local Dali opera form.
The turn of the Yangzi made Chinese civilization possible and was the location of many important battles.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Walnut Festival | 01 Sep |
| Yunlong August Trade Fair | 13 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship | 18 Sep |
| Lingrui Temple Fair | 18 Sep |
| Shihe Luban Festival | 18 Sep |
| Corpse Recovering Festival | 18 Sep |
| Yu An Hall Temple Fair | 18 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship | 18 Sep |
| White Elephant Fest | 20 Sep |
| Baoguo Temple Fair | 20 Sep |
| Yellow Dragon Temple Fair | 23 Sep |
| Autumn Equinox | 23 Sep |
Markets this Saturday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Zhoucheng | 州城 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Paiying | 排营 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Lijiao | 力角 |
| Shijing | 师井 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Caicun | 才村 |
| Diannan | 甸南 |
| Dali | 大理 |
| Zuòyì | 作邑 |
| Jiangwei | 江尾镇 |
| Shuanglang | 双廊镇 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| 西庄 | |
| Changyi | 长邑村 |
| 龙洞村 | |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| 桥街 | |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| 寅街村 | |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Xinansuo | 新安所镇 |
| Mengla | 勐拉 |
| Daheishan | 大黑山乡 |
| Leyu | 乐育 |
| Xinxian | 新现乡 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| Baoxiu | 宝秀镇 |
| Shaochong | 哨冲镇 |
| Maandi | 马鞍底 |
| Xincheng | 新城乡 |