Xu Xiake 徐霞客 in Dali
Xu Xiake (1586 - 1641) was China's first travel blogger. During the third lunar month in 1639 he travelled through Dali and recorded his experiences in his diary, posthumously published as 徐霞客游记. Is it still possible to retrace Xu's steps on the Dali plain?
Hand-made giant sparklers, called "Fire Flowers" 火花, are part of the firework displays for temple fairs in Menglian county.
C. Patterson Giersch: Asian Borderlands: The Transformation of Qing China's Yunnan Frontier
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.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Location of the historically important 'Cangshan Conference' in 794AD.
A history trading post on the upper reaches of the Yangzi.
Fei Hsiao-Tung and Chang Chih-I: Earthbound China: A Study of Rural Economy in Yunnan
Fei is the father of modern sociology in China: western-trained, he came to Yunnan at the end of the 1930s when China's eastern universities relocated west. In "Earthbound China" he applied modern empirical techniques that he had pioneered around Shanghai to the Chinese hinterland. The economical development, and subsequent societal changes, of three un-named, but typical villages in Yunnan is analyzed in great detail in this fascinating study.
Jianchuan is known for its rich music tradition.
Once an important salt-mining town, now the second largest town along the Heihui River north of Yangbi.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Benzhu Worship | 21 Oct |
| Orionid Meteor Shower | 21 Oct |
| Descent of Frost | 23 Oct |
| Xinuluo Remembrance Day | 23 Oct |
| Temple Fair | 23 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 24 Oct |
| Full Moon Ritual | 24 Oct |
| Open Door Festival | 24 Oct |
| Guanyin Enlightenment | 28 Oct |
| Opening of the Fishing Season | 28 Oct |
| Dharmic Assembly | 31 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 31 Oct |
Markets this Thursday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Nanxin | 南新 |
| Yangcen | 羊岑 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Maidi | 脉地 |
| Gudi | 古底 |
| Yinqiao | 银桥 |
| Qiaohou | 乔后 |
| Daying | 大营 |
| Taiyi | 太邑彝族乡 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| Liuchang | 刘厂镇 |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| 鲁庄 | |
| 太和社区 | |
| 龙洞村 | |
| Xinjie | 新街镇 |
| 果城村 | |
| Mizhi | 密祉镇 |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| Beiya | 北衙 |
| Qiaodian | 乔甸镇 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shunzhou | 顺州 |
| Xishuangbanna | 西双版纳 |
|---|---|
| Xiding | 西定哈尼族乡 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Dianwei | 甸尾乡 |
| Yafangzi | Yafangzi |
| Heping | 和平乡 |
| Daheigong | 大黑公 |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Wuwan | 乌弯 |
| Mengping | 勐坪 |
| Baixian | 白显 |