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 watermills in Fengqing's Gumo village operate just like a thousand years ago.
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.
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 exorcism ritual in Nanjian county.
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.
Cantilevered wooden bridge.
This old caravan town on the Jinsha River is Yunnan's gateway to Tibet.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Yangmei Festival | 01 May |
| Circling the Mountain | 24 May |
| Corban | 27 May |
| Walnut Valley Culture Festival | 28 May |
| Temple Fair | 28 May |
| Manlong Buckwheat Festival | 30 May |
| Yongping Wenbi Pagoda Ceremony | 31 May |
| Benzhu Worship | 31 May |
| Benzhu Worship (Midu) | 31 May |
| Butterfly Spring Meeting | 31 May |
| Full Moon Ritual | 31 May |
| Butterfly Festival | 31 May |
Markets this Wednesday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Shunbi | 順濞 |
| Wanqiao | 湾桥 |
| Shaba | 沙坝 |
| Qinghua | 清华 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Zhongying | 种英 |
| Shanglan | 上兰 |
| Zhouguanying | 周官营 |
| Shangcang | 上沧 |
| Liuchang | 刘厂镇 |
| Xinjie | 新街镇 |
| Mizhi | 密祉镇 |
| 果城村 | |
| Gongguoqiao | 功果桥镇 |
| 顺荡 | |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| 龙街 | |
| Beiya | 北衙 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shunzhou | 顺州 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Zhicun | 芷村镇 |
| Nafa | 那发 |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Jiache | 架车 |
| Baiyun | 白云乡 |
| Yongning | 永宁乡 |
| Zhongzhai | 中寨 |
| Tutai | 土台 |
| Hongtian | 红田 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Donghui | 东回镇 |
| Fubang | 富邦乡 |
| Menglian | 孟连傣族拉祜族佤族自治县 |
| Xuelin | 雪林佤族乡 |
| Mujia | 木戛乡 |
| Mengsuo | 勐梭镇 |
| Ankang | 安康佤族乡 |
| Mengxian | 勐先镇 |
| Wendong | 文东佤族乡 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Kaifaqu | 开发区 |
| 岩瓦 |