Kiss of Life for an Old Caravan Market
Until the middle of last century, Shaxi was a flourishing village on the caravan road to Tibet. The following decades made it a place that history forgot. Now Shaxi is undergoing an award-winning restoration.
Kids from one of Lancang's 澜沧县 schools dress up in minority clothes for the annual Gourd Festival 葫芦节.
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.
An isolated Bai town with rich culture.
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.
Bai wedding customs.
A spectacularly narrow canyon high above the Jinsha River.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Ghost Month | 13 Aug |
| Mule Fair | 17 Aug |
| Moerduo Temple Fair | 22 Aug |
| End of Heat | 23 Aug |
| Playing the Fragrant Dragon | 23 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 25 Aug |
| Maulid an-Nabi | 26 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 26 Aug |
| Burning Bag Festival | 26 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 26 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 27 Aug |
| Ghost Month Rituals | 27 Aug |
Markets this Monday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Tuanjie | 团结 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Biaocun | 表村 |
| Shuixie | 水泄 |
| Jizushan | 鸡足山 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Misha | 弥沙 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Tuanjie | 团结 |
| Baishi | 白石 |
| Shaping | 沙平村 |
| Zuòyì | 作邑 |
| Gonglang | 公郎镇 |
| 前所 | |
| Miaowei | 苗尾傈僳族乡 |
| Taiping | 太平乡 |
| 云南驿村 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Niujiaozhai | 牛角寨 |
| Laozhai | 老寨苗族乡 |
| Sancun | 三村 |
| Lvchun | 绿春县 |
| Majie | 马街 |
| Chemalong | 车玛龙 |
| Nanke | 南科 |
| Puxiong | 普雄 |
| Jinping | 金平苗族瑶族傣族自治县 |
| Mengqiao | 勐桥乡 |
| Baihe | 白河乡 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Pingzhai | 平寨乡 |
| Banggu | 蚌谷乡 |
| Muyang | 木央镇 |
| Nanping (Majie) | 南屏镇 (马街） |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Manglong | 芒龙 |
| Lincang | 临沧 |
|---|---|
| Cangyuan | 沧源佤族自治县 |
| Quannei | 圈内 |
| Shuangjiang | 双江拉祜族佤族布朗族傣族自治县 |
| Xinhua | 新华彝族苗族乡 |
| Junsai | 军赛乡 |
| Zhenkang | 镇康县 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Shuanghe | 双河 |