Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


Dancing under the Moonlight: the Costume Festival of Zhizuo

Dancing under the Moonlight: the Costume Festival of Zhizuo
As villages go, Zhizuo could hardly be more remote. Some 70km from the county town, first along a winding mountain road, then on a deeply rutted track without public transport: even in the dry season it takes several hours and a bit of stamina to reach. Yet, at least on the first full moon of the year, the effort is worth it, as Zhizuo holds one of Yunnan's most colourful festivals, the Dress Competition Festival or Caizhuangjie 赛装节.



A Lahu minority Christian service in a hill village near Menglian.


Brenda McLean: George Forrest, Plant Hunter

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George Forrest, perhaps the most successful plant collector of his time, left little written about his numerous journeys to Yunnan, so this well-illustrated book fills in much needed detail about his life.


A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.

Jim Goodman: Children of the Jade Dragon: the Naxi of Lijiang and their mountain neighbours the Yi

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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.


Benzhu is the native believe system of the Bai peole.



Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.

Markets this Saturday

Kunming 昆明
Fazhe 法者镇
Shilin 石林彝族自治县
Wumeng 乌蒙乡
Tangdan 汤丹镇

Dali 大理
Zhoucheng 州城
Junhua 均化
Duomei 朵美
Yongping 永平县
Paiying 排营
Lijiao 力角
Haidong 海东
Shuixie 水泄
Shijing 师井
Diannan 甸南
Liuhe 六合
Heqing 鹤庆县
Jiangwei 江尾镇
Gonglang 公郎镇
Deju 德苴乡
Changyi 长邑村
桥街
Beiya 北衙
云南驿村
前所

Lijiang 丽江
Jiuhe 九河
Shunzhou 顺州

Dehong 德宏
Husa 户撒乡
Nangsong 曩宋阿昌族乡

Honghe 红河
Xinansuo 新安所镇
Niujiaozhai 牛角寨
Daheishan 大黑山乡
Leyu 乐育
Majie 马街
Lvchun 绿春县
Longwu 龙武镇
Xinxian 新现乡
Nanke 南科
Jinping 金平苗族瑶族傣族自治县
Mengqiao 勐桥乡

Wenshan 文山
Pingzhai 平寨乡
Pingba 坪坝镇
Matang 马塘镇
Muyang 木央镇
Banggu 蚌谷乡
Nanping (Majie) 南屏镇 (马街)

Chuxiong 楚雄
Wanyaoshu 弯腰树
Dahekou 大河口乡
Mixing 弥兴镇

Baoshan 保山市
Manglong 芒龙

Lincang 临沧
Cangyuan 沧源佤族自治县
Luodang 洛党
Xinhua 新华彝族苗族乡
Shuangjiang 双江拉祜族佤族布朗族傣族自治县
Quannei 圈内
Zhenkang 镇康县
Junsai 军赛乡

Qujing 曲靖市
Dahai 大海乡
Huohong 火红乡
Luna 鲁纳乡
Nagu 娜姑镇
Shangcun 上村乡
迤车

Zhaotong 昭通
Shuanghe 双河

Yuxi 玉溪
Mosha 漠沙镇
Yani 亚尼
Yuanjiang 元江哈尼族彝族傣族自治县
Nanuo 那诺乡

Nujiang 怒江
Hexi 河西
Puladi 普拉底乡
Laowo 老窝
Aludi 阿路底

Puer 普洱
Lancang 澜沧县
Minle 民乐
Fuyan 富岩

Diqing 迪庆
Xiaoweixi 小维西
Kaifaqu 开发区
岩瓦