Lijiang - Twenty Years On
Jim Goodman, veteran researcher and writer on Yunnan and its people, has just republished his 1997 book "Children of the Jade Dragon: the Naxi and Yi of Northwest Yunnan". In its new preface he looks back at the changes the last twenty years have brought.
A Lahu minority Christian service in a hill village near Menglian.
Jim Goodman: Living in Shangrila: Tibetans and Mosuo in Northwest Yunnan
Abstract: When Diqing Prefecture, opened its doors to foreign visitors in 1992, tourist agencies and government officials promoted Zhongdian County as the Shangrila of James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon. In 2001 the city officially changed its name to Shangrila. On a high plateau of over 3200 meters, surrounded by snow covered mountain peaks, inhabited mainly by relatively prosperous, friendly and contented Tibetans, with beautiful monasteries, lakes, forests and summer flowers, the county’s scenery and lifestyle certainly bore a strong resemblance to that in the novel. Living in Shangrila describes the life and environment of the Tibetan people throughout Diqing Prefecture. It also examines their neighbors the Mosuo, a branch of the Naxi nationality, who adopted Tibetan Buddhism as their religion, but are still mainly a matrilineal society, unique to Yunnan, living around Lugu Lake, the most picturesque body of water in the province. The book includes over 200 photographs.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Traditional dress in the Erhai region.
Unspoiled Weishan boast Yunnan's most beautiful county town, an important Taoist mountain and areas of strong Muslim and Yi tradition.
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.
Dali has its own Torch Festival related customs.
Fog swirling on a cold winter morning over endless rice-terraces, the red of the
early morning sun reflected in the flooded paddies: this is the classic view of the
Hani Rice Terraces of Yuanyang, now of UNESCO World Heritage status.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Atai Birthday | 27 Dec |
| Bulang Harvest Festival | 27 Dec |
| Kuoshi Lisu New Year | 27 Dec |
| Mizhi Festival | 29 Dec |
| Coffee Festival | 01 Jan |
| Full Moon Ritual | 03 Jan |
| Yi New Year | 04 Jan |
| Slight Cold | 05 Jan |
| Birthday of the Sun | 07 Jan |
| Birthday of the Sun | 07 Jan |
| Gedong | 14 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship | 18 Jan |
Markets this Sunday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Jiuzhou | 旧州 |
| Sanying | 三营 |
| Yunlong | 云龙县 |
| Qinghua | 清华 |
| Beitou | 北头 |
| Dali | 大理 |
| Caicun | 才村 |
| Liantie | 炼铁 |
| Binchuan | 宾川县 |
| Lawu | 拉乌 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Zuòyì | 作邑 |
| Jianchuan | 剑川县 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Changxin | 长新 |
| Pingpo | 平坡 |
| Eryuan | 洱源县 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| Minjian | 民建乡 |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| Caifeng | 财丰 |
| 青苗 | |
| Hongyan | 红岩镇 |
| Miaojie | 庙街镇 |
| Hedian | 禾甸镇 |
| Niujie | 牛街彝族乡 |
| 三胜 | |
| 三鹤 | |
| Houshancun | 后山村 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Pingbian | 屏边苗族自治县 |
| Shengcun | 生村 |
| Nafa | 那发 |
| Diema | 垤玛 |
| Mengzi | 蒙自县 |
| Liangdi | 浪堤 |
| Jiayin | 甲寅 |
| Azhahe | 阿扎河 |
| Chake | 岔科 |
| Jiache | 架车 |
| Baohua | 宝华 |
| Shaochong | 哨冲镇 |
| Yongning | 永宁乡 |
| Luoen | 洛恩 |
| Zhongzhai | 中寨 |
| Niujie | 牛街镇 |
| Laomeng | 老勐 |
| Lincang | 临沧 |
|---|---|
| Menglai | 勐来乡 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Jiangcheng | 江城哈尼族彝族自治县 |
| Lancang | 澜沧拉祜族自治县 |
| Nanling | 南岭乡 |
| Donghui | 东回镇 |
| Qushui | 曲水乡 |
| Menglian | 孟连傣族拉祜族佤族自治县 |
| Xuelin | 雪林佤族乡 |
| Mengsuo | 勐梭镇 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Kangpu | 康普 |