古镇: Death-knell for Yunnan's Historic Towns
In China even the 'old towns' are new. Under the 古镇, or ancient town, moniker old towns are razed and their population driven out to make space for sanitized versions of Chinese history that drive the tourist dollar.
Kids from one of Lancang's 澜沧县 schools dress up in minority clothes for the annual Gourd Festival 葫芦节.
Liao Yiwu: God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China
Liao Yiwu, one of China's most prominent dissidents, was driven out of China, but not before he used a period of internal exile to research Christian groups, mainly in Yunnan. In this book he tells the stories of the Christians of Dali and of Wuding county.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
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.
John Israel: Lianda: A Chinese University in War and Revolution
Everyone knows about the Mao's Long March, but a few years later another long march took place: that of Chinese students leaving their cushy campuses on the east coast, trekking all the way to Yunnan where their universities reformed as Lianda, the united university. Kunming, then a total backwater, became a hotbed for new ideas, not just scientific. We liked the section of east coast girls scampering around Mengzi in their latest fashion.
A historic Han village in Midu county.
An unspoilt Tibetan area along the Zhibaluo River.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Moerduo Temple Fair | 22 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 30 Aug |
| Walnut Festival | 01 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship | 02 Sep |
| Caishen Birthday | 03 Sep |
| Songgui Temple Fair | 03 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship | 03 Sep |
| Lanterns on the Lake | 03 Sep |
| Dragon King Worship | 04 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship (Fengyu Area) | 04 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship | 04 Sep |
| Fangsheng at Bamu Temple | 04 Sep |
Markets this Monday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Banqiao | 板桥乡 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Shanyang | 衫阳 |
| Biaocun | 表村 |
| Qinghua | 清华 |
| Jizushan | 鸡足山 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Misha | 弥沙 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Tuanjie | 团结 |
| Baishi | 白石 |
| Zuòyì | 作邑 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| Caojian | 漕间 |
| Shaping | 沙平村 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Liuchang | 刘厂镇 |
| Miaowei | 苗尾傈僳族乡 |
| Taiping | 太平乡 |
| 果城村 | |
| Junhuacun | 均华村 |
| Xinjie | 新街镇 |
| Mizhi | 密祉镇 |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Liming | 黎明 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Shuanghe | 双河 |