Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


From Niujiaozhai to Yuanyang

Yuanyang county, south of the Red River in the province's southeast, is famous for its Hani rice-terraces. With its splendid vistas and ethnic mix it is also a great area for hiking. Here we describe a moderate day-hike starting at the market-town of Niujiaozhai, passing through Yi and Hani villages and ending with stunning sunset vistas over the rice-terraces of Longshuba.



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


Liao Yiwu: God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China

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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.

John Israel: Lianda: A Chinese University in War and Revolution

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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.


Raw pork skin, together with raw pork meat and sometimes even raw pork liver are traditional delicacies in Dali.



The turn of the Yangzi made Chinese civilization possible and was the location of many important battles.

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
Yongping 永平县
Paiying 排营
Lijiao 力角
Haidong 海东
Fengyi 凤仪
Shijing 师井
Weishan 巍山彝族回族自治县
Diannan 甸南
Wase 挖色
Jiangwei 江尾镇
Dianzhong 甸中
龙洞村
Luming 鹿鸣乡
Deju 德苴乡
Hongyan 红岩镇
Shidongcun 石洞村
Shalong 沙龙镇
Changyi 长邑村
田口
北桥
妙姑村
桥街
Hedian 禾甸镇
Xiazhuang 下庄镇

Lijiang 丽江
Jiuhe 九河

Honghe 红河
Shengcun 生村
Xinansuo 新安所镇
Daheishan 大黑山乡
Leyu 乐育
Xinxian 新现乡
Mengping 勐坪

Wenshan 文山
Shuanglongying 双龙营乡
Zhujie 朱街镇
Pingba 坪坝镇
Matang 马塘镇
Lida 里达镇
Mugan 木杆
Zhulin 珠琳镇

Chuxiong 楚雄
Wanyaoshu 弯腰树
Dahekou 大河口乡

Baoshan 保山市
Xiaopingtian 小平田
Tengchong 腾冲县
Wama 瓦马彝族白族乡

Lincang 临沧
Mangka 芒卡镇
Boshang 博商
Fengqing 凤庆县
Fengwei 风尾镇
Mengjiao 勐角乡

Qujing 曲靖市
Fenghuang 凤凰
干海子
Laochang 老厂乡
Wuxing 五星乡
Xinjie 新街回族乡

Zhaotong 昭通
Menggu 蒙姑镇

Yuxi 玉溪
Mosha 漠沙镇
Fuliangpeng 富良棚

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

Puer 普洱
Jiangcheng 江城哈尼族彝族自治县
Lancang 澜沧县
Kangping 康平乡
Yongping 永平镇
Meng'a 孟啊

Diqing 迪庆
Xiaoweixi 小维西
Kaifaqu 开发区