The Dengchuan Plain 邓川坝子
The Dengchuan Plain 邓川坝子, north of Dali's Erhai Lake 洱海, has with West Lake 西湖 and the Miju River corridor 弥苴河 some beautiful, if hardly known, scenic areas. It's natural scenery, however, is man-made, the result of more than a thousand years of cultivation and water-management projects that have transformed a swamp and marshland into the current cultural environment.
Since its foundation by the charismatic scholar Xuan Ke 宣科 in the 1980s, the Naxi Ancient Music Association has been performing regularly in the old town of Lijiang.
Brenda McLean: George Forrest, Plant Hunter
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.
Bai wedding customs.
A spectacularly narrow canyon high above the Jinsha River.
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.
Dali's biggest religious festival at the end of the fourth lunar month.
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 |
|---|---|
| Kuoshi Lisu New Year | 23 Jan |
| Wuxi Festival | 24 Jan |
| "Replenish Provisions" Ritual | 24 Jan |
| Lingshan Temple Fair | 26 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 26 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 27 Jan |
| Long Table Feast | 27 Jan |
| Benzhu Festival | 27 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship | 01 Feb |
| Full Moon Ritual | 02 Feb |
| Benzhu Worship | 02 Feb |
| Start of Spring | 04 Feb |
Markets this Friday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Hecun | 萂村 |
| Xiangtu | 象图乡 |
| Jiancao | 捡槽 |
| Gunipen | 沽泥盆 |
| Waxi | 瓦溪 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Pingchuan | 平川 |
| Wuxing | 五星 |
| Yinqiao | 银桥 |
| Baidangping | 白荡坪 |
| Yangbi | 漾濞彝族自治县 |
| Shaxi | 沙溪 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Yousuo | 右所镇 |
| Mizhi | 密祉镇 |
| Wachang | 瓦厂乡 |
| 果城村 | |
| Qinghaiying | 青海营 |
| Xishan | 西山乡 |
| Liuchang | 刘厂镇 |
| 大栗树 | |
| 三胜 | |
| Xinjie | 新街镇 |
| Houshancun | 后山村 |
| Caifeng | 财丰 |
| Miaojie | 庙街镇 |
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| 汤涧 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Xinhua | 新华乡 |
| Lengquan | 冷泉镇 |
| Lengdun | 冷墩 |
| Dongshan | 东山镇 |
| Shalatuo | 沙拉托 |
| Shitouzhai | 石头寨 |
| Shaochong | 哨冲镇 |
| Niujie | 牛街镇 |
| Panzihua | 攀枝花 |
| Zhemi | 者米拉祜族乡 |
| Tongchang | 铜厂 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Jiagetu | 价格土 |
| 岩瓦 |