Raid on Cikou Church
Western missionaries were not always welcome in Yunnan. And when in 1867 they opened a mission in the upper Mekong valley, on the gates of Tibet, they incurred the wrath of Tibet's rulers.
The temple in Mangdao 芒岛, built in 1899, is one of few surviving examples of Dai Buddhist temples having survived the Cultural Revolution by being converted into grain storage.
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.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
A traditional Bai folk song form.
Once an important salt-mining town, now the second largest town along the Heihui River north of Yangbi.
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.
Dali's dragon boat races were held on the day of the Torch Festival.
A spectacularly narrow canyon high above the Jinsha River.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Walnut Festival | 01 Sep |
| Yunlong August Trade Fair | 13 Sep |
| "Replenish Provisions" Ritual | 16 Sep |
| Benzhu Festival | 16 Sep |
| Benzhu Festival | 16 Sep |
| Corpse Recovering Festival | 18 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship | 18 Sep |
| Shihe Luban Festival | 18 Sep |
| Yu An Hall Temple Fair | 18 Sep |
| Lingrui Temple Fair | 18 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship | 18 Sep |
| Baoguo Temple Fair | 20 Sep |
Markets this Thursday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Nanxin | 南新 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Yangcen | 羊岑 |
| Shuixie | 水泄 |
| Maidi | 脉地 |
| Gudi | 古底 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Qiaohou | 乔后 |
| Daying | 大营 |
| Taiyi | 太邑彝族乡 |
| Gonglang | 公郎镇 |
| 云南驿村 | |
| Beiya | 北衙 |
| Qiaodian | 乔甸镇 |
| 鲁庄 | |
| 太和社区 | |
| 前所 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shunzhou | 顺州 |
| Xishuangbanna | 西双版纳 |
|---|---|
| Xiding | 西定哈尼族乡 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Niujiaozhai | 牛角寨 |
| Dianwei | 甸尾乡 |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Sancun | 三村 |
| Heping | 和平乡 |
| Lvchun | 绿春县 |
| Yafangzi | Yafangzi |
| Majie | 马街 |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Wuwan | 乌弯 |
| Daheigong | 大黑公 |
| Nanke | 南科 |
| Baixian | 白显 |
| Jinping | 金平苗族瑶族傣族自治县 |
| Mengqiao | 勐桥乡 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Pingzhai | 平寨乡 |
| Banggu | 蚌谷乡 |
| Muyang | 木央镇 |
| Nanping (Majie) | 南屏镇 (马街） |
| Qujing | 曲靖市 |
|---|---|
| Fenghuang | 凤凰 |
| 干海子 | |
| Laochang | 老厂乡 |
| Luna | 鲁纳乡 |
| Shangcun | 上村乡 |
| Wuxing | 五星乡 |
| Xinjie | 新街回族乡 |
| Yangmeishan | 杨梅山 |