The Old Salt Roads in Yunnan
The Tea Horse Road 茶马古道 into Tibet has become a romantic moniker for Yunnan, but economically more important were the old salt roads.
The watermills in Fengqing's Gumo village operate just like a thousand years ago.
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 number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
A fake festival that has become part of Dali's intangible cultural heritage.
Judith Shapiro: Mao's War Against Nature: Politics and the Environment in Revolutionary China
Even if Chinese civilization has developed more against than with nature, the Mao years were a particular exercise in environmental destruction. In one case-study Shapiro tells the story of the draining of the northern part of Dianchi Lake, one of the first steps turning Kunming's lake into the fetid cess-pool it is today.
Nuodeng is an ancient Bai salt producing village in Yunlong.
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 |
|---|---|
| Praying for Rain | 05 Jun |
| Yanguang Birthday | 05 Jun |
| Grain in Ear | 05 Jun |
| Yu An Ceremonies | 07 Jun |
| Start of Raosanling | 07 Jun |
| Raosanling | 07 Jun |
| Benzhu Worship | 08 Jun |
| Raosanling | 08 Jun |
| Raosanling in Heyicheng | 09 Jun |
| Praying For Rain | 10 Jun |
| Benzhu Worship | 10 Jun |
| Raosanling in Majiuyi | 10 Jun |
Markets this Friday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Xiangtu | 象图乡 |
| Hecun | 萂村 |
| Jiancao | 捡槽 |
| Gunipen | 沽泥盆 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Haidong | 海东 |
| Waxi | 瓦溪 |
| Pingchuan | 平川 |
| Wuxing | 五星 |
| Fengyi | 凤仪 |
| Yinqiao | 银桥 |
| Yongjian | 永连 |
| Wase | 挖色 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Yangbi | 漾濞彝族自治县 |
| Baidangping | 白荡坪 |
| Shaxi | 沙溪 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| Yousuo | 右所镇 |
| 蛇街 | |
| 大栗树 | |
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| Qinghaiying | 青海营 |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| Shidongcun | 石洞村 |
| Luming | 鹿鸣乡 |
| Wachang | 瓦厂乡 |
| 妙姑村 | |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| 汤涧 | |
| Xishan | 西山乡 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Judian | 巨甸镇 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Xinhua | 新华乡 |
| Niujiaozhai | 牛角寨 |
| Lengdun | 冷墩 |
| Lengquan | 冷泉镇 |
| Dongshan | 东山镇 |
| Sankeshu | 三棵树 |
| Shitouzhai | 石头寨 |
| Dixibei | 地西北 |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Manglong | 芒龙 |
| Lincang | 临沧 |
|---|---|
| Cangyuan | 沧源佤族自治县 |
| Guoda | 郭大彝族白族乡 |
| Yalian | 亚练乡 |
| Shuangjiang | 双江拉祜族佤族布朗族傣族自治县 |
| Quannei | 圈内 |
| Junsai | 军赛乡 |
| Zhenkang | 镇康县 |
| Yuxi | 玉溪 |
|---|---|
| Xingmeng | 兴蒙 |
| Hexi | 河西 |
| Fuliangpeng | 富良棚 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Weideng | 维登 |
| 岩瓦 |