Marco Polo in Yunnan?
Did the great Venetian traveller reach Yunnan? Almost certainly not, but still his accounts are the first words Europeans heard about this far-away region.
Hand-made giant sparklers, called "Fire Flowers" 火花, are part of the firework displays for temple fairs in Menglian county.
Jim Goodman: Children of the Jade Dragon: the Naxi of Lijiang and their mountain neighbours the Yi
In the first half of the 1990s Lijiang had barely made its appearance on the Chinese tourism stage, even less so the then remote mountains of Ningland and Lugu Lake. Jim Goodman's account of the Naxi and the Yi draws back to a time where not everything was staged for mass tourism: an account of a lost world.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Shaxi is the most complete historic ensemble of a caravan town in Yunnan.
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.
Traditional toys in Jianchuan county.
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 |
|---|---|
| Temple Fair | 10 Oct |
| Northern Dipper Ritual | 10 Oct |
| Gongguoqiao September Trade Fair | 12 Oct |
| Lajing Salt Road Culture Festival | 15 Oct |
| Flower Lantern | 15 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship (Eryuan Area) | 17 Oct |
| Holy Crane Festival | 17 Oct |
| Achimugua | 18 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship (Fengyu Area) | 18 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 18 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship (Fengyi Area) | 18 Oct |
| Street Festival | 19 Oct |
Markets this Thursday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Jiulong | 九龙乡 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Nanxin | 南新 |
| Yangcen | 羊岑 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Maidi | 脉地 |
| Gudi | 古底 |
| Fengyi | 凤仪 |
| Yongjian | 永连 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Taiyi | 太邑彝族乡 |
| Qiaohou | 乔后 |
| Daying | 大营 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| Wase | 挖色 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| Qiaodian | 乔甸镇 |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| Luming | 鹿鸣乡 |
| 妙姑村 | |
| 鲁庄 | |
| 太和社区 | |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| 蛇街 | |
| Shidongcun | 石洞村 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Judian | 巨甸镇 |
| Xishuangbanna | 西双版纳 |
|---|---|
| Xiding | 西定哈尼族乡 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Niujiaozhai | 牛角寨 |
| Dianwei | 甸尾乡 |
| Heping | 和平乡 |
| Sankeshu | 三棵树 |
| Dixibei | 地西北 |
| Baixian | 白显 |
| Shiping Guanyin Temple Alley | 石屏观音寺巷 |
| Chezhi | 扯直 |
| Yuxi | 玉溪 |
|---|---|
| Mosha | 漠沙镇 |
| Xingmeng | 兴蒙 |
| Hexi | 河西 |
| Fuliangpeng | 富良棚 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Weideng | 维登 |
| 岩瓦 |