Guandu Old Town
With the Bird and Flower Market and the Muslim Quarter fallen, little remains of 'Lao Kunming', the characterful old town of former times. Now it is all high-rises, wide avenues, chain-shops. Everywhere? No, a small part of Kunming is holding out...
Hand-made giant sparklers, called "Fire Flowers" 火花, are part of the firework displays for temple fairs in Menglian county.
Liao Yiwu: God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China
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.
Shaxi is the most complete historic ensemble of a caravan town in Yunnan.
Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.
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.
The Yi in the southern part of Dali have a special Dance and Song Festival.
Once an important salt-mining town, now the second largest town along the Heihui River north of Yangbi.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Dharmic Assembly | 31 Oct |
| Jingpo New Rice | 04 Nov |
| Benzhu Festival | 04 Nov |
| Benzhu Festival | 05 Nov |
| Sea of Blood Temple Fair | 07 Nov |
| Start of Winter | 07 Nov |
| New Moon Ritual | 09 Nov |
| Single's Day | 11 Nov |
| Yi New Year | 12 Nov |
| Hani New Year | 14 Nov |
| Meige Festival | 16 Nov |
| Mother Earth Worship | 16 Nov |
Markets this Thursday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Banqiao | 板桥乡 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Nanxin | 南新 |
| Yangcen | 羊岑 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Maidi | 脉地 |
| Gudi | 古底 |
| Qinghua | 清华 |
| Fengyi | 凤仪 |
| Yongjian | 永连 |
| Qiaohou | 乔后 |
| Daying | 大营 |
| Taiyi | 太邑彝族乡 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| Wase | 挖色 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| 妙姑村 | |
| 鲁庄 | |
| 太和社区 | |
| 蛇街 | |
| Hedian | 禾甸镇 |
| Shidongcun | 石洞村 |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| Qiaodian | 乔甸镇 |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| Hongyan | 红岩镇 |
| Luming | 鹿鸣乡 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Judian | 巨甸镇 |
| Xishuangbanna | 西双版纳 |
|---|---|
| Xiding | 西定哈尼族乡 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Shengcun | 生村 |
| Nafa | 那发 |
| Dianwei | 甸尾乡 |
| Sancun | 三村 |
| Heping | 和平乡 |
| Jiache | 架车 |
| Baixian | 白显 |
| Zhongzhai | 中寨 |
| Shiping Guanyin Temple Alley | 石屏观音寺巷 |
| Chezhi | 扯直 |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Xiaopingtian | 小平田 |
| Wama | 瓦马彝族白族乡 |
| Tengchong | 腾冲县 |
| Yuxi | 玉溪 |
|---|---|
| Mosha | 漠沙镇 |
| Xingmeng | 兴蒙 |
| Fuliangpeng | 富良棚 |
| Hexi | 河西 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Jiangcheng | 江城哈尼族彝族自治县 |
| Yongping | 永平镇 |
| Meng'a | 孟啊 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Weideng | 维登 |
| 岩瓦 |