Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


The Dengchuan Plain 邓川坝子

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.




A Lahu minority Christian service in a hill village near Menglian.


John Israel: Lianda: A Chinese University in War and Revolution

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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.

Brenda McLean: George Forrest, Plant Hunter

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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.


Raw pork skin, together with raw pork meat and sometimes even raw pork liver are traditional delicacies in Dali.



The old border crossing to Guizhou.

Markets this Monday

Kunming 昆明
Jiulong 九龙乡

Dali 大理
Junhua 均化
Duomei 朵美
Shanyang 衫阳
Longjie 龙街
Biaocun 表村
Jizushan 鸡足山
Longjie 龙街
Liuhe 六合
Tuanjie 团结
Misha 弥沙
Heqing 鹤庆县
Baishi 白石
Shaping 沙平村
Dacang 大仓镇
Zuòyì 作邑
Caojian 漕间
Miaowei 苗尾傈僳族乡
Junhuacun 均华村
西庄
Midian 米甸镇
寅街村
Puping 普淜镇
Taiping 太平乡

Lijiang 丽江
Liming 黎明

Dehong 德宏
Lianghe 梁河县
Kachang 卡场镇

Honghe 红河
Laozhai 老寨苗族乡
Sancun 三村
Chemalong 车玛龙
Sankeshu 三棵树
Daheigong 大黑公
Wuwan 乌弯
Xinjie 新街
Puxiong 普雄
Dixibei 地西北
Baihe 白河乡

Wenshan 文山
Badaoshao 八道哨乡
Heizhiguo 黑支果乡
Dongma 董马乡
Boai 剥隘镇
Xinzhai 新寨乡

Chuxiong 楚雄
Qianchang 前场镇
Chadian 插甸乡
Mixing 弥兴镇

Baoshan 保山市
Mangbang 芒棒
Wafang 瓦房彝族白族乡

Lincang 临沧
Yongde 永德县
Danjia 单甲乡
Yalian 亚练乡
Mengdui 孟堆乡
Fuhe 复合

Qujing 曲靖市
Daba 大坝
Dahai 大海乡
Huohong 火红乡
Jiache 驾车乡
Nagu 娜姑镇
迤车
Zhehai 者海镇

Zhaotong 昭通
Shuanghe 双河

Yuxi 玉溪
Jiasa 戛洒镇
Tadian 塔甸
Xingmeng 兴蒙
Hexi 河西

Nujiang 怒江
Pengdang 捧当
Maji 马吉乡

Puer 普洱
Mangxin 芒信镇
Qiannuo 千糯

Diqing 迪庆
Zili 梓里
Kaifaqu 开发区
岩瓦