From Niujiaozhai to Yuanyang
Yuanyang county, south of the Red River in the province's southeast, is famous for its Hani rice-terraces. With its splendid vistas and ethnic mix it is also a great area for hiking. Here we describe a moderate day-hike starting at the market-town of Niujiaozhai, passing through Yi and Hani villages and ending with stunning sunset vistas over the rice-terraces of Longshuba.
Hand-made giant sparklers, called "Fire Flowers" 火花, are part of the firework displays for temple fairs in Menglian county.
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.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Benzhu Temple dedicated to 段宗棒.
Ronald G. Knapp: China's Old Dwellings
Few people know as much about Chinese architecture as Knapp: from palaces to humble homes he explains important building principles; the connection between environment and housing styles and the development of style over time. A section on minority housing styles complements the book.
Temple fair at the Baohe Temple on the foot of Cangshan
A spectacularly narrow canyon high above the Jinsha River.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Pupeng Zhejume Pilgrimage | 31 Oct |
| Dharmic Assembly | 31 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 31 Oct |
| Temple Fair | 01 Nov |
| Open Door Festival | 01 Nov |
| Benzhu Worship | 01 Nov |
| Anniversary of Yangbi County Foundation | 01 Nov |
| Benzhu Festival | 01 Nov |
| Dongshan Tuzhu Temple Fair | 02 Nov |
| Benzhu Festival | 04 Nov |
| Jingpo New Rice | 04 Nov |
| Benzhu Festival | 05 Nov |
Markets this Friday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Xiangtu | 象图乡 |
| Hecun | 萂村 |
| Jiancao | 捡槽 |
| Gunipen | 沽泥盆 |
| Waxi | 瓦溪 |
| Wuxing | 五星 |
| Pingchuan | 平川 |
| Weishan | 巍山彝族回族自治县 |
| Qinghua | 清华 |
| Fengyi | 凤仪 |
| Yangbi | 漾濞彝族自治县 |
| Baidangping | 白荡坪 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Shaxi | 沙溪 |
| Dianzhong | 甸中 |
| Yousuo | 右所镇 |
| Wase | 挖色 |
| Luming | 鹿鸣乡 |
| 妙姑村 | |
| 汤涧 | |
| Xishan | 西山乡 |
| 北桥 | |
| Xinjie | 新街镇 |
| 果城村 | |
| 大栗树 | |
| Mizhi | 密祉镇 |
| 田口 | |
| Shidongcun | 石洞村 |
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| Wachang | 瓦厂乡 |
| Liuchang | 刘厂镇 |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Xinhua | 新华乡 |
| Nafa | 那发 |
| Lengdun | 冷墩 |
| Lengquan | 冷泉镇 |
| Dongshan | 东山镇 |
| Jiache | 架车 |
| Shitouzhai | 石头寨 |
| Zhongzhai | 中寨 |
| Shiping Guanyin Temple Alley | 石屏观音寺巷 |
| Chezhi | 扯直 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Menggu | 蒙姑镇 |
| Yuxi | 玉溪 |
|---|---|
| Fuliangpeng | 富良棚 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Nuofu | 糯福 |
| Dashan | 大山乡 |
| Mengma | 孟马镇 |
| Fubang | 富邦乡 |
| Meizi | 梅子镇 |
| Dehua | 德化镇 |
| Mujia | 木戛乡 |
| Kangping | 康平乡 |
| Ankang | 安康佤族乡 |
| Liming | 黎明乡 |
| Wendong | 文东佤族乡 |
| 把边 |