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.
A Lahu minority Christian service in a hill village near Menglian.
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.
An isolated Bai town with rich culture.
A history trading post on the upper reaches of the Yangzi.
Jim Goodman: The Terrace Builders: The Hani and their Neighbors in Yunnan's Ailao Mountains
Abstract: The rice terraces of the Ailao Mountains in southern Yunnan province, China, are some of the oldest terraced farms in Asia. First mentioned in Tang Dynasty records, these farms, 80% of which are irrigated, with water running through them all year round, have been in continuous use for over a thousand years. In 2013 UNESCO declared the heartland of this area a World Heritage Site. The Terrace Builders is a detailed account of how these farms are made and used, the cities and mountains of Honghe Prefecture and the far north of Vietnam, as well as the various ethnic minorities who live there. The book pays special attention to the Hani people, the largest ethnic group in the area, and includes summaries of the culture and clothing of their neighbors the Yi, Miao, Yao, Zhuang and Dai. The book includes 300 photos of the land and its people.
Dali's dragon boat races were held on the day of the Torch Festival.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Mother Earth Worship | 27 Nov |
| Meige Festival | 27 Nov |
| Yi New Year | 29 Nov |
| Street Banquet | 30 Nov |
| Hani New Year | 01 Dec |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 02 Dec |
| Yongning Mule Fair | 04 Dec |
| Benzhu Worship | 04 Dec |
| Full Moon Ritual | 04 Dec |
| Benzhu Worship | 04 Dec |
| Panwang Festival | 05 Dec |
| Mother Earth | 07 Dec |
Markets this Thursday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Nanxin | 南新 |
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Yangcen | 羊岑 |
| Maidi | 脉地 |
| Haidong | 海东 |
| Shuixie | 水泄 |
| Gudi | 古底 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Qiaohou | 乔后 |
| Daying | 大营 |
| Taiyi | 太邑彝族乡 |
| Gonglang | 公郎镇 |
| 太和社区 | |
| 云南驿村 | |
| 前所 | |
| 鲁庄 | |
| Beiya | 北衙 |
| Qiaodian | 乔甸镇 |
| 西庄 | |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| 寅街村 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shunzhou | 顺州 |
| Xishuangbanna | 西双版纳 |
|---|---|
| Xiding | 西定哈尼族乡 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Dianwei | 甸尾乡 |
| Lvchun | 绿春县 |
| Heping | 和平乡 |
| Majie | 马街 |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Nanke | 南科 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| Baixian | 白显 |
| Jinping | 金平苗族瑶族傣族自治县 |
| Mengqiao | 勐桥乡 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Pingzhai | 平寨乡 |
| Muyang | 木央镇 |
| Banggu | 蚌谷乡 |
| Nanping (Majie) | 南屏镇 (马街） |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Manglong | 芒龙 |
| Lincang | 临沧 |
|---|---|
| Cangyuan | 沧源佤族自治县 |
| Luodang | 洛党 |
| Shuangjiang | 双江拉祜族佤族布朗族傣族自治县 |
| Xinhua | 新华彝族苗族乡 |
| Quannei | 圈内 |
| Zhenkang | 镇康县 |
| Junsai | 军赛乡 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Shuanghe | 双河 |