Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


A Republic Era Map of Dali

A Republic Era map shows the development of the Dali region over the last hundred years.



In Huize, the old capital of copper in Yunnan, many splendid guildhalls survive.


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.

Once an important salt-mining town, now the second largest town along the Heihui River north of Yangbi.


Jim Goodman: Children of the Jade Dragon: the Naxi of Lijiang and their mountain neighbours the Yi

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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.


Remote temple on mountain top, site of religious gathering at the end of the New Year period.



Unspoiled Weishan boast Yunnan's most beautiful county town, an important Taoist mountain and areas of strong Muslim and Yi tradition.

Markets this Thursday

Dali 大理
Nanxin 南新
Niujie 牛街
Yangcen 羊岑
Maidi 脉地
Gudi 古底
Daying 大营
Huangping 黄平镇
Taiyi 太邑彝族乡
Qiaohou 乔后
Zhongjiang 中江
Xiazhuang 下庄镇
太和社区
Qinghaiying 青海营
Jindunjiecun 金墩街村
鲁庄
Shalong 沙龙镇
龙洞村
Mizhi 密祉镇
Beiya 北衙
果城村
Liuchang 刘厂镇
Xinjie 新街镇
Qiaodian 乔甸镇

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
Heping 和平乡
Longwu 龙武镇
Mengping 勐坪
Baixian 白显

Wenshan 文山
Shuanglongying 双龙营乡
Lida 里达镇
Zhujie 朱街镇
Mugan 木杆
Banlun 板仑乡
Zhulin 珠琳镇
Funing 富宁县

Chuxiong 楚雄
Jiyi 己衣乡
Shizhong 适中乡
Tanhua 昙花乡
Sanchahe 三岔河乡
Dongpo 东坡傣族乡
Guanglu 光路镇

Baoshan 保山市
Hehua 荷花傣族佤族乡
Xinzhai 新寨

Lincang 临沧
Mengding 孟定
Nanmei 南美拉祜族乡
Banhong 班洪乡

Qujing 曲靖市
Dahai 大海乡
Huohong 火红乡
Nagu 娜姑镇
Xitu 西土
迤车

Zhaotong 昭通
Linfeng 麟风
Shuitian 水田

Yuxi 玉溪
Mosha 漠沙镇
Yani 亚尼
Yuanjiang 元江哈尼族彝族傣族自治县
Nanuo 那诺乡

Nujiang 怒江
Jiakedi 架科底乡
Pihe 匹河怒族乡
Dimaluo

Puer 普洱
Nuofu 糯福
Dashan 大山乡
Mengma 孟马镇
Fubang 富邦乡
Mujia 木戛乡
Ankang 安康佤族乡
Wendong 文东佤族乡