Xu Xiake 徐霞客 in Dali
Xu Xiake (1586 - 1641) was China's first travel blogger. During the third lunar month in 1639 he travelled through Dali and recorded his experiences in his diary, posthumously published as 徐霞客游记. Is it still possible to retrace Xu's steps on the Dali plain?
The watermills in Fengqing's Gumo village operate just like a thousand years ago.
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.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Upper Benzhu Temple in Wase.
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.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Praying for Rain | 05 Jun |
| Yanguang Birthday | 05 Jun |
| Grain in Ear | 05 Jun |
| Yu An Ceremonies | 07 Jun |
| Start of Raosanling | 07 Jun |
| Raosanling | 07 Jun |
| Benzhu Worship | 08 Jun |
| Raosanling | 08 Jun |
| Raosanling in Heyicheng | 09 Jun |
| Praying For Rain | 10 Jun |
| Benzhu Worship | 10 Jun |
| Raosanling in Majiuyi | 10 Jun |
Markets this Saturday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Zhoucheng | 州城 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Shanyang | 衫阳 |
| Paiying | 排营 |
| Lijiao | 力角 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Shijing | 师井 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Diannan | 甸南 |
| Caojian | 漕间 |
| Jiangwei | 江尾镇 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Changyi | 长邑村 |
| Hedian | 禾甸镇 |
| Hongyan | 红岩镇 |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| 龙洞村 | |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| Junhuacun | 均华村 |
| 桥街 |
| Qujing | 曲靖市 |
|---|---|
| Fenghuang | 凤凰 |
| 干海子 | |
| Laochang | 老厂乡 |
| Wuxing | 五星乡 |
| Xinjie | 新街回族乡 |
| Yangmeishan | 杨梅山 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Jiangcheng | 江城哈尼族彝族自治县 |
| Lancang | 澜沧县 |
| Donghui | 东回镇 |
| Baozang | 宝藏乡 |
| Xuelin | 雪林佤族乡 |
| Menglian | 孟连傣族拉祜族佤族自治县 |
| Mengsuo | 勐梭镇 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Shangjiang | 上江 |
| Xiaoweixi | 小维西 |
| Kaifaqu | 开发区 |