Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


Black Well, White Gold

Black Well, White Gold
Heijing is a small town in the northern Chuxiong mountains. Salt once made Heijing one of Yunnan's richest towns. Now its architectural splendours are being rediscovered.



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


Judith Shapiro: Mao's War Against Nature: Politics and the Environment in Revolutionary China

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Even if Chinese civilization has developed more against than with nature, the Mao years were a particular exercise in environmental destruction. In one case-study Shapiro tells the story of the draining of the northern part of Dianchi Lake, one of the first steps turning Kunming's lake into the fetid cess-pool it is today.


A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.

Baofeng's Benzhu festival is classed as Dali-level intangible cultural heritage.



Fog swirling on a cold winter morning over endless rice-terraces, the red of the early morning sun reflected in the flooded paddies: this is the classic view of the Hani Rice Terraces of Yuanyang, now of UNESCO World Heritage status.


Jim Goodman: The Akha: Guardians of the Forest

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The Akha, in China known as the Aini branch of the Hani people, migrated from China southwards into Laos, Burma and Thailand. In this richly illustrated book J Goodman, aka 'Akha Jim', explains their life and culture.


Biggest festival in the Dali region, once Bai New Year.



Fog swirling on a cold winter morning over endless rice-terraces, the red of the early morning sun reflected in the flooded paddies: this is the classic view of the Hani Rice Terraces of Yuanyang, now of UNESCO World Heritage status.

Markets this Monday

Kunming 昆明
Banqiao 板桥乡

Dali 大理
Biaocun 表村
Jizushan 鸡足山
Weishan 巍山彝族回族自治县
Qinghua 清华
Fengyi 凤仪
Wase 挖色
Tuanjie 团结
Misha 弥沙
Baishi 白石
Niujie 牛街
Shaping 沙平村
Dianzhong 甸中
田口
北桥
Hongyan 红岩镇
Taiping 太平乡
Miaowei 苗尾傈僳族乡
Puping 普淜镇
妙姑村
Luming 鹿鸣乡
Shidongcun 石洞村
Hedian 禾甸镇

Honghe 红河
Shengcun 生村
Nafa 那发
Laozhai 老寨苗族乡
Chemalong 车玛龙
Jiache 架车
Puxiong 普雄
Zhongzhai 中寨
Baihe 白河乡

Wenshan 文山
Puyang 普阳
Shupi 树皮彝族乡
Xichou 西畴县

Chuxiong 楚雄
Qianchang 前场镇
Chadian 插甸乡

Baoshan 保山市
Xiaopingtian 小平田
Tengchong 腾冲县
Wama 瓦马彝族白族乡

Lincang 临沧
Mangka 芒卡镇
Fengwei 风尾镇
Boshang 博商
Fengqing 凤庆县
Mengjiao 勐角乡

Qujing 曲靖市
Wopo 窝坡
Fenghuang 凤凰
干海子
Laochang 老厂乡
Wuxing 五星乡
Xinjie 新街回族乡

Zhaotong 昭通
Menggu 蒙姑镇

Yuxi 玉溪
Fuliangpeng 富良棚

Nujiang 怒江
Pengdang 捧当
Maji 马吉乡
Fugong 福贡

Puer 普洱
Jiangcheng 江城哈尼族彝族自治县
Kangping 康平乡
Yongping 永平镇
Meng'a 孟啊

Diqing 迪庆
Zili 梓里
Kaifaqu 开发区