The First Jesuits in Yunnan
Martino Martin's 1655 Novus Atlas Sinensis seems to contain information based on first hand knowledge gained by missionary travellers to Yunnan. But when did the first Jesuits reach the province?
In Huize, the old capital of copper in Yunnan, many splendid guildhalls survive.
C. Patterson Giersch: Asian Borderlands: The Transformation of Qing China's Yunnan Frontier
Yunnan was not always China: indeed not so long ago large parts of Yunnan were only nominally part of the empire. To make Yunnan, outside the main Han cities, a Chinese province required significant effort. Here Giersch's study on Yunnan's hinterland makes an interesting if academic read.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Azhali is a historic branch of Buddhism with strong Bai local characteristics.
A history trading post on the upper reaches of the Yangzi.
Judith Shapiro: Mao's War Against Nature: Politics and the Environment in Revolutionary China
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.
Mountain area north of Erhai.
Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Bai Opera | 21 Feb |
| Benzhu Worship | 23 Feb |
| Kaixinjie | 23 Feb |
| Receiving the Village Protector | 23 Feb |
| Man Creation Day | 23 Feb |
| Miluoqimi Fair | 23 Feb |
| Benzhu Festival | 23 Feb |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Xiangtu) | 23 Feb |
| Benzhu Worship | 23 Feb |
| Yi Benzhu Festival | 24 Feb |
| Big Incense Festival | 24 Feb |
| Yaba Festival | 24 Feb |
Markets this Tuesday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Tuanjie | 团结 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Zhongsuo | 中所 |
| Fuheng | 富恒 |
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Liandong | 炼洞 |
| Fengyu | 风羽 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Haidong | 海东 |
| Guanping | 关平 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Baofeng | 宝丰乡 |
| Madeng | 马镫 |
| Binju | 宾居 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Shuijing | 水井 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| Mizhi | 密祉镇 |
| 龙洞村 | |
| 果城村 | |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| Liuchang | 刘厂镇 |
| Xinjie | 新街镇 |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Shuanghe | 双河 |
| Nujiang | 怒江 |
|---|---|
| Gudeng | 古登 |
| Bingzhongluo | 丙中洛 |
| Lishadi | 利沙底乡 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Zhonglu | 中路 |