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?
Since its foundation by the charismatic scholar Xuan Ke 宣科 in the 1980s, the Naxi Ancient Music Association has been performing regularly in the old town of Lijiang.
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.
Rushan is a dried cow milk cheese, made in the Dali region.
Yunnan's only Shui-Township with stunning karst scenery.
Fei Hsiao-Tung and Chang Chih-I: Earthbound China: A Study of Rural Economy in Yunnan
Fei is the father of modern sociology in China: western-trained, he came to Yunnan at the end of the 1930s when China's eastern universities relocated west. In "Earthbound China" he applied modern empirical techniques that he had pioneered around Shanghai to the Chinese hinterland. The economical development, and subsequent societal changes, of three un-named, but typical villages in Yunnan is analyzed in great detail in this fascinating study.
Remote temple on mountain top, site of religious gathering at the end of the New Year period.
Yunnan's only Shui-Township with stunning karst scenery.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Great Cold | 20 Jan |
| Kuoshi Lisu New Year | 23 Jan |
| "Replenish Provisions" Ritual | 24 Jan |
| Wuxi Festival | 24 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 26 Jan |
| Lingshan Temple Fair | 26 Jan |
| Benzhu Festival | 27 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 27 Jan |
| Long Table Feast | 27 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship | 01 Feb |
| Full Moon Ritual | 02 Feb |
| Benzhu Worship | 02 Feb |
Markets this Wednesday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Shanyang | 衫阳 |
| Shunbi | 順濞 |
| Qinghua | 清华 |
| Shaba | 沙坝 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| Caojian | 漕间 |
| Zhongying | 种英 |
| Shanglan | 上兰 |
| Zhouguanying | 周官营 |
| 顺荡 | |
| Hedian | 禾甸镇 |
| 龙街 | |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| Shangcang | 上沧 |
| Gongguoqiao | 功果桥镇 |
| Junhuacun | 均华村 |
| Hongyan | 红岩镇 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Liming | 黎明 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Zhicun | 芷村镇 |
| Shengcun | 生村 |
| Nafa | 那发 |
| Jiache | 架车 |
| Baiyun | 白云乡 |
| Zhongzhai | 中寨 |
| Yongning | 永宁乡 |
| Tutai | 土台 |
| Hongtian | 红田 |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Manglong | 芒龙 |
| Lincang | 临沧 |
|---|---|
| Luodang | 洛党 |
| Cangyuan | 沧源佤族自治县 |
| Shuangjiang | 双江拉祜族佤族布朗族傣族自治县 |
| Quannei | 圈内 |
| Zhenkang | 镇康县 |
| Junsai | 军赛乡 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Shuanghe | 双河 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Jiangcheng | 江城哈尼族彝族自治县 |
| Fuyan | 富岩 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Kaifaqu | 开发区 |
| 岩瓦 |