Learning Bai
Bai 白族话 is the language spoken by the Bai people 白族 in the Dali area. While Chinese has become the lingua franca, Bai is still actively spoken by many, particularly older people, but it does not have a native written form and comes in many dialects. Here we list the available resources for learning this difficult language.
A day of honours for village elders eighty years and over.
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.
Main Benzhu Temple in Wase.
A spectacularly narrow canyon high above the Jinsha River.
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.
An ancient Bai folk play form, preserved in Yunlong county.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Benzhu Worship (Fengyu) | 19 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship (Shaxi Area) | 23 Mar |
| Boluo Temple Fair | 24 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship | 24 Mar |
| Chicken Worship | 25 Mar |
| Sanduo Festival | 26 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship | 26 Mar |
| Houshan Ancestor Worship | 26 Mar |
| Migu Festival | 26 Mar |
| Cattle Festival | 26 Mar |
| Horse Cherry Blossom | 26 Mar |
| Snack Festival | 26 Mar |
Markets this Tuesday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Fuheng | 富恒 |
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Zhongsuo | 中所 |
| Fengyu | 风羽 |
| Liandong | 炼洞 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Guanping | 关平 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Baofeng | 宝丰乡 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Binju | 宾居 |
| Madeng | 马镫 |
| Shuijing | 水井 |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| Liuchang | 刘厂镇 |
| Xinjie | 新街镇 |
| Mizhi | 密祉镇 |
| 果城村 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Mingjiu | 鸣鹫镇 |
| Wantang | 湾塘乡 |
| Caoba | 草坝镇 |
| Shalatuo | 沙拉托 |
| Dayangjie | 大羊街 |
| Zhemi | 者米拉祜族乡 |
| Panzihua | 攀枝花 |
| Tongchang | 铜厂 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Shuanghe | 双河 |
| Nujiang | 怒江 |
|---|---|
| Gudeng | 古登 |
| Bingzhongluo | 丙中洛 |
| Lishadi | 利沙底乡 |
| 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 |
| Wenggake | 翁嘎科镇 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Zhonglu | 中路 |