The Old Salt Roads in Yunnan
The Tea Horse Road 茶马古道 into Tibet has become a romantic moniker for Yunnan, but economically more important were the old salt roads.
Fishermen set out on Erhai during the short official fishing season.
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.
An Yi ritual in Xiangyun county.
The Danxia, or red sandstore, cliffs around Liming are a hikers' and climbers' paradise that is just now being discovered.
Jim Goodman: Children of the Jade Dragon: the Naxi of Lijiang and their mountain neighbours the Yi
In the first half of the 1990s Lijiang had barely made its appearance on the Chinese tourism stage, even less so the then remote mountains of Ningland and Lugu Lake. Jim Goodman's account of the Naxi and the Yi draws back to a time where not everything was staged for mass tourism: an account of a lost world.
Benzhu is the native believe system of the Bai peole.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Great Cold | 20 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship | 22 Jan |
| Gedong | 25 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship | 28 Jan |
| Lunar New Year's Eve | 28 Jan |
| Daba Spring Festival Evening Party | 28 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship | 28 Jan |
| Heshen Festival | 29 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship | 29 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship | 29 Jan |
| New Year Ritual | 29 Jan |
| Dalaogeng | 29 Jan |
Markets this Sunday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Jiuzhou | 旧州 |
| Sanying | 三营 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Haidong | 海东 |
| Shuixie | 水泄 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Yunlong | 云龙县 |
| Yinqiao | 银桥 |
| Binchuan | 宾川县 |
| Liantie | 炼铁 |
| Beitou | 北头 |
| Lawu | 拉乌 |
| Jianchuan | 剑川县 |
| Changxin | 长新 |
| Gonglang | 公郎镇 |
| Pingpo | 平坡 |
| Eryuan | 洱源县 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| 前所 | |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| 西庄 | |
| Minjian | 民建乡 |
| 青苗 | |
| Niujie | 牛街彝族乡 |
| 云南驿村 | |
| 寅街村 | |
| Qinghaiying | 青海营 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Pingbian | 屏边苗族自治县 |
| Diema | 垤玛 |
| Mengzi | 蒙自县 |
| Lvchun | 绿春县 |
| Majie | 马街 |
| Azhahe | 阿扎河 |
| Chake | 岔科 |
| Jiayin | 甲寅 |
| Liangdi | 浪堤 |
| Nanke | 南科 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| Baohua | 宝华 |
| Luoen | 洛恩 |
| Jinping | 金平苗族瑶族傣族自治县 |
| Yongning | 永宁乡 |
| Mengqiao | 勐桥乡 |
| Laomeng | 老勐 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Pingzhai | 平寨乡 |
| Guangnan | 广南县 |
| Banlun | 板仑乡 |
| Pingyuan | 平远 |
| Zhesang | 者桑乡 |
| Muyang | 木央镇 |
| Banggu | 蚌谷乡 |
| Babao | 八宝镇 |
| Nanping (Majie) | 南屏镇 (马街） |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Xiaopingtian | 小平田 |
| Wama | 瓦马彝族白族乡 |
| Tengchong | 腾冲县 |