On the Statelets between Nanzhao and the Dali Kingdom
After the demise of Nanzhao 南诏, the Buddhist kingdom that integrated the tribes of the Erhai region in the second half of the first millennium, local strongmen proclaimed a succession of short-lived statelets before Duan Siping 段思平 in 937 CE established the Dali Kingdom 大理国.
Hand-made giant sparklers, called "Fire Flowers" 火花, are part of the firework displays for temple fairs in Menglian county.
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.
Cangshan 苍山 to the west and Erhai 洱海 to the east frame the Dali Bai homeland.
Hometown of many Bai merchants, Xizhou boast some impressive architecture.
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.
An ancient Bai wedding ritual only found in Yunlong county.
Once an important salt-mining town, now the second largest town along the Heihui River north of Yangbi.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Descent of Frost | 23 Oct |
| Xinuluo Remembrance Day | 23 Oct |
| Temple Fair | 23 Oct |
| Open Door Festival | 24 Oct |
| Full Moon Ritual | 24 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 24 Oct |
| Guanyin Enlightenment | 28 Oct |
| Opening of the Fishing Season | 28 Oct |
| Dharmic Assembly | 31 Oct |
| Pupeng Zhejume Pilgrimage | 31 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 31 Oct |
| Temple Fair | 01 Nov |
Markets this Friday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Xiangtu | 象图乡 |
| Hecun | 萂村 |
| Jiancao | 捡槽 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Shuixie | 水泄 |
| Gunipen | 沽泥盆 |
| Waxi | 瓦溪 |
| Wuxing | 五星 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Pingchuan | 平川 |
| Yangbi | 漾濞彝族自治县 |
| Baidangping | 白荡坪 |
| Shaxi | 沙溪 |
| Gonglang | 公郎镇 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Yousuo | 右所镇 |
| Caifeng | 财丰 |
| 前所 | |
| Miaojie | 庙街镇 |
| 三胜 | |
| 汤涧 | |
| Xishan | 西山乡 |
| 大栗树 | |
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| Wachang | 瓦厂乡 |
| 云南驿村 | |
| Houshancun | 后山村 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Xinhua | 新华乡 |
| Niujiaozhai | 牛角寨 |
| Lengdun | 冷墩 |
| Lengquan | 冷泉镇 |
| Lvchun | 绿春县 |
| Majie | 马街 |
| Dongshan | 东山镇 |
| Shitouzhai | 石头寨 |
| Baxin | 坝心镇 |
| Shuiguachong | 水瓜冲 |
| Nanke | 南科 |
| Shaochong | 哨冲镇 |
| Jinping | 金平苗族瑶族傣族自治县 |
| Niujie | 牛街镇 |
| Mengqiao | 勐桥乡 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Pingzhai | 平寨乡 |
| Muyang | 木央镇 |
| Banggu | 蚌谷乡 |
| Nanping (Majie) | 南屏镇 (马街） |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Manglong | 芒龙 |
| Lincang | 临沧 |
|---|---|
| Cangyuan | 沧源佤族自治县 |
| Quannei | 圈内 |
| Xinhua | 新华彝族苗族乡 |
| Shuangjiang | 双江拉祜族佤族布朗族傣族自治县 |
| Zhenkang | 镇康县 |
| Junsai | 军赛乡 |
| Qujing | 曲靖市 |
|---|---|
| 干海子 | |
| Kuangshan | 矿山镇 |
| Laochang | 老厂乡 |
| Luna | 鲁纳乡 |
| Shangcun | 上村乡 |
| Wuxing | 五星乡 |
| Xinjie | 新街回族乡 |
| Yangmeishan | 杨梅山 |
| Yulu | 雨碌乡 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Jiagetu | 价格土 |
| 岩瓦 |