Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


Into the Land of the Black Lisu

The Nujiang Canyon, on Yunnan's western frontier, was until the 1930s a blank area on the map that not even Chinese troops dared to enter. In 1905 two British explorers made the first foray into this land of the Black Lisu.



The annual fair at Shaba, called the Fishpond Fair 渔潭会, starts every year on the day of the Midautumn Festival 中秋节, and runs for a week. Attracting a local crowd, it remains a much more rustic fair than the massive Third Month Fair 三月街 and livestock is still traded here.


Jim Goodman: Living in Shangrila: Tibetans and Mosuo in Northwest Yunnan

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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. 



The Danxia, or red sandstore, cliffs around Liming are a hikers' and climbers' paradise that is just now being discovered.


Ronald G. Knapp: China's Old Dwellings

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Few people know as much about Chinese architecture as Knapp: from palaces to humble homes he explains important building principles; the connection between environment and housing styles and the development of style over time. A section on minority housing styles complements the book.


Azhali is a historic branch of Buddhism with strong Bai local characteristics.



A spectacularly narrow canyon high above the Jinsha River.

Markets this Saturday

Kunming 昆明
Jiulong 九龙乡
Fazhe 法者镇
Wumeng 乌蒙乡
Shilin 石林彝族自治县
Tangdan 汤丹镇
Tuanjie 团结

Dali 大理
Zhoucheng 州城
Yongping 永平县
Lijiao 力角
Longjie 龙街
Paiying 排营
Xintun 辛屯
Songgui 松桂
Shijing 师井
Longjie 龙街
Diannan 甸南
Jiangwei 江尾镇
Huangping 黄平镇

Lijiang 丽江
Shigu 石鼓镇
Jiuhe 九河

Honghe 红河
Xinansuo 新安所镇
Daheishan 大黑山乡
Leyu 乐育
Sancun 三村
Sankeshu 三棵树
Xinxian 新现乡
Xinjie 新街
Dixibei 地西北

Wenshan 文山
Matang 马塘镇
Badaoshao 八道哨乡
Pingba 坪坝镇
Heizhiguo 黑支果乡
Boai 剥隘镇
Dongma 董马乡
Xinzhai 新寨乡

Chuxiong 楚雄
Xiaoju 小苴
Shizhong 适中乡
Wanyaoshu 弯腰树
Dahekou 大河口乡

Baoshan 保山市
Zhonghe 中和
Bawan 坝湾镇
Mangkuan 芒宽彝族傣族乡

Lincang 临沧
Menglai 勐来乡
Yalian 亚练乡

Zhaotong 昭通
Jiucheng 旧城
Shikan 石坎
Weixin 威信
Changan 长安

Yuxi 玉溪
Chahe 岔河
Mosha 漠沙镇
Dalongtan 大龙潭

Nujiang 怒江
Hexi 河西
Puladi 普拉底乡
Aludi 阿路底
Laowo 老窝

Puer 普洱
Jiahe 嘉禾乡
Menglian 孟连傣族拉祜族佤族自治县
Mengsuo 勐梭镇

Diqing 迪庆
Xiaoweixi 小维西
Kaifaqu 开发区