Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


A Republic Era Map of Dali

A Republic Era map shows the development of the Dali region over the last hundred years.



The watermills in Fengqing's Gumo village operate just like a thousand years ago.


Jim Goodman: Children of the Jade Dragon: the Naxi of Lijiang and their mountain neighbours the Yi

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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.


A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.

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


John Israel: Lianda: A Chinese University in War and Revolution

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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.


An unspoilt Tibetan area along the Zhibaluo River.

Markets this Sunday

Kunming 昆明
Zhuanlong 转龙镇
Xundian 寻甸回族彝族自治县
Kedu 柯渡镇

Dali 大理
Jiuzhou 旧州
Sanying 三营
Yunlong 云龙县
Weishan 巍山彝族回族自治县
Fengyi 凤仪
Liantie 炼铁
Binchuan 宾川县
Wase 挖色
Beitou 北头
Lawu 拉乌
Shuanglang 双廊镇
Jianchuan 剑川县
Changxin 长新
Pingpo 平坡
Eryuan 洱源县
Dianzhong 甸中
妙姑村
Longjie 龙街
Xiazhuang 下庄镇
Niujie 牛街彝族乡
龙洞村
Midian 米甸镇
Minjian 民建乡
田口
北桥
Shidongcun 石洞村
Shalong 沙龙镇
西庄
青苗
Luming 鹿鸣乡
寅街村

Lijiang 丽江
Hongyan 红岩

Xishuangbanna 西双版纳
Menghun 勐混
Mengman 勐满拉祜族哈尼族布朗族镇

Dehong 德宏
Lianghe 梁河县
Kachang 卡场镇

Honghe 红河
Pingbian 屏边苗族自治县
Mengla 勐拉
Diema 垤玛
Mengzi 蒙自县
Liangdi 浪堤
Chake 岔科
Jiayin 甲寅
Daheigong 大黑公
Azhahe 阿扎河
Wuwan 乌弯
Baohua 宝华
Xinjie 新街
Yongning 永宁乡
Luoen 洛恩
Maandi 马鞍底
Laomeng 老勐

Wenshan 文山
Shadou 沙斗
Guangnan 广南县
Nijiao 腻脚彝族乡
Pingyuan 平远
Zhesang 者桑乡
Jijie 鸡街乡
Donggan 董干镇
Babao 八宝镇
Tienpeng 田蓬镇

Chuxiong 楚雄
Nanhua 南华县
Dayao 大姚县
Bailu 白路
Yaoan 姚安县
Guanglu 光路镇

Baoshan 保山市
Wafang 瓦房彝族白族乡
Mangbang 芒棒

Lincang 临沧
Yongde 永德县
Danjia 单甲乡
Lushi 鲁史
Mengdui 孟堆乡
Fuhe 复合

Qujing 曲靖市
Daibu 待补镇
干海子
Jiache 驾车乡
Kuangshan 矿山镇
Laochang 老厂乡
Sandao 三道
Wuxing 五星乡
Xinjie 新街回族乡
Yangmeishan 杨梅山
Yulu 雨碌乡

Zhaotong 昭通
Menggu 蒙姑镇

Yuxi 玉溪
Fuliangpeng 富良棚

Nujiang 怒江
Liuku 六库
Tongdian 通甸
Fugong 福贡

Puer 普洱
Lancang 澜沧拉祜族自治县
Nanling 南岭乡
Mangxin 芒信镇
Qiannuo 千糯
Kangping 康平乡
Dehua 德化镇
Liming 黎明乡
把边