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.
The temple in Mangdao 芒岛, built in 1899, is one of few surviving examples of Dai Buddhist temples having survived the Cultural Revolution by being converted into grain storage.
Ronald G. Knapp: China's Old Dwellings
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.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Suona melodies in the Pingchuan area of Binchuan.
Unspoiled Weishan boast Yunnan's most beautiful county town, an important Taoist mountain and areas of strong Muslim and Yi tradition.
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.
Daoist temple mountain and a centre of Yi culture.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Zheng He Cultural Tourism Festival | 11 Jul |
| Southern Dipper Ritual | 14 Jul |
| Lizhi Festival | 16 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 18 Jul |
| Flowery Face Festival | 18 Jul |
| Waxberry Festival | 19 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 19 Jul |
| Sixth of June | 19 Jul |
| Bai Yi New Year | 19 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 19 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 19 Jul |
| Wild Mushroom Trade Fair | 20 Jul |
Markets this Friday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Hecun | 萂村 |
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Xiangtu | 象图乡 |
| Jiancao | 捡槽 |
| Waxi | 瓦溪 |
| Wanqiao | 湾桥 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Gunipen | 沽泥盆 |
| Wuxing | 五星 |
| Pingchuan | 平川 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Baidangping | 白荡坪 |
| Yangbi | 漾濞彝族自治县 |
| Shaxi | 沙溪 |
| Yousuo | 右所镇 |
| Wachang | 瓦厂乡 |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| 西庄 | |
| 汤涧 | |
| Xishan | 西山乡 |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| 寅街村 | |
| 大栗树 | |
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| Beiya | 北衙 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shunzhou | 顺州 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Xinhua | 新华乡 |
| Lengdun | 冷墩 |
| Lengquan | 冷泉镇 |
| Dongshan | 东山镇 |
| Sankeshu | 三棵树 |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Shitouzhai | 石头寨 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| Dixibei | 地西北 |
| Qujing | 曲靖市 |
|---|---|
| Daba | 大坝 |
| 干海子 | |
| Jiache | 驾车乡 |
| Kuangshan | 矿山镇 |
| Laochang | 老厂乡 |
| Wuxing | 五星乡 |
| Xinjie | 新街回族乡 |
| Yangmeishan | 杨梅山 |
| Yulu | 雨碌乡 |