Kiss of Life for an Old Caravan Market
Until the middle of last century, Shaxi was a flourishing village on the caravan road to Tibet. The following decades made it a place that history forgot. Now Shaxi is undergoing an award-winning restoration.
In Huize, the old capital of copper in Yunnan, many splendid guildhalls survive.
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.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Bai wedding customs.
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.
Dali has its own Torch Festival related customs.
Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Zhaoxia Mountain Temple Fair | 15 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 16 Mar |
| Pear Flower Festival | 17 Mar |
| Men's Festival | 17 Mar |
| New Moon Ritual | 19 Mar |
| Weibaoshan Pilgrimage | 19 Mar |
| Madeng Trade Fair | 19 Mar |
| Kaixinjie | 19 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship (Fengyu) | 19 Mar |
| Aluowuluo | 19 Mar |
| Wrestling Festival | 20 Mar |
| Dragon Worship | 20 Mar |
Markets this Monday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Banqiao | 板桥乡 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Shanyang | 衫阳 |
| Biaocun | 表村 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Jizushan | 鸡足山 |
| Qinghua | 清华 |
| Yinqiao | 银桥 |
| Tuanjie | 团结 |
| Misha | 弥沙 |
| Baishi | 白石 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Caojian | 漕间 |
| Shaping | 沙平村 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| 果城村 | |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| Taiping | 太平乡 |
| Liuchang | 刘厂镇 |
| Xinjie | 新街镇 |
| Junhuacun | 均华村 |
| Mizhi | 密祉镇 |
| Miaowei | 苗尾傈僳族乡 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shigu | 石鼓镇 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Nafa | 那发 |
| Laozhai | 老寨苗族乡 |
| Chemalong | 车玛龙 |
| Daheigong | 大黑公 |
| Wuwan | 乌弯 |
| Jiache | 架车 |
| Puxiong | 普雄 |
| Zhongzhai | 中寨 |
| Baihe | 白河乡 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Zili | 梓里 |
| Shangjiang | 上江 |
| Kaifaqu | 开发区 |