Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


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.



A Lahu minority Christian service in a hill village near Menglian.


Liao Yiwu: God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China

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Liao Yiwu, one of China's most prominent dissidents, was driven out of China, but not before he used a period of internal exile to research Christian groups, mainly in Yunnan. In this book he tells the stories of the Christians of Dali and of Wuding county.


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 turn of the Yangzi made Chinese civilization possible and was the location of many important battles.


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.


Bai vernacular architecture is very ornate, the style of painting is recognised as national level intangible heritage.



A history trading post on the upper reaches of the Yangzi.

Markets this Tuesday

Kunming 昆明
Jiulong 九龙乡

Dali 大理
Fuheng 富恒
Zhongsuo 中所
Shanyang 衫阳
Fengyu 风羽
Liandong 炼洞
Yongping 永平县
Longjie 龙街
Wanqiao 湾桥
Xintun 辛屯
Songgui 松桂
Guanping 关平
Longjie 龙街
Baofeng 宝丰乡
Madeng 马镫
Binju 宾居
Shuijing 水井
Caojian 漕间
Huangping 黄平镇
Junhuacun 均华村
Deju 德苴乡
西庄
Midian 米甸镇
寅街村
Puping 普淜镇

Lijiang 丽江
Shigu 石鼓镇

Dehong 德宏
Husa 户撒乡
Nangsong 曩宋阿昌族乡

Honghe 红河
Mingjiu 鸣鹫镇
Caoba 草坝镇
Wantang 湾塘乡
Sankeshu 三棵树
Dayangjie 大羊街
Xinjie 新街
Dixibei 地西北

Wenshan 文山
Badaoshao 八道哨乡
Jiayi 稼依镇
Heizhiguo 黑支果乡
Dongma 董马乡
Boai 剥隘镇
Xinzhai 新寨乡

Chuxiong 楚雄
Gaoqiao 高桥镇
Dalongkou 大龙口乡
Shizhong 适中乡

Baoshan 保山市
Manglong 芒龙

Lincang 临沧
Luodang 洛党
Cangyuan 沧源佤族自治县
Yalian 亚练乡
Shuangjiang 双江拉祜族佤族布朗族傣族自治县
Quannei 圈内
Junsai 军赛乡
Zhenkang 镇康县

Qujing 曲靖市
Daba 大坝
Dahai 大海乡
Huohong 火红乡
Jiache 驾车乡
Nagu 娜姑镇
迤车

Zhaotong 昭通
Shikan 石坎
Jiucheng 旧城
Weixin 威信
Changan 长安

Yuxi 玉溪
Jiasa 戛洒镇
Tadian 塔甸
Mosha 漠沙镇

Nujiang 怒江
Gudeng 古登
Bingzhongluo 丙中洛
Lishadi 利沙底乡

Puer 普洱
Baozang 宝藏乡
Fuyan 富岩
Wenggake 翁嘎科镇

Diqing 迪庆
Shangjiang 上江