On the Statelets between Nanzhao and the Dali Kingdom
After the demise of Nanzhao 南诏, the Buddhist kingdom that integrated the tribes of the Erhai region in the second half of the first millennium, local strongmen proclaimed a succession of short-lived statelets before Duan Siping 段思平 in 937 CE established the Dali Kingdom 大理国.
In Huize, the old capital of copper in Yunnan, many splendid guildhalls survive.
Jim Goodman: Living in Shangrila: Tibetans and Mosuo in Northwest Yunnan
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.
An ancient burial mountain.
Hometown of many Bai merchants, Xizhou boast some impressive architecture.
Judith Shapiro: Mao's War Against Nature: Politics and the Environment in Revolutionary China
Even if Chinese civilization has developed more against than with nature, the Mao years were a particular exercise in environmental destruction. In one case-study Shapiro tells the story of the draining of the northern part of Dianchi Lake, one of the first steps turning Kunming's lake into the fetid cess-pool it is today.
Daoist temple mountain and a centre of Yi culture.
A history trading post on the upper reaches of the Yangzi.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Benzhu Worship | 06 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship | 06 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 06 Mar |
| Xishan Temple Fair | 06 Mar |
| Benzhu Festival | 07 Mar |
| Zhuomulang Songfest | 07 Mar |
| Benzhu Festival | 08 Mar |
| International Women's Day | 08 Mar |
| Benzhu Festival | 11 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Xiangtu) | 11 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship | 11 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 11 Mar |
Markets this Saturday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Zhoucheng | 州城 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Paiying | 排营 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Lijiao | 力角 |
| Shijing | 师井 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Diannan | 甸南 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Jiangwei | 江尾镇 |
| Zuòyì | 作邑 |
| 桥街 | |
| 西庄 | |
| 寅街村 | |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| Beiya | 北衙 |
| Changyi | 长邑村 |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Xinansuo | 新安所镇 |
| Daheishan | 大黑山乡 |
| Leyu | 乐育 |
| Xinxian | 新现乡 |
| Sankeshu | 三棵树 |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| Dixibei | 地西北 |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Manglong | 芒龙 |
| Lincang | 临沧 |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Shuanghe | 双河 |