Manglao - A Dai Village in Winter
Even in the depth of winter, life in a Dai village does not truly slow down—it merely changes its rhythm.
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.
Temple fair in the Fengyu basin.
Hometown of many Bai merchants, Xizhou boast some impressive architecture.
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.
Dali has its own Torch Festival related customs.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Daba Spring Festival Evening Party | 16 Feb |
| Benzhu Worship | 17 Feb |
| Welcoming Spring | 18 Feb |
| Tangdeng Chuichuiqiang | 18 Feb |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Xiangtu) | 18 Feb |
| Benzhu Worship | 18 Feb |
| Start of Ramadan | 18 Feb |
| Losar Tibetan New Year | 18 Feb |
| Xiawu Village Chuichuiqiang | 19 Feb |
| Sanhe Village New Year Rites | 19 Feb |
| Rain Water | 19 Feb |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Xiangtu) | 19 Feb |
Markets this Sunday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Jiuzhou | 旧州 |
| Sanying | 三营 |
| Yunlong | 云龙县 |
| Binchuan | 宾川县 |
| Beitou | 北头 |
| Liantie | 炼铁 |
| Lawu | 拉乌 |
| Jianchuan | 剑川县 |
| Changxin | 长新 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Eryuan | 洱源县 |
| Pingpo | 平坡 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| Niujie | 牛街彝族乡 |
| Hongyan | 红岩镇 |
| Hedian | 禾甸镇 |
| Minjian | 民建乡 |
| 青苗 | |
| Beiya | 北衙 |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Shengcun | 生村 |
| Pingbian | 屏边苗族自治县 |
| Diema | 垤玛 |
| Mengzi | 蒙自县 |
| Shalatuo | 沙拉托 |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Liangdi | 浪堤 |
| Chake | 岔科 |
| Jiayin | 甲寅 |
| Azhahe | 阿扎河 |
| Baohua | 宝华 |
| Yongning | 永宁乡 |
| Luoen | 洛恩 |
| Panzihua | 攀枝花 |
| Tongchang | 铜厂 |
| Laomeng | 老勐 |
| Zhemi | 者米拉祜族乡 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Babu | 八布乡 |
| Tiechang | 铁厂镇 |
| Guangnan | 广南县 |
| Zhuanjiao | 篆角乡 |
| Pingyuan | 平远 |
| Zhesang | 者桑乡 |
| Babao | 八宝镇 |
| Mulun | 睦伦乡 |