Marco Polo in Yunnan?
Did the great Venetian traveller reach Yunnan? Almost certainly not, but still his accounts are the first words Europeans heard about this far-away region.
The watermills in Fengqing's Gumo village operate just like a thousand years ago.
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 Bai folk play form, preserved in Yunlong county.
This old caravan town on the Jinsha River is Yunnan's gateway to Tibet.
C. Patterson Giersch: Asian Borderlands: The Transformation of Qing China's Yunnan Frontier
Yunnan was not always China: indeed not so long ago large parts of Yunnan were only nominally part of the empire. To make Yunnan, outside the main Han cities, a Chinese province required significant effort. Here Giersch's study on Yunnan's hinterland makes an interesting if academic read.
Upper Benzhu Temple in Wase.
Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Yangmei Festival | 01 May |
| Manlong Buckwheat Festival | 30 May |
| Butterfly Festival | 31 May |
| Benzhu Worship (Midu) | 31 May |
| Benzhu Worship | 31 May |
| Butterfly Spring Meeting | 31 May |
| Yongping Wenbi Pagoda Ceremony | 31 May |
| Full Moon Ritual | 31 May |
| Benzhu Worship | 01 Jun |
| Guniangjie | 03 Jun |
| Benzhu Worship | 03 Jun |
| Yanguang Birthday | 05 Jun |
Markets this Saturday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Zhoucheng | 州城 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Paiying | 排营 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Lijiao | 力角 |
| Fengyi | 凤仪 |
| Shijing | 师井 |
| Weishan | 巍山彝族回族自治县 |
| Diannan | 甸南 |
| Wase | 挖色 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Jiangwei | 江尾镇 |
| Dianzhong | 甸中 |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| Changyi | 长邑村 |
| 西庄 | |
| 田口 | |
| Shidongcun | 石洞村 |
| 寅街村 | |
| 北桥 | |
| Luming | 鹿鸣乡 |
| 妙姑村 | |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| 桥街 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Jiuhe | 九河 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Xinansuo | 新安所镇 |
| Daheishan | 大黑山乡 |
| Leyu | 乐育 |
| Daheigong | 大黑公 |
| Wuwan | 乌弯 |
| Sankeshu | 三棵树 |
| Xinxian | 新现乡 |
| Dixibei | 地西北 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| 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 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Menggu | 蒙姑镇 |
| Yuxi | 玉溪 |
|---|---|
| Mosha | 漠沙镇 |
| Fuliangpeng | 富良棚 |