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.
The watermills in Fengqing's Gumo village operate just like a thousand years ago.
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.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
A clan temple on the slopes of a burial hill near Xizhou.
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 well preserved small town that grew rich on salt.
Once an important salt-mining town, now the second largest town along the Heihui River north of Yangbi.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Yu An Ceremonies | 07 Jun |
| Raosanling | 07 Jun |
| Start of Raosanling | 07 Jun |
| Raosanling | 08 Jun |
| Benzhu Worship | 08 Jun |
| Raosanling in Heyicheng | 09 Jun |
| Praying For Rain | 10 Jun |
| Benzhu Worship | 10 Jun |
| Raosanling in Majiuyi | 10 Jun |
| Medicine Buddha Birthday | 13 Jun |
| Mango Festival | 15 Jun |
| Kuzhazha | 15 Jun |
Markets this Sunday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Jiuzhou | 旧州 |
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Sanying | 三营 |
| Shuixie | 水泄 |
| Yunlong | 云龙县 |
| Binchuan | 宾川县 |
| Beitou | 北头 |
| Liantie | 炼铁 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Lawu | 拉乌 |
| Zuòyì | 作邑 |
| Changxin | 长新 |
| Jianchuan | 剑川县 |
| Eryuan | 洱源县 |
| Gonglang | 公郎镇 |
| Pingpo | 平坡 |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| 西庄 | |
| 云南驿村 | |
| 寅街村 | |
| Minjian | 民建乡 |
| 青苗 | |
| Beiya | 北衙 |
| Niujie | 牛街彝族乡 |
| 前所 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Pingbian | 屏边苗族自治县 |
| Diema | 垤玛 |
| Mengzi | 蒙自县 |
| Sancun | 三村 |
| Lvchun | 绿春县 |
| Majie | 马街 |
| Chake | 岔科 |
| Jiayin | 甲寅 |
| Azhahe | 阿扎河 |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Liangdi | 浪堤 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| Baohua | 宝华 |
| Nanke | 南科 |
| Luoen | 洛恩 |
| Jinping | 金平苗族瑶族傣族自治县 |
| Yongning | 永宁乡 |
| Mengqiao | 勐桥乡 |
| Laomeng | 老勐 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Pingzhai | 平寨乡 |
| Guangnan | 广南县 |
| Pingyuan | 平远 |
| Zhesang | 者桑乡 |
| Banggu | 蚌谷乡 |
| Muyang | 木央镇 |
| Babao | 八宝镇 |
| Nanping (Majie) | 南屏镇 (马街） |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Shuanghe | 双河 |