Guandu Old Town
With the Bird and Flower Market and the Muslim Quarter fallen, little remains of 'Lao Kunming', the characterful old town of former times. Now it is all high-rises, wide avenues, chain-shops. Everywhere? No, a small part of Kunming is holding out...
Hand-made giant sparklers, called "Fire Flowers" 火花, are part of the firework displays for temple fairs in Menglian county.
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.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Small Benzhu shrine, used for rituals on the third day of Raosanling.
An unspoilt Tibetan area along the Zhibaluo River.
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 traditional Bai folk song form.
A history trading post on the upper reaches of the Yangzi.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Dharmic Assembly | 31 Oct |
| Jingpo New Rice | 04 Nov |
| Benzhu Festival | 04 Nov |
| Benzhu Festival | 05 Nov |
| Sea of Blood Temple Fair | 07 Nov |
| Start of Winter | 07 Nov |
| New Moon Ritual | 09 Nov |
| Single's Day | 11 Nov |
| Yi New Year | 12 Nov |
| Hani New Year | 14 Nov |
| Meige Festival | 16 Nov |
| Mother Earth Worship | 16 Nov |
Markets this Thursday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Banqiao | 板桥乡 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Nanxin | 南新 |
| Yangcen | 羊岑 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Maidi | 脉地 |
| Gudi | 古底 |
| Qinghua | 清华 |
| Fengyi | 凤仪 |
| Yongjian | 永连 |
| Qiaohou | 乔后 |
| Daying | 大营 |
| Taiyi | 太邑彝族乡 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| Wase | 挖色 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| 妙姑村 | |
| 鲁庄 | |
| 太和社区 | |
| 蛇街 | |
| Hedian | 禾甸镇 |
| Shidongcun | 石洞村 |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| Qiaodian | 乔甸镇 |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| Hongyan | 红岩镇 |
| Luming | 鹿鸣乡 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Judian | 巨甸镇 |
| Xishuangbanna | 西双版纳 |
|---|---|
| Xiding | 西定哈尼族乡 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Shengcun | 生村 |
| Nafa | 那发 |
| Dianwei | 甸尾乡 |
| Sancun | 三村 |
| Heping | 和平乡 |
| Jiache | 架车 |
| Baixian | 白显 |
| Zhongzhai | 中寨 |
| Shiping Guanyin Temple Alley | 石屏观音寺巷 |
| Chezhi | 扯直 |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Xiaopingtian | 小平田 |
| Wama | 瓦马彝族白族乡 |
| Tengchong | 腾冲县 |
| Yuxi | 玉溪 |
|---|---|
| Mosha | 漠沙镇 |
| Xingmeng | 兴蒙 |
| Fuliangpeng | 富良棚 |
| Hexi | 河西 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Jiangcheng | 江城哈尼族彝族自治县 |
| Yongping | 永平镇 |
| Meng'a | 孟啊 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Weideng | 维登 |
| 岩瓦 |