Xu Xiake 徐霞客 in Dali
Xu Xiake (1586 - 1641) was China's first travel blogger. During the third lunar month in 1639 he travelled through Dali and recorded his experiences in his diary, posthumously published as 徐霞客游记. Is it still possible to retrace Xu's steps on the Dali plain?
Hand-made giant sparklers, called "Fire Flowers" 火花, are part of the firework displays for temple fairs in Menglian county.
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.
An ancient Bai folk play form, preserved in Yunlong county.
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 specific theatre performance style in Dali.
Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Walnut Festival | 01 Sep |
| Fishpond Fair | 25 Sep |
| Baitan Temple Fair | 28 Sep |
| Confucius Sacrifice | 28 Sep |
| Confucius Festival | 28 Sep |
| Fenghuan Mountain Music Festival | 01 Oct |
| National Day | 01 Oct |
| Baobo Festival | 02 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 03 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship (Fengyu Area) | 03 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 03 Oct |
| Sky Lantern Festival | 03 Oct |
Markets this Tuesday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Tuanjie | 团结 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Zhongsuo | 中所 |
| Fuheng | 富恒 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Fengyu | 风羽 |
| Liandong | 炼洞 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Shuixie | 水泄 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Guanping | 关平 |
| Baofeng | 宝丰乡 |
| Binju | 宾居 |
| Madeng | 马镫 |
| Shuijing | 水井 |
| Zuòyì | 作邑 |
| Gonglang | 公郎镇 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| 云南驿村 | |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| 前所 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shigu | 石鼓镇 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Niujiaozhai | 牛角寨 |
| Mingjiu | 鸣鹫镇 |
| Wantang | 湾塘乡 |
| Caoba | 草坝镇 |
| Lvchun | 绿春县 |
| Majie | 马街 |
| Dayangjie | 大羊街 |
| Nanke | 南科 |
| Jinping | 金平苗族瑶族傣族自治县 |
| Baoxiu | 宝秀镇 |
| Mengqiao | 勐桥乡 |
| Shaochong | 哨冲镇 |
| Xincheng | 新城乡 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Pingzhai | 平寨乡 |
| Jiayi | 稼依镇 |
| Banggu | 蚌谷乡 |
| Muyang | 木央镇 |
| Nanping (Majie) | 南屏镇 (马街） |
| Nujiang | 怒江 |
|---|---|
| Gudeng | 古登 |
| Bingzhongluo | 丙中洛 |
| Lishadi | 利沙底乡 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Donghui | 东回镇 |
| Jiahe | 嘉禾乡 |
| Meizi | 梅子镇 |
| Menglian | 孟连傣族拉祜族佤族自治县 |
| Minle | 民乐 |
| Xuelin | 雪林佤族乡 |
| Mengsuo | 勐梭镇 |
| Puyi | 普义乡 |
| Wenggake | 翁嘎科镇 |