Learning Bai
Bai 白族话 is the language spoken by the Bai people 白族 in the Dali area. While Chinese has become the lingua franca, Bai is still actively spoken by many, particularly older people, but it does not have a native written form and comes in many dialects. Here we list the available resources for learning this difficult language.
Early 20th century murals at Mangzhong Temple near Menglian
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.
Bai rattlestick dance in the Dali region.
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.
Traditional dress in the Erhai region.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Shankang Tea Ancestor Festival | 14 Apr |
| Water Splashing Festival | 15 Apr |
| Yongping Watersplashing Festival | 16 Apr |
| Water Splashing Festival | 16 Apr |
| Mengzhun Watersplashing Festival | 16 Apr |
| Xu Xiake Memorial Event | 17 Apr |
| Mengdui Bada | 17 Apr |
| New Moon Ritual | 17 Apr |
| Gutianshi Temple Fair | 17 Apr |
| Mengdui Daba | 17 Apr |
| Buddha Relic Worship | 17 Apr |
| Seeing off the Emperor's Son in Law Ritual | 18 Apr |
Markets this Thursday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Kedu | 柯渡镇 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Nanxin | 南新 |
| Shanyang | 衫阳 |
| Yangcen | 羊岑 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Maidi | 脉地 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Gudi | 古底 |
| Qiaohou | 乔后 |
| Zuòyì | 作邑 |
| Caojian | 漕间 |
| Daying | 大营 |
| Shuanglang | 双廊镇 |
| Taiyi | 太邑彝族乡 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| 龙洞村 | |
| 西庄 | |
| 鲁庄 | |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| 太和社区 | |
| 寅街村 | |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| Junhuacun | 均华村 |
| Qiaodian | 乔甸镇 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shigu | 石鼓镇 |
| Xishuangbanna | 西双版纳 |
|---|---|
| Xiding | 西定哈尼族乡 |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Manglong | 芒龙 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Shangjiang | 上江 |