Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


1875: Death of a British Diplomat

After Britain's 1852 annexation of lower Burma lucrative trade with China through its back-door seemed more than a distant possibility. But after a successful first mission up the Irrawaddy and into Yunnan in 1868, the second British mission six years later ended in tragedy.



The annual Bai Raosanling is one of the wildest temple fairs in the province.


Jim Goodman: Children of the Jade Dragon: the Naxi of Lijiang and their mountain neighbours the Yi

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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.

John Israel: Lianda: A Chinese University in War and Revolution

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Everyone knows about the Mao's Long March, but a few years later another long march took place: that of Chinese students leaving their cushy campuses on the east coast, trekking all the way to Yunnan where their universities reformed as Lianda, the united university. Kunming, then a total backwater, became a hotbed for new ideas, not just scientific. We liked the section of east coast girls scampering around Mengzi in their latest fashion.

Markets this Wednesday

Kunming 昆明
Shilin 石林彝族自治县
Longtou 龙头街

Dali 大理
Shuixie 水泄
Shunbi 順濞
Shaba 沙坝
Caicun 才村
Dali 大理
Dacang 大仓镇
Huangping 黄平镇
Zhongying 种英
Zhongjiang 中江
Gonglang 公郎镇
Shanglan 上兰
Zhouguanying 周官营
Gongguoqiao 功果桥镇
Shangcang 上沧
三鹤
顺荡
Miaojie 庙街镇
Jindunjiecun 金墩街村
三胜
Houshancun 后山村
云南驿村
Caifeng 财丰
龙街
前所

Lijiang 丽江
Yongsheng 永胜县
Banqiao 板桥

Honghe 红河
Zhicun 芷村镇
Niujiaozhai 牛角寨
Majie 马街
Lvchun 绿春县
Shaochong 哨冲镇
Nanke 南科
Baiyun 白云乡
Jinping 金平苗族瑶族傣族自治县
Yongning 永宁乡
Niujie 牛街镇
Mengqiao 勐桥乡
Tutai 土台
Hongtian 红田

Wenshan 文山
Pingzhai 平寨乡
Banggu 蚌谷乡
Muyang 木央镇
Nanping (Majie) 南屏镇 (马街)

Chuxiong 楚雄
Maojie 猫街镇
Yaoan 姚安县

Baoshan 保山市
Xiaopingtian 小平田
Wama 瓦马彝族白族乡
Tengchong 腾冲县

Lincang 临沧
Luodang 洛党
Mangka 芒卡镇
Boshang 博商
Fengwei 风尾镇
Xinhua 新华彝族苗族乡
Mengjiao 勐角乡

Qujing 曲靖市
Baiwu 白雾
Daqiao 大桥乡
Leye 乐业镇
Luna 鲁纳乡
Malu 马路乡
Sandao 三道
Shangcun 上村乡
Zhichang 纸厂乡

Zhaotong 昭通
Linfeng 麟风
Shuitian 水田

Yuxi 玉溪
Yangjie 羊街乡
Xingmeng 兴蒙
Dianzhong 甸中
Hexi 河西

Nujiang 怒江
Lazan 腊咱
Lumadeng 鹿马登乡

Puer 普洱
Qushui 曲水乡
Minle 民乐
Yongping 永平镇
Meng'a 孟啊

Diqing 迪庆
Kangpu 康普
Kaifaqu 开发区