From Niujiaozhai to Yuanyang
Yuanyang county, south of the Red River in the province's southeast, is famous for its Hani rice-terraces. With its splendid vistas and ethnic mix it is also a great area for hiking. Here we describe a moderate day-hike starting at the market-town of Niujiaozhai, passing through Yi and Hani villages and ending with stunning sunset vistas over the rice-terraces of Longshuba.
Hand-made giant sparklers, called "Fire Flowers" 火花, are part of the firework displays for temple fairs in Menglian 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 number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Suona melodies in the Pingchuan area of Binchuan.
Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.
Liao Yiwu: God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China
Liao Yiwu, one of China's most prominent dissidents, was driven out of China, but not before he used a period of internal exile to research Christian groups, mainly in Yunnan. In this book he tells the stories of the Christians of Dali and of Wuding county.
A Bai village rich in cultural heritage.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| National Day | 01 Oct |
| Confucius Festival | 07 Oct |
| Confucius Birthday | 07 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 07 Oct |
| Confucius Worship | 07 Oct |
| Cold Dew | 08 Oct |
| Welcoming the Grandmother | 09 Oct |
| Welcoming the Grandmother | 10 Oct |
| Temple Fair | 10 Oct |
| Northern Dipper Ritual | 10 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 11 Oct |
| Benzhu Festival | 11 Oct |
Markets this Wednesday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Shunbi | 順濞 |
| Shaba | 沙坝 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Shuanglang | 双廊镇 |
| Zhongying | 种英 |
| Shanglan | 上兰 |
| Zhouguanying | 周官营 |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| Gongguoqiao | 功果桥镇 |
| Beiya | 北衙 |
| Shundang | 顺荡 |
| Shangcang | 上沧 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| 龙街 | |
| 龙洞村 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shunzhou | 顺州 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Zhicun | 芷村镇 |
| Niujiaozhai | 牛角寨 |
| Mengla | 勐拉 |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Sancun | 三村 |
| Yafangzi | Yafangzi |
| Wuwan | 乌弯 |
| Daheigong | 大黑公 |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Baiyun | 白云乡 |
| Yongning | 永宁乡 |
| Tutai | 土台 |
| Maandi | 马鞍底 |
| Hongtian | 红田 |
| Qujing | 曲靖市 |
|---|---|
| Daibu | 待补镇 |
| Fenghuang | 凤凰 |
| 干海子 | |
| Laochang | 老厂乡 |
| Sandao | 三道 |
| Wuxing | 五星乡 |
| Xinjie | 新街回族乡 |
| Yangmeishan | 杨梅山 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Kaifaqu | 开发区 |
| 岩瓦 |