Dancing under the Moonlight: the Costume Festival of Zhizuo
As villages go, Zhizuo could hardly be more remote. Some 70km from the county town, first along a winding mountain road, then on a deeply rutted track without public transport: even in the dry season it takes several hours and a bit of stamina to reach. Yet, at least on the first full moon of the year, the effort is worth it, as Zhizuo holds one of Yunnan's most colourful festivals, the Dress Competition Festival or Caizhuangjie 赛装节.
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.
Locally important temple.
Unspoiled Weishan boast Yunnan's most beautiful county town, an important Taoist mountain and areas of strong Muslim and Yi tradition.
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.
Dali's dragon boat races were held on the day of the Torch Festival.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Dharmic Assembly | 31 Oct |
| Benzhu Festival | 05 Nov |
| Start of Winter | 07 Nov |
| Sea of Blood Temple Fair | 07 Nov |
| New Moon Ritual | 09 Nov |
| Single's Day | 11 Nov |
| Yi New Year | 12 Nov |
| Hani New Year | 14 Nov |
| Mother Earth Worship | 16 Nov |
| Meige Festival | 16 Nov |
| Leonid Meteor Shower | 17 Nov |
| Dai New Year | 18 Nov |
Markets this Friday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Xiangtu | 象图乡 |
| Hecun | 萂村 |
| Jiancao | 捡槽 |
| Shanyang | 衫阳 |
| Waxi | 瓦溪 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Gunipen | 沽泥盆 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Pingchuan | 平川 |
| Wuxing | 五星 |
| Yinqiao | 银桥 |
| Yangbi | 漾濞彝族自治县 |
| Baidangping | 白荡坪 |
| Shuanglang | 双廊镇 |
| Shaxi | 沙溪 |
| Caojian | 漕间 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Yousuo | 右所镇 |
| 汤涧 | |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| 西庄 | |
| 寅街村 | |
| Xishan | 西山乡 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| 大栗树 | |
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| Wachang | 瓦厂乡 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| Junhuacun | 均华村 |
| 龙洞村 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shigu | 石鼓镇 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Longpeng | 龙朋镇 |
| Xinhua | 新华乡 |
| Daqiao | 大桥乡 |
| Mengla | 勐拉 |
| Lengdun | 冷墩 |
| Lengquan | 冷泉镇 |
| Dongshan | 东山镇 |
| Wuwan | 乌弯 |
| Shitouzhai | 石头寨 |
| Daheigong | 大黑公 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| Maandi | 马鞍底 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Shangjiang | 上江 |