Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


Historic Dali

Founded in the Ming dynasty, in today's old Dali history is present, but sometimes hidden.




The discovery of the bronze age culture of Sanxingdui in the Chengdu Plain is one of the most significant of the 20th century.


马健雄 (Ma Jianxiong): The Lahu Minority in Southwest China: A Response to Ethnic Marginalization on the Frontier

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The Lahu, with a population of around 470,000, inhabit the mountainous country in Yunnan Province bordering on Burma, Laos and northern Thailand. Buddhists, with a long history of resistance to the Chinese Han majority, the Lahu are currently facing a serious collapse of their traditional social system, with the highest suicide rate in the world, large scale human trafficking of their women, alcoholism and poverty. This book, based on extensive original research including long-term anthropological research among the Lahu, provides an overview of the traditional way of life of the Lahu, their social system, culture and beliefs, and discusses the ways in which these are changing. It shows how the Lahu are especially vulnerable because of their lack of political representatives and a state educated elite which can engage with, and be part of, the government administrative system. The Lahu are one of many relatively small ethnic minorities in China – overall the book provides an example of how the Chinese government approaches these relatively small ethnic minorities.


A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.

Jim Goodman: Living in Shangrila: Tibetans and Mosuo in Northwest Yunnan

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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 pretty lake area south of Eryuan.

Markets this Saturday

Kunming 昆明
Fazhe 法者镇
Shilin 石林彝族自治县
Wumeng 乌蒙乡
Tangdan 汤丹镇
Banqiao 板桥乡

Dali 大理
Junhua 均化
Duomei 朵美
Zhoucheng 州城
Yongping 永平县
Shanyang 衫阳
Lijiao 力角
Haidong 海东
Paiying 排营
Qinghua 清华
Shijing 师井
Liuhe 六合
Yinqiao 银桥
Diannan 甸南
Heqing 鹤庆县
Dacang 大仓镇
Niujie 牛街
Jiangwei 江尾镇
Caojian 漕间
Puping 普淜镇
Xinjie 新街镇
Deju 德苴乡
Liuchang 刘厂镇
Changyi 长邑村
Junhuacun 均华村
Qinghaiying 青海营
桥街
果城村
Mizhi 密祉镇

Lijiang 丽江
Jiuhe 九河
Liming 黎明

Honghe 红河
Nafa 那发
Xinansuo 新安所镇
Leyu 乐育
Daheishan 大黑山乡
Xinxian 新现乡
Jiache 架车
Zhongzhai 中寨

Wenshan 文山
Puyang 普阳
Pingba 坪坝镇
Matang 马塘镇
Banlun 板仑乡
Shupi 树皮彝族乡
Funing 富宁县
Xichou 西畴县

Chuxiong 楚雄
Dahekou 大河口乡
Wanyaoshu 弯腰树
Mixing 弥兴镇

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

Lincang 临沧
Mangka 芒卡镇
Boshang 博商
Fengwei 风尾镇
Mengjiao 勐角乡

Qujing 曲靖市
Wopo 窝坡
Kuangshan 矿山镇
Xitu 西土

Zhaotong 昭通
Shuanghe 双河

Yuxi 玉溪
Tadian 塔甸
Mosha 漠沙镇
Jiasa 戛洒镇
Xingmeng 兴蒙
Hexi 河西

Nujiang 怒江
Hexi 河西
Puladi 普拉底乡
Aludi 阿路底
Laowo 老窝

Puer 普洱
Yongping 永平镇
Meng'a 孟啊

Diqing 迪庆
Xiaoweixi 小维西
Kaifaqu 开发区
岩瓦