The Dengchuan Plain 邓川坝子
The Dengchuan Plain 邓川坝子, north of Dali's Erhai Lake 洱海, has with West Lake 西湖 and the Miju River corridor 弥苴河 some beautiful, if hardly known, scenic areas. It's natural scenery, however, is man-made, the result of more than a thousand years of cultivation and water-management projects that have transformed a swamp and marshland into the current cultural environment.
Lingjiu Temple near Fengyu is said to date back to Nanzhao, but the current structures are from the Qing Dynasty
Judith Shapiro: Mao's War Against Nature: Politics and the Environment in Revolutionary China
Even if Chinese civilization has developed more against than with nature, the Mao years were a particular exercise in environmental destruction. In one case-study Shapiro tells the story of the draining of the northern part of Dianchi Lake, one of the first steps turning Kunming's lake into the fetid cess-pool it is today.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
An ancient exorcism ritual in Nanjian county.
Largest Miao village in the Kunming area with a large Christian community and a nationally-acclaimed church-choir.
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.
Special form of ham making in Nanjian.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Benzhu Worship on Jiansuo Island | 14 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship (Fengyu Area) | 14 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 14 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 14 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship (Dengchuan Area) | 14 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 14 Oct |
| Lajing Salt Road Culture Festival | 15 Oct |
| Flower Lantern | 15 Oct |
| Mountain God Temple Worship | 16 Oct |
| Achimugua | 18 Oct |
| Confucius Festival | 18 Oct |
| Confucius Birthday | 18 Oct |
Markets this Tuesday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Fuheng | 富恒 |
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Fengyu | 风羽 |
| Liandong | 炼洞 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Guanping | 关平 |
| Dali | 大理 |
| Baofeng | 宝丰乡 |
| Caicun | 才村 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Madeng | 马镫 |
| Binju | 宾居 |
| Shuijing | 水井 |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| 西庄 | |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| 寅街村 | |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Shuanghe | 双河 |
| Nujiang | 怒江 |
|---|---|
| Gudeng | 古登 |
| Bingzhongluo | 丙中洛 |
| Lishadi | 利沙底乡 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Zhonglu | 中路 |