Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


The Bai in Early Chinese Minority Film

After Liberation in 1949 Chinese cinema became a propaganda medium for the New China. The 1950 saw cinemas spreading to all towns, showing movies meant to increase the socialist spirit and fostering national unit. China's ethnic minorities often featured in these films before the Cultural Revolution. Only after its end played ethnic minority themes a role again. Here we look at films from before 2000 that feature the Bai minority.




The temple in Mangdao 芒岛, built in 1899, is one of few surviving examples of Dai Buddhist temples having survived the Cultural Revolution by being converted into grain storage.


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.

Largest Miao village in the Kunming area with a large Christian community and a nationally-acclaimed church-choir.


Ronald G. Knapp: China's Old Dwellings

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Few people know as much about Chinese architecture as Knapp: from palaces to humble homes he explains important building principles; the connection between environment and housing styles and the development of style over time. A section on minority housing styles complements the book.


Reconstructed Qing Wenmiao, in a nice park setting. 



Yunnan's only Shui-Township with stunning karst scenery.

Markets this Monday

Kunming 昆明
Banqiao 板桥乡

Dali 大理
Biaocun 表村
Jizushan 鸡足山
Weishan 巍山彝族回族自治县
Fengyi 凤仪
Qinghua 清华
Wase 挖色
Misha 弥沙
Tuanjie 团结
Baishi 白石
Shaping 沙平村
Niujie 牛街
Dianzhong 甸中
Luming 鹿鸣乡
田口
妙姑村
北桥
Puping 普淜镇
Hongyan 红岩镇
Hedian 禾甸镇
Miaowei 苗尾傈僳族乡
Taiping 太平乡
Shidongcun 石洞村

Dehong 德宏
Husa 户撒乡
Nangsong 曩宋阿昌族乡

Honghe 红河
Shengcun 生村
Nafa 那发
Laozhai 老寨苗族乡
Sancun 三村
Chemalong 车玛龙
Jiache 架车
Puxiong 普雄
Zhongzhai 中寨
Baihe 白河乡

Wenshan 文山
Puyang 普阳
Shupi 树皮彝族乡
Xichou 西畴县

Chuxiong 楚雄
Qianchang 前场镇
Chadian 插甸乡

Baoshan 保山市
Manglong 芒龙

Lincang 临沧
Cangyuan 沧源佤族自治县
Shuangjiang 双江拉祜族佤族布朗族傣族自治县
Quannei 圈内
Junsai 军赛乡
Zhenkang 镇康县

Qujing 曲靖市
Wopo 窝坡
Fenghuang 凤凰
干海子
Laochang 老厂乡
Wuxing 五星乡
Xinjie 新街回族乡
Yangmeishan 杨梅山

Zhaotong 昭通
Menggu 蒙姑镇

Yuxi 玉溪
Fuliangpeng 富良棚

Nujiang 怒江
Pengdang 捧当
Fugong 福贡
Maji 马吉乡

Puer 普洱
Jiangcheng 江城哈尼族彝族自治县
Fuyan 富岩
Kangping 康平乡
Dehua 德化镇
Liming 黎明乡
恩永
把边

Diqing 迪庆
Zili 梓里
Kaifaqu 开发区