The Old Salt Roads in Yunnan
The Tea Horse Road 茶马古道 into Tibet has become a romantic moniker for Yunnan, but economically more important were the old salt roads.
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: 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.
A traditional Bai folk song form.
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.
Daoist temple mountain and a centre of Yi culture.
An unspoilt Tibetan area along the Zhibaluo River.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Bai Yi New Year | 19 Jul |
| Wild Mushroom Trade Fair | 20 Jul |
| Lingshan Temple Fair | 21 Jul |
| Ongkor Festival | 23 Jul |
| Great Heat | 23 Jul |
| Bai Yi New Year | 25 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship (Eryuan Area) | 25 Jul |
| Nuodeng Dragon King Temple Fair | 26 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 26 Jul |
| Qingyuan Cave Festival | 26 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 27 Jul |
| Full Moon Ritual | 28 Jul |
Markets this Tuesday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Kedu | 柯渡镇 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Fuheng | 富恒 |
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Zhongsuo | 中所 |
| Fengyu | 风羽 |
| Shanyang | 衫阳 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Liandong | 炼洞 |
| Haidong | 海东 |
| Guanping | 关平 |
| Baofeng | 宝丰乡 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Madeng | 马镫 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Binju | 宾居 |
| Shuijing | 水井 |
| Shuanglang | 双廊镇 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| Caojian | 漕间 |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| 西庄 | |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| 龙洞村 | |
| Junhuacun | 均华村 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| 寅街村 | |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Liming | 黎明 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Shuanghe | 双河 |
| Nujiang | 怒江 |
|---|---|
| Gudeng | 古登 |
| Bingzhongluo | 丙中洛 |
| Lishadi | 利沙底乡 |