Marco Polo in Yunnan?
Did the great Venetian traveller reach Yunnan? Almost certainly not, but still his accounts are the first words Europeans heard about this far-away region.
Impressions from a small Dai village in Menglian county near the Burmese border
John Israel: Lianda: A Chinese University in War and Revolution
Everyone knows about the Mao's Long March, but a few years later another long march took place: that of Chinese students leaving their cushy campuses on the east coast, trekking all the way to Yunnan where their universities reformed as Lianda, the united university. Kunming, then a total backwater, became a hotbed for new ideas, not just scientific. We liked the section of east coast girls scampering around Mengzi in their latest fashion.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Bai wedding customs.
This old caravan town on the Jinsha River is Yunnan's gateway to Tibet.
Fei Hsiao-Tung and Chang Chih-I: Earthbound China: A Study of Rural Economy in Yunnan
Fei is the father of modern sociology in China: western-trained, he came to Yunnan at the end of the 1930s when China's eastern universities relocated west. In "Earthbound China" he applied modern empirical techniques that he had pioneered around Shanghai to the Chinese hinterland. The economical development, and subsequent societal changes, of three un-named, but typical villages in Yunnan is analyzed in great detail in this fascinating study.
Reconstructed Qing Wenmiao, in a nice park setting.
Yunnan's only Shui-Township with stunning karst scenery.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Gedong | 14 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship | 18 Jan |
| Pulling the Wooden Drum | 19 Jan |
| New Moon Ritual | 19 Jan |
| Great Cold | 20 Jan |
| Kuoshi Lisu New Year | 23 Jan |
| Wuxi Festival | 24 Jan |
| "Replenish Provisions" Ritual | 24 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 26 Jan |
| Lingshan Temple Fair | 26 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 27 Jan |
| Long Table Feast | 27 Jan |
Markets this Tuesday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Fuheng | 富恒 |
| Zhongsuo | 中所 |
| Fengyu | 风羽 |
| Liandong | 炼洞 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Guanping | 关平 |
| Baofeng | 宝丰乡 |
| Madeng | 马镫 |
| Binju | 宾居 |
| Shuijing | 水井 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Miaojie | 庙街镇 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| Hongyan | 红岩镇 |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| 龙洞村 | |
| Hedian | 禾甸镇 |
| Qinghaiying | 青海营 |
| 三胜 | |
| Houshancun | 后山村 |
| Caifeng | 财丰 |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Shengcun | 生村 |
| Caoba | 草坝镇 |
| Wantang | 湾塘乡 |
| Mingjiu | 鸣鹫镇 |
| Dayangjie | 大羊街 |
| Mengping | 勐坪 |
| Shaochong | 哨冲镇 |
| Niujie | 牛街镇 |
| Nujiang | 怒江 |
|---|---|
| Gudeng | 古登 |
| Bingzhongluo | 丙中洛 |
| Lishadi | 利沙底乡 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Jiangcheng | 江城哈尼族彝族自治县 |
| Nuofu | 糯福 |
| Dashan | 大山乡 |
| Mengma | 孟马镇 |
| Wenggake | 翁嘎科镇 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Jiagetu | 价格土 |
| 岩瓦 |