Into the Land of the Black Lisu
The Nujiang Canyon, on Yunnan's western frontier, was until the 1930s a blank area on the map that not even Chinese troops dared to enter. In 1905 two British explorers made the first foray into this land of the Black Lisu.
In Huize, the old capital of copper in Yunnan, many splendid guildhalls survive.
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.
Biggest festival in the Dali region, once Bai New Year.
A history trading post on the upper reaches of the Yangzi.
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.
An ancient Bai folk play form, preserved in Yunlong county.
Fog swirling on a cold winter morning over endless rice-terraces, the red of the
early morning sun reflected in the flooded paddies: this is the classic view of the
Hani Rice Terraces of Yuanyang, now of UNESCO World Heritage status.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 14 Mar |
| Zhaoxia Mountain Temple Fair | 15 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 16 Mar |
| Men's Festival | 17 Mar |
| Pear Flower Festival | 17 Mar |
| Weibaoshan Pilgrimage | 19 Mar |
| New Moon Ritual | 19 Mar |
| Madeng Trade Fair | 19 Mar |
| Aluowuluo | 19 Mar |
| Kaixinjie | 19 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship (Fengyu) | 19 Mar |
| Wrestling Festival | 20 Mar |
Markets this Sunday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Jiuzhou | 旧州 |
| Sanying | 三营 |
| Shuixie | 水泄 |
| Fengyi | 凤仪 |
| Yunlong | 云龙县 |
| Yongjian | 永连 |
| Binchuan | 宾川县 |
| Beitou | 北头 |
| Wase | 挖色 |
| Liantie | 炼铁 |
| Lawu | 拉乌 |
| Jianchuan | 剑川县 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Changxin | 长新 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| Eryuan | 洱源县 |
| Gonglang | 公郎镇 |
| Pingpo | 平坡 |
| 西庄 | |
| 寅街村 | |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| Minjian | 民建乡 |
| 青苗 | |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| 云南驿村 | |
| Shidongcun | 石洞村 |
| Luming | 鹿鸣乡 |
| 妙姑村 | |
| 蛇街 | |
| Niujie | 牛街彝族乡 |
| 前所 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Pingbian | 屏边苗族自治县 |
| Diema | 垤玛 |
| Sancun | 三村 |
| Mengzi | 蒙自县 |
| Lvchun | 绿春县 |
| Majie | 马街 |
| Chake | 岔科 |
| Jiayin | 甲寅 |
| Azhahe | 阿扎河 |
| Liangdi | 浪堤 |
| Nanke | 南科 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| Baohua | 宝华 |
| Yongning | 永宁乡 |
| Jinping | 金平苗族瑶族傣族自治县 |
| Luoen | 洛恩 |
| Mengqiao | 勐桥乡 |
| Laomeng | 老勐 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Pingzhai | 平寨乡 |
| Guangnan | 广南县 |
| Pingyuan | 平远 |
| Zhesang | 者桑乡 |
| Banggu | 蚌谷乡 |
| Muyang | 木央镇 |
| Babao | 八宝镇 |
| Nanping (Majie) | 南屏镇 (马街） |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Xiaopingtian | 小平田 |
| Wama | 瓦马彝族白族乡 |
| Tengchong | 腾冲县 |
| Qujing | 曲靖市 |
|---|---|
| Fenghuang | 凤凰 |
| 干海子 | |
| Jiache | 驾车乡 |
| Laochang | 老厂乡 |
| Luna | 鲁纳乡 |
| Sandao | 三道 |
| Shangcun | 上村乡 |
| Wuxing | 五星乡 |
| Xinjie | 新街回族乡 |
| Yangmeishan | 杨梅山 |
| Yuxi | 玉溪 |
|---|---|
| Xingmeng | 兴蒙 |
| Fuliangpeng | 富良棚 |
| Hexi | 河西 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Weideng | 维登 |
| 岩瓦 |