Protecting Erhai: The Seven Big Activities
When in April 2017 guesthouses and restaurants around western Yunnan's Erhai Lake were suddenly summarily ordered closed until further notice, big character slogans also began proclaiming: "Protecting Erhai: The Seven Big Activities" 保护洱海七大行动. The slogan suggests that the closure of tourist facilities is just one part of a wider campaign to clean up the Erhai environment.
In Huize, the old capital of copper in Yunnan, many splendid guildhalls survive.
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 historic Han village in Midu county.
Hometown of many Bai merchants, Xizhou boast some impressive architecture.
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.
An ancient Bai wedding ritual only found in Yunlong county.
A spectacularly narrow canyon high above the Jinsha River.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Dipping into Spring | 01 Mar |
| Heqing Receiving the Village Protector | 01 Mar |
| Benzhu Festival | 02 Mar |
| Shangwang Festival | 02 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship | 02 Mar |
| Dance in Wuqi | 02 Mar |
| Small Chicken Foot Mountain Temple Fair | 02 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship | 02 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship | 02 Mar |
| Tiezhu Temple Songfest | 02 Mar |
| Spring Festival in Fengyu | 02 Mar |
| Incense Festival | 02 Mar |
Markets this Tuesday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Zhongsuo | 中所 |
| Fuheng | 富恒 |
| Liandong | 炼洞 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Fengyu | 风羽 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Haidong | 海东 |
| Shuixie | 水泄 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Guanping | 关平 |
| Baofeng | 宝丰乡 |
| Binju | 宾居 |
| Madeng | 马镫 |
| Shuijing | 水井 |
| Gonglang | 公郎镇 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Houshancun | 后山村 |
| 前所 | |
| Caifeng | 财丰 |
| 西庄 | |
| 寅街村 | |
| Miaojie | 庙街镇 |
| 云南驿村 | |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| Qinghaiying | 青海营 |
| 三胜 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Mingjiu | 鸣鹫镇 |
| Wantang | 湾塘乡 |
| Caoba | 草坝镇 |
| Lvchun | 绿春县 |
| Majie | 马街 |
| Dayangjie | 大羊街 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| Shaochong | 哨冲镇 |
| Nanke | 南科 |
| Jinping | 金平苗族瑶族傣族自治县 |
| Niujie | 牛街镇 |
| Mengqiao | 勐桥乡 |
| Nujiang | 怒江 |
|---|---|
| Gudeng | 古登 |
| Bingzhongluo | 丙中洛 |
| Lishadi | 利沙底乡 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Jiagetu | 价格土 |
| 岩瓦 |