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.
Hand-made giant sparklers, called "Fire Flowers" 火花, are part of the firework displays for temple fairs in Menglian county.
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.
Way of making ham in Nuodeng, Yunlong.
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.
Raw pork skin, together with raw pork meat and sometimes even raw pork liver are traditional delicacies in Dali.
The Danxia, or red sandstore, cliffs around Liming are a hikers' and climbers' paradise that is just now being discovered.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Lajing Salt Road Culture Festival | 15 Oct |
| Flower Lantern | 15 Oct |
| Street Festival | 19 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship (Eryuan Area) | 19 Oct |
| Orionid Meteor Shower | 21 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 21 Oct |
| Temple Fair | 23 Oct |
| Descent of Frost | 23 Oct |
| Xinuluo Remembrance Day | 23 Oct |
| Full Moon Ritual | 24 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 24 Oct |
| Open Door Festival | 24 Oct |
Markets this Tuesday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Zhongsuo | 中所 |
| Fuheng | 富恒 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Fengyu | 风羽 |
| Liandong | 炼洞 |
| Wanqiao | 湾桥 |
| Weishan | 巍山彝族回族自治县 |
| Fengyi | 凤仪 |
| Guanping | 关平 |
| Baofeng | 宝丰乡 |
| Madeng | 马镫 |
| Binju | 宾居 |
| Shuijing | 水井 |
| Dianzhong | 甸中 |
| Wase | 挖色 |
| Hedian | 禾甸镇 |
| Luming | 鹿鸣乡 |
| 妙姑村 | |
| Hongyan | 红岩镇 |
| 北桥 | |
| 田口 | |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| Shidongcun | 石洞村 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Shengcun | 生村 |
| Caoba | 草坝镇 |
| Mingjiu | 鸣鹫镇 |
| Wantang | 湾塘乡 |
| Shalatuo | 沙拉托 |
| Dayangjie | 大羊街 |
| Zhemi | 者米拉祜族乡 |
| Panzihua | 攀枝花 |
| Tongchang | 铜厂 |
| Shiping Guanyin Temple Alley | 石屏观音寺巷 |
| Chezhi | 扯直 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Menggu | 蒙姑镇 |
| Yuxi | 玉溪 |
|---|---|
| Mosha | 漠沙镇 |
| Fuliangpeng | 富良棚 |
| Nujiang | 怒江 |
|---|---|
| Gudeng | 古登 |
| Bingzhongluo | 丙中洛 |
| Lishadi | 利沙底乡 |
| Fugong | 福贡 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Jiangcheng | 江城哈尼族彝族自治县 |
| Nuofu | 糯福 |
| Dashan | 大山乡 |
| Meizi | 梅子镇 |
| Mengma | 孟马镇 |
| Dehua | 德化镇 |
| Kangping | 康平乡 |
| Liming | 黎明乡 |
| Wenggake | 翁嘎科镇 |
| 把边 |