Guandu Old Town
With the Bird and Flower Market and the Muslim Quarter fallen, little remains of 'Lao Kunming', the characterful old town of former times. Now it is all high-rises, wide avenues, chain-shops. Everywhere? No, a small part of Kunming is holding out...
The watermills in Fengqing's Gumo village operate just like a thousand years ago.
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.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Benzhu is the native believe system of the Bai peole.
Yunnan's only Shui-Township with stunning karst scenery.
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.
Large Wenmiao and Wumiao complex.
Yunnan's only Shui-Township with stunning karst scenery.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Yangmei Festival | 01 May |
| Circling the Mountain | 24 May |
| Corban | 27 May |
| Walnut Valley Culture Festival | 28 May |
| Temple Fair | 28 May |
| Manlong Buckwheat Festival | 30 May |
| Yongping Wenbi Pagoda Ceremony | 31 May |
| Benzhu Worship | 31 May |
| Benzhu Worship (Midu) | 31 May |
| Butterfly Spring Meeting | 31 May |
| Full Moon Ritual | 31 May |
| Butterfly Festival | 31 May |
Markets this Thursday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Kedu | 柯渡镇 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Nanxin | 南新 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Yangcen | 羊岑 |
| Maidi | 脉地 |
| Gudi | 古底 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Qiaohou | 乔后 |
| Zuòyì | 作邑 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| Daying | 大营 |
| Taiyi | 太邑彝族乡 |
| Shuanglang | 双廊镇 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| 太和社区 | |
| 三胜 | |
| Caifeng | 财丰 |
| Miaojie | 庙街镇 |
| 三鹤 | |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| Houshancun | 后山村 |
| Qiaodian | 乔甸镇 |
| 鲁庄 | |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| 龙洞村 | |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Xishuangbanna | 西双版纳 |
|---|---|
| Xiding | 西定哈尼族乡 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Mengla | 勐拉 |
| Niujiaozhai | 牛角寨 |
| Sancun | 三村 |
| Dianwei | 甸尾乡 |
| Heping | 和平乡 |
| Shaochong | 哨冲镇 |
| Baixian | 白显 |
| Niujie | 牛街镇 |
| Maandi | 马鞍底 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Kangpu | 康普 |