Learning Bai
Bai 白族话 is the language spoken by the Bai people 白族 in the Dali area. While Chinese has become the lingua franca, Bai is still actively spoken by many, particularly older people, but it does not have a native written form and comes in many dialects. Here we list the available resources for learning this difficult language.
Hidden in the forests above Shangyun 上允 are the ruins of a Buddhist temple fortress founded during the Qing Dynasty by separatist monks from Jizushan who built a significant religious following by the local Lahu and Dai people.
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.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Mountain area north of Erhai.
The Danxia, or red sandstore, cliffs around Liming are a hikers' and climbers' paradise that is just now being discovered.
Ronald G. Knapp: China's Old Dwellings
Few people know as much about Chinese architecture as Knapp: from palaces to humble homes he explains important building principles; the connection between environment and housing styles and the development of style over time. A section on minority housing styles complements the book.
An ancient exorcism ritual in Nanjian county.
This old caravan town on the Jinsha River is Yunnan's gateway to Tibet.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Walnut Festival | 01 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship | 02 Sep |
| Caishen Birthday | 03 Sep |
| Lanterns on the Lake | 03 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship | 03 Sep |
| Songgui Temple Fair | 03 Sep |
| Dragon King Worship | 04 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship (Fengyu Area) | 04 Sep |
| Fangsheng at Bamu Temple | 04 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 04 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship | 04 Sep |
| Fangsheng | 04 Sep |
Markets this Tuesday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Kedu | 柯渡镇 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Zhongsuo | 中所 |
| Fuheng | 富恒 |
| Fengyu | 风羽 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Liandong | 炼洞 |
| Haidong | 海东 |
| Guanping | 关平 |
| Yinqiao | 银桥 |
| Baofeng | 宝丰乡 |
| Madeng | 马镫 |
| Binju | 宾居 |
| Shuijing | 水井 |
| Shuanglang | 双廊镇 |
| Qinghaiying | 青海营 |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| 龙洞村 | |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Xiaopingtian | 小平田 |
| Tengchong | 腾冲县 |
| Wama | 瓦马彝族白族乡 |
| Yuxi | 玉溪 |
|---|---|
| Mosha | 漠沙镇 |
| Nujiang | 怒江 |
|---|---|
| Gudeng | 古登 |
| Bingzhongluo | 丙中洛 |
| Lishadi | 利沙底乡 |