Raid on Cikou Church
Western missionaries were not always welcome in Yunnan. And when in 1867 they opened a mission in the upper Mekong valley, on the gates of Tibet, they incurred the wrath of Tibet's rulers.
The temple in Mangdao 芒岛, built in 1899, is one of few surviving examples of Dai Buddhist temples having survived the Cultural Revolution by being converted into grain storage.
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.
Remote temple on mountain top, site of religious gathering at the end of the New Year period.
Unspoiled Weishan boast Yunnan's most beautiful county town, an important Taoist mountain and areas of strong Muslim and Yi tradition.
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.
The Dali history museum inside the headquarters of Du Wenxiu.
Yunnan's only Shui-Township with stunning karst scenery.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Paddy Rice Birthday | 01 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 01 Aug |
| Guanyin Practice Day | 01 Aug |
| Guanyin Practice Day | 01 Aug |
| Litang Horse Racing | 01 Aug |
| Dali Guanyin Worship | 01 Aug |
| Guanyinshan Temple Fair | 01 Aug |
| Play on the Lake | 01 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 03 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 04 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 04 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 05 Aug |
Markets this Sunday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Jiuzhou | 旧州 |
| Sanying | 三营 |
| Haidong | 海东 |
| Yunlong | 云龙县 |
| Yinqiao | 银桥 |
| Liantie | 炼铁 |
| Binchuan | 宾川县 |
| Beitou | 北头 |
| Lawu | 拉乌 |
| Changxin | 长新 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Jianchuan | 剑川县 |
| Shuanglang | 双廊镇 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| Eryuan | 洱源县 |
| Pingpo | 平坡 |
| Niujie | 牛街彝族乡 |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| 龙洞村 | |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| 寅街村 | |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| Qinghaiying | 青海营 |
| Minjian | 民建乡 |
| Beiya | 北衙 |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| 青苗 | |
| 西庄 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Pingbian | 屏边苗族自治县 |
| Diema | 垤玛 |
| Mengla | 勐拉 |
| Mengzi | 蒙自县 |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Liangdi | 浪堤 |
| Chake | 岔科 |
| Jiayin | 甲寅 |
| Azhahe | 阿扎河 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| Baohua | 宝华 |
| Luoen | 洛恩 |
| Yongning | 永宁乡 |
| Laomeng | 老勐 |
| Maandi | 马鞍底 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Shadou | 沙斗 |
| Guangnan | 广南县 |
| Banlun | 板仑乡 |
| Pingyuan | 平远 |
| Nijiao | 腻脚彝族乡 |
| Zhesang | 者桑乡 |
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| Tienpeng | 田蓬镇 |
| Donggan | 董干镇 |
| Babao | 八宝镇 |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Xiaopingtian | 小平田 |
| Wama | 瓦马彝族白族乡 |
| Tengchong | 腾冲县 |