The Old Salt Roads in Yunnan
The Tea Horse Road 茶马古道 into Tibet has become a romantic moniker for Yunnan, but economically more important were the old salt roads.
The watermills in Fengqing's Gumo village operate just like a thousand years ago.
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.
Village Benzhu Temple.
Fog swirling on a cold winter morning over endless rice-terraces, the red of the
early morning sun reflected in the flooded paddies: this is the classic view of the
Hani Rice Terraces of Yuanyang, now of UNESCO World Heritage status.
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 spectacularly narrow canyon high above the Jinsha River.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Flower Festival | 17 Jun |
| Chief's Temple Fair | 27 Jun |
| Benzhu Worship | 27 Jun |
| Dandao Temple Fair | 27 Jun |
| "Sharpen the Knife" Festival | 27 Jun |
| Green Flag Festival | 29 Jun |
| Full Moon Ritual | 29 Jun |
| Slight Heat | 07 Jul |
| Zheng He Cultural Tourism Festival | 11 Jul |
| Mango Festival | 11 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 12 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 12 Jul |
Markets this Sunday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Jiuzhou | 旧州 |
| Sanying | 三营 |
| Yunlong | 云龙县 |
| Beitou | 北头 |
| Liantie | 炼铁 |
| Binchuan | 宾川县 |
| Lawu | 拉乌 |
| Jianchuan | 剑川县 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Changxin | 长新 |
| Pingpo | 平坡 |
| Eryuan | 洱源县 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| Houshancun | 后山村 |
| 青苗 | |
| 果城村 | |
| 三鹤 | |
| Niujie | 牛街彝族乡 |
| Liuchang | 刘厂镇 |
| 三胜 | |
| Xinjie | 新街镇 |
| Mizhi | 密祉镇 |
| Caifeng | 财丰 |
| Miaojie | 庙街镇 |
| Minjian | 民建乡 |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Pingbian | 屏边苗族自治县 |
| Diema | 垤玛 |
| Mengzi | 蒙自县 |
| Shalatuo | 沙拉托 |
| Jiayin | 甲寅 |
| Azhahe | 阿扎河 |
| Liangdi | 浪堤 |
| Chake | 岔科 |
| Baohua | 宝华 |
| Shaochong | 哨冲镇 |
| Luoen | 洛恩 |
| Yongning | 永宁乡 |
| Niujie | 牛街镇 |
| Panzihua | 攀枝花 |
| Zhemi | 者米拉祜族乡 |
| Tongchang | 铜厂 |
| Laomeng | 老勐 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Tiechang | 铁厂镇 |
| Babu | 八布乡 |
| Guangnan | 广南县 |
| Zhuanjiao | 篆角乡 |
| Pingyuan | 平远 |
| Funing | 富宁县 |
| Zhesang | 者桑乡 |
| Babao | 八宝镇 |
| Jiumo | 旧莫乡 |
| Mulun | 睦伦乡 |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Xiaopingtian | 小平田 |
| Wama | 瓦马彝族白族乡 |
| Tengchong | 腾冲县 |
| Qujing | 曲靖市 |
|---|---|
| 干海子 | |
| Kuangshan | 矿山镇 |
| Laochang | 老厂乡 |
| Sandao | 三道 |
| Wuxing | 五星乡 |
| Xinjie | 新街回族乡 |
| Yangmeishan | 杨梅山 |
| Yema | 野马林场 |
| Yulu | 雨碌乡 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Nanling | 南岭乡 |
| Lancang | 澜沧拉祜族自治县 |
| Qushui | 曲水乡 |
| Fubang | 富邦乡 |
| Mujia | 木戛乡 |
| Yongping | 永平镇 |
| Meng'a | 孟啊 |
| Ankang | 安康佤族乡 |
| Wendong | 文东佤族乡 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Kangpu | 康普 |