Dancing under the Moonlight: the Costume Festival of Zhizuo
As villages go, Zhizuo could hardly be more remote. Some 70km from the county town, first along a winding mountain road, then on a deeply rutted track without public transport: even in the dry season it takes several hours and a bit of stamina to reach. Yet, at least on the first full moon of the year, the effort is worth it, as Zhizuo holds one of Yunnan's most colourful festivals, the Dress Competition Festival or Caizhuangjie 赛装节.
Hand-made giant sparklers, called "Fire Flowers" 火花, are part of the firework displays for temple fairs in Menglian county.
Jim Goodman: The Akha: Guardians of the Forest
The Akha, in China known as the Aini branch of the Hani people, migrated from China southwards into Laos, Burma and Thailand. In this richly illustrated book J Goodman, aka 'Akha Jim', explains their life and culture.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Location of the historically important 'Cangshan Conference' in 794AD.
Once an important salt-mining town, now the second largest town along the Heihui River north of Yangbi.
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.
Midu Folk song is a national level intangible cultural heritage.
A spectacularly narrow canyon high above the Jinsha River.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Dharmic Assembly | 31 Oct |
| Benzhu Festival | 05 Nov |
| Start of Winter | 07 Nov |
| Sea of Blood Temple Fair | 07 Nov |
| New Moon Ritual | 09 Nov |
| Single's Day | 11 Nov |
| Yi New Year | 12 Nov |
| Hani New Year | 14 Nov |
| Mother Earth Worship | 16 Nov |
| Meige Festival | 16 Nov |
| Leonid Meteor Shower | 17 Nov |
| Dai New Year | 18 Nov |
Markets this Friday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Xiangtu | 象图乡 |
| Hecun | 萂村 |
| Jiancao | 捡槽 |
| Shanyang | 衫阳 |
| Waxi | 瓦溪 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Gunipen | 沽泥盆 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Pingchuan | 平川 |
| Wuxing | 五星 |
| Yinqiao | 银桥 |
| Yangbi | 漾濞彝族自治县 |
| Baidangping | 白荡坪 |
| Shuanglang | 双廊镇 |
| Shaxi | 沙溪 |
| Caojian | 漕间 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Yousuo | 右所镇 |
| 汤涧 | |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| 西庄 | |
| 寅街村 | |
| Xishan | 西山乡 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| 大栗树 | |
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| Wachang | 瓦厂乡 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| Junhuacun | 均华村 |
| 龙洞村 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shigu | 石鼓镇 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Longpeng | 龙朋镇 |
| Xinhua | 新华乡 |
| Daqiao | 大桥乡 |
| Mengla | 勐拉 |
| Lengdun | 冷墩 |
| Lengquan | 冷泉镇 |
| Dongshan | 东山镇 |
| Wuwan | 乌弯 |
| Shitouzhai | 石头寨 |
| Daheigong | 大黑公 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| Maandi | 马鞍底 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Shangjiang | 上江 |