Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


Learning Bai

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.



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.


Ronald G. Knapp: China's Old Dwellings

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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.


A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.

Largest Miao village in the Kunming area with a large Christian community and a nationally-acclaimed church-choir.


John Israel: Lianda: A Chinese University in War and Revolution

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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.


Rushan is a dried cheese made from cow-milk.



A spectacularly narrow canyon high above the Jinsha River.

Markets this Sunday

Kunming 昆明
Zhuanlong 转龙镇
Jijie 鸡街乡
Xundian 寻甸回族彝族自治县
Tuanjie 团结

Dali 大理
Jiuzhou 旧州
Sanying 三营
Xintun 辛屯
Songgui 松桂
Yunlong 云龙县
Liantie 炼铁
Binchuan 宾川县
Beitou 北头
Lawu 拉乌
Jianchuan 剑川县
Changxin 长新
Eryuan 洱源县
Huangping 黄平镇
Pingpo 平坡
Hongyan 红岩镇
Hedian 禾甸镇
Minjian 民建乡
青苗
Niujie 牛街彝族乡

Lijiang 丽江
Shigu 石鼓镇
Hongyan 红岩

Xishuangbanna 西双版纳
Menghun 勐混
Mengman 勐满拉祜族哈尼族布朗族镇

Dehong 德宏
Husa 户撒乡
Nangsong 曩宋阿昌族乡

Honghe 红河
Pingbian 屏边苗族自治县
Shengcun 生村
Diema 垤玛
Mengzi 蒙自县
Sancun 三村
Shalatuo 沙拉托
Liangdi 浪堤
Chake 岔科
Jiayin 甲寅
Azhahe 阿扎河
Baohua 宝华
Luoen 洛恩
Yongning 永宁乡
Zhemi 者米拉祜族乡
Tongchang 铜厂
Laomeng 老勐
Panzihua 攀枝花

Wenshan 文山
Babu 八布乡
Tiechang 铁厂镇
Guangnan 广南县
Zhuanjiao 篆角乡
Pingyuan 平远
Zhesang 者桑乡
Babao 八宝镇
Mulun 睦伦乡

Chuxiong 楚雄
Nanhua 南华县
Dayao 大姚县
Xiaoju 小苴
Shizhong 适中乡
Bailu 白路
Guanglu 光路镇
Yaoan 姚安县

Baoshan 保山市
Manglong 芒龙

Lincang 临沧
Cangyuan 沧源佤族自治县
Wumulong 乌木龙乡
Quannei 圈内
Shuangjiang 双江拉祜族佤族布朗族傣族自治县
Zhenkang 镇康县
Junsai 军赛乡

Qujing 曲靖市
Fenghuang 凤凰
干海子
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

Zhaotong 昭通
Shikan 石坎
Jiucheng 旧城
Weixin 威信
Changan 长安
Menggu 蒙姑镇

Yuxi 玉溪
Chahe 岔河
Dalongtan 大龙潭

Nujiang 怒江
Liuku 六库
Tongdian 通甸

Puer 普洱
Lancang 澜沧拉祜族自治县
Nanling 南岭乡
Jiangcheng 江城哈尼族彝族自治县
Jiahe 嘉禾乡
Fuyan 富岩