Protecting Erhai: The Seven Big Activities
When in April 2017 guesthouses and restaurants around western Yunnan's Erhai Lake were suddenly summarily ordered closed until further notice, big character slogans also began proclaiming: "Protecting Erhai: The Seven Big Activities" 保护洱海七大行动. The slogan suggests that the closure of tourist facilities is just one part of a wider campaign to clean up the Erhai environment.
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.
Village Benzhu Temple.
Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.
Jim Goodman: Children of the Jade Dragon: the Naxi of Lijiang and their mountain neighbours the Yi
In the first half of the 1990s Lijiang had barely made its appearance on the Chinese tourism stage, even less so the then remote mountains of Ningland and Lugu Lake. Jim Goodman's account of the Naxi and the Yi draws back to a time where not everything was staged for mass tourism: an account of a lost world.
The Yi in the southern part of Dali have a special Dance and Song Festival.
The turn of the Yangzi made Chinese civilization possible and was the location of many important battles.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Southern Dipper Ritual | 14 Jul |
| Flowery Face Festival | 18 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 18 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 19 Jul |
| Waxberry Festival | 19 Jul |
| Sixth of June | 19 Jul |
| Bai Yi New Year | 19 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 19 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 19 Jul |
| Wild Mushroom Trade Fair | 20 Jul |
| Lingshan Temple Fair | 21 Jul |
| Ongkor Festival | 23 Jul |
Markets this Sunday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Jiuzhou | 旧州 |
| Sanying | 三营 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Shuixie | 水泄 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Yunlong | 云龙县 |
| Liantie | 炼铁 |
| Binchuan | 宾川县 |
| Beitou | 北头 |
| Lawu | 拉乌 |
| Changxin | 长新 |
| Jianchuan | 剑川县 |
| Pingpo | 平坡 |
| Eryuan | 洱源县 |
| Gonglang | 公郎镇 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| 青苗 | |
| Niujie | 牛街彝族乡 |
| 前所 | |
| 云南驿村 | |
| Minjian | 民建乡 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Pingbian | 屏边苗族自治县 |
| Niujiaozhai | 牛角寨 |
| Diema | 垤玛 |
| Mengzi | 蒙自县 |
| Majie | 马街 |
| Lvchun | 绿春县 |
| Jiayin | 甲寅 |
| Azhahe | 阿扎河 |
| Wuwan | 乌弯 |
| Daheigong | 大黑公 |
| Liangdi | 浪堤 |
| Chake | 岔科 |
| Nanke | 南科 |
| Baohua | 宝华 |
| Yongning | 永宁乡 |
| Jinping | 金平苗族瑶族傣族自治县 |
| Luoen | 洛恩 |
| Mengqiao | 勐桥乡 |
| Laomeng | 老勐 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Pingzhai | 平寨乡 |
| Guangnan | 广南县 |
| Pingyuan | 平远 |
| Zhesang | 者桑乡 |
| Banggu | 蚌谷乡 |
| Muyang | 木央镇 |
| Babao | 八宝镇 |
| Nanping (Majie) | 南屏镇 (马街） |
| Qujing | 曲靖市 |
|---|---|
| Baiwu | 白雾 |
| Daqiao | 大桥乡 |
| Leye | 乐业镇 |
| Luna | 鲁纳乡 |
| Malu | 马路乡 |
| Sandao | 三道 |
| Shangcun | 上村乡 |
| Zhehai | 者海镇 |
| Zhichang | 纸厂乡 |