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.
WeiBaDa 维巴达 is a Dai ritual worshipping traces of Buddha, such as footprints and handprints, in Jinggu county 景谷县.
Liao Yiwu: God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China
Liao Yiwu, one of China's most prominent dissidents, was driven out of China, but not before he used a period of internal exile to research Christian groups, mainly in Yunnan. In this book he tells the stories of the Christians of Dali and of Wuding county.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Benzhu is the native believe system of the Bai peole.
A spectacularly narrow canyon high above the Jinsha River.
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 well preserved small town that grew rich on salt.
Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Zheng He Cultural Tourism Festival | 11 Jul |
| Zhoucheng Patron Saint Birthday | 12 Jul |
| Danu Festival | 13 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 14 Jul |
| Southern Dipper Ritual | 14 Jul |
| Lizhi Festival | 16 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 18 Jul |
| Flowery Face Festival | 18 Jul |
| Sixth of June | 19 Jul |
| Waxberry Festival | 19 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 19 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 19 Jul |
Markets this Tuesday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Zhongsuo | 中所 |
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Fuheng | 富恒 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Fengyu | 风羽 |
| Liandong | 炼洞 |
| Haidong | 海东 |
| Guanping | 关平 |
| Qinghua | 清华 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Baofeng | 宝丰乡 |
| Madeng | 马镫 |
| Binju | 宾居 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Shuijing | 水井 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| 果城村 | |
| Liuchang | 刘厂镇 |
| Xinjie | 新街镇 |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| Mizhi | 密祉镇 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Nafa | 那发 |
| Caoba | 草坝镇 |
| Mingjiu | 鸣鹫镇 |
| Wantang | 湾塘乡 |
| Wuwan | 乌弯 |
| Daheigong | 大黑公 |
| Jiache | 架车 |
| Dayangjie | 大羊街 |
| Zhongzhai | 中寨 |
| Nujiang | 怒江 |
|---|---|
| Gudeng | 古登 |
| Bingzhongluo | 丙中洛 |
| Lishadi | 利沙底乡 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Mangxin | 芒信镇 |
| Qiannuo | 千糯 |
| Meizi | 梅子镇 |
| Fubang | 富邦乡 |
| Mujia | 木戛乡 |
| Ankang | 安康佤族乡 |
| Wendong | 文东佤族乡 |
| Wenggake | 翁嘎科镇 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Zhonglu | 中路 |