Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


The Old Bridges Across the Longjiang

The Old Bridges Across the Longjiang

Many old bridges still span the Longjiang River in western Yunnan. 




The watermills in Fengqing's Gumo village operate just like a thousand years ago.


Judith Shapiro: Mao's War Against Nature: Politics and the Environment in Revolutionary China

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Even if Chinese civilization has developed more against than with nature, the Mao years were a particular exercise in environmental destruction. In one case-study Shapiro tells the story of the draining of the northern part of Dianchi Lake, one of the first steps turning Kunming's lake into the fetid cess-pool it is today.


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

Jim Goodman: Living in Shangrila: Tibetans and Mosuo in Northwest Yunnan

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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.


Scenic karst mountain and lake area with local Yi culture.



An unspoilt Tibetan area along the Zhibaluo 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

Dali 大理
Duomei 朵美
Jiuzhou 旧州
Junhua 均化
Sanying 三营
Haidong 海东
Yunlong 云龙县
Binchuan 宾川县
Liuhe 六合
Beitou 北头
Liantie 炼铁
Lawu 拉乌
Heqing 鹤庆县
Jianchuan 剑川县
Changxin 长新
Eryuan 洱源县
Pingpo 平坡
Niujie 牛街彝族乡
Beiya 北衙
Minjian 民建乡
Hedian 禾甸镇
Hongyan 红岩镇
青苗

Lijiang 丽江
Shunzhou 顺州
Hongyan 红岩

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

Honghe 红河
Pingbian 屏边苗族自治县
Shengcun 生村
Diema 垤玛
Mengzi 蒙自县
Shalatuo 沙拉托
Liangdi 浪堤
Longwu 龙武镇
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
Panzihua 攀枝花
Laomeng 老勐
Tongchang 铜厂

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
Bailu 白路
Mixing 弥兴镇
Guanglu 光路镇
Yaoan 姚安县

Baoshan 保山市
Zhonghe 中和
Bawan 坝湾镇
Mangkuan 芒宽彝族傣族乡

Lincang 临沧
Menglai 勐来乡
Fengqing 凤庆县
Wumulong 乌木龙乡

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
Shuanghe 双河
Menggu 蒙姑镇

Yuxi 玉溪
Yani 亚尼
Yuanjiang 元江哈尼族彝族傣族自治县
Nanuo 那诺乡

Nujiang 怒江
Liuku 六库
Tongdian 通甸

Puer 普洱
Jiangcheng 江城哈尼族彝族自治县
Lancang 澜沧拉祜族自治县
Nanling 南岭乡
Donghui 东回镇
Menglian 孟连傣族拉祜族佤族自治县
Xuelin 雪林佤族乡
Mengsuo 勐梭镇

Diqing 迪庆
岩瓦