Historic Dali
Founded in the Ming dynasty, in today's old Dali history is present, but sometimes hidden.
A Lahu minority Christian service in a hill village near Menglian.
C. Patterson Giersch: Asian Borderlands: The Transformation of Qing China's Yunnan Frontier
Yunnan was not always China: indeed not so long ago large parts of Yunnan were only nominally part of the empire. To make Yunnan, outside the main Han cities, a Chinese province required significant effort. Here Giersch's study on Yunnan's hinterland makes an interesting if academic read.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Bai vernacular architecture is very ornate, the style of painting is recognised as national level intangible heritage.
The turn of the Yangzi made Chinese civilization possible and was the location of many important battles.
Fei Hsiao-Tung and Chang Chih-I: Earthbound China: A Study of Rural Economy in Yunnan
Fei is the father of modern sociology in China: western-trained, he came to Yunnan at the end of the 1930s when China's eastern universities relocated west. In "Earthbound China" he applied modern empirical techniques that he had pioneered around Shanghai to the Chinese hinterland. The economical development, and subsequent societal changes, of three un-named, but typical villages in Yunnan is analyzed in great detail in this fascinating study.
Biggest festival in the Dali region, once Bai New Year.
A spectacularly narrow canyon high above the Jinsha River.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Mother Earth Worship | 27 Nov |
| Meige Festival | 27 Nov |
| Yi New Year | 29 Nov |
| Street Banquet | 30 Nov |
| Hani New Year | 01 Dec |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 02 Dec |
| Yongning Mule Fair | 04 Dec |
| Benzhu Worship | 04 Dec |
| Full Moon Ritual | 04 Dec |
| Benzhu Worship | 04 Dec |
| Panwang Festival | 05 Dec |
| Mother Earth | 07 Dec |
Markets this Friday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Xiangtu | 象图乡 |
| Hecun | 萂村 |
| Gunipen | 沽泥盆 |
| Jiancao | 捡槽 |
| Waxi | 瓦溪 |
| Wuxing | 五星 |
| Pingchuan | 平川 |
| Qinghua | 清华 |
| Dali | 大理 |
| Caicun | 才村 |
| Yangbi | 漾濞彝族自治县 |
| Baidangping | 白荡坪 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Shaxi | 沙溪 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Zuòyì | 作邑 |
| Yousuo | 右所镇 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| 大栗树 | |
| 果城村 | |
| 三鹤 | |
| Mizhi | 密祉镇 |
| Xinjie | 新街镇 |
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| 三胜 | |
| Houshancun | 后山村 |
| Caifeng | 财丰 |
| Liuchang | 刘厂镇 |
| 汤涧 | |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| Miaojie | 庙街镇 |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| Wachang | 瓦厂乡 |
| Xishan | 西山乡 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Xinhua | 新华乡 |
| Nafa | 那发 |
| Lengquan | 冷泉镇 |
| Lengdun | 冷墩 |
| Dongshan | 东山镇 |
| Shitouzhai | 石头寨 |
| Jiache | 架车 |
| Shaochong | 哨冲镇 |
| Zhongzhai | 中寨 |
| Niujie | 牛街镇 |
| Lincang | 临沧 |
|---|---|
| Menglai | 勐来乡 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Donghui | 东回镇 |
| Qushui | 曲水乡 |
| Fubang | 富邦乡 |
| Menglian | 孟连傣族拉祜族佤族自治县 |
| Xuelin | 雪林佤族乡 |
| Mujia | 木戛乡 |
| Mengsuo | 勐梭镇 |
| Ankang | 安康佤族乡 |
| Wendong | 文东佤族乡 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Kangpu | 康普 |