Into the Land of the Black Lisu
The Nujiang Canyon, on Yunnan's western frontier, was until the 1930s a blank area on the map that not even Chinese troops dared to enter. In 1905 two British explorers made the first foray into this land of the Black Lisu.
Early 20th century murals at Mangzhong Temple 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.
Yunlong's famous bridges.
With its well-preserved architecture and tranquil atmosphere, Weishan's capital is Yunnan's most beautiful county town.
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.
Location of the historically important 'Cangshan Conference' in 794AD.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Buddha Relic Worship | 17 Apr |
| Buddha Relic Worship | 18 Apr |
| Buddha Relic Worship | 19 Apr |
| Hanna Temple Worship | 20 Apr |
| Ximu Buddha Print | 21 Apr |
| Zhefang Buddha Print | 22 Apr |
| Manluo Temple Fair | 23 Apr |
| Mangdao Temple Fair | 24 Apr |
| Fumeng Bada | 24 Apr |
| Mangha Bada | 25 Apr |
| Mangpan Temple Fair | 25 Apr |
| Manggong Temple Fair | 26 Apr |
Markets this Thursday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Jiulong | 九龙乡 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Nanxin | 南新 |
| Yangcen | 羊岑 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Maidi | 脉地 |
| Weishan | 巍山彝族回族自治县 |
| Fengyi | 凤仪 |
| Gudi | 古底 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Wase | 挖色 |
| Daying | 大营 |
| Taiyi | 太邑彝族乡 |
| Qiaohou | 乔后 |
| Dianzhong | 甸中 |
| Luming | 鹿鸣乡 |
| 鲁庄 | |
| 妙姑村 | |
| 太和社区 | |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| 田口 | |
| 北桥 | |
| Shidongcun | 石洞村 |
| Qiaodian | 乔甸镇 |
| Xishuangbanna | 西双版纳 |
|---|---|
| Xiding | 西定哈尼族乡 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Niujiaozhai | 牛角寨 |
| Dianwei | 甸尾乡 |
| Heping | 和平乡 |
| Daheigong | 大黑公 |
| Wuwan | 乌弯 |
| Sankeshu | 三棵树 |
| Dixibei | 地西北 |
| Baixian | 白显 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Menggu | 蒙姑镇 |
| Yuxi | 玉溪 |
|---|---|
| Mosha | 漠沙镇 |
| Fuliangpeng | 富良棚 |