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.
Historic ancestral hall north of Pingchuan.
Yunnan's only Shui-Township with stunning karst scenery.
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.
Donglianhua is a Muslim caravan town with plenty of historic architecture.
Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Fumin Cherry Picking | 05 Apr |
| Singing Festival | 06 Apr |
| Pingchuan Guanyin Birthday | 06 Apr |
| February Festival | 06 Apr |
| Guanyin Cave Fair | 06 Apr |
| Guanyin Festival | 06 Apr |
| Dali Guanyin Worship | 06 Apr |
| Dengchuan Guanyin Worship | 06 Apr |
| Guanyin Birthday | 06 Apr |
| Tuzhu Temple Fair | 06 Apr |
| Luocha Temple Festival | 06 Apr |
| Yangbi Farm Fair | 06 Apr |
Markets this Tuesday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Zhongsuo | 中所 |
| Fuheng | 富恒 |
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Liandong | 炼洞 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Fengyu | 风羽 |
| Haidong | 海东 |
| Guanping | 关平 |
| Baofeng | 宝丰乡 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Yinqiao | 银桥 |
| Binju | 宾居 |
| Madeng | 马镫 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Shuijing | 水井 |
| Hongyan | 红岩镇 |
| 龙洞村 | |
| Qinghaiying | 青海营 |
| Hedian | 禾甸镇 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| Beiya | 北衙 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shunzhou | 顺州 |
| Lincang | 临沧 |
|---|---|
| Menglai | 勐来乡 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Shuanghe | 双河 |
| Nujiang | 怒江 |
|---|---|
| Gudeng | 古登 |
| Bingzhongluo | 丙中洛 |
| Lishadi | 利沙底乡 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Jiangcheng | 江城哈尼族彝族自治县 |
| Donghui | 东回镇 |
| Meizi | 梅子镇 |
| Xuelin | 雪林佤族乡 |
| Menglian | 孟连傣族拉祜族佤族自治县 |
| Mengsuo | 勐梭镇 |
| Wenggake | 翁嘎科镇 |