Marco Polo in Yunnan?
Did the great Venetian traveller reach Yunnan? Almost certainly not, but still his accounts are the first words Europeans heard about this far-away region.
A Lahu minority Christian service in a hill village near Menglian.
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 number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Midu Folk song is a national level intangible cultural heritage.
Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.
Jim Goodman: Children of the Jade Dragon: the Naxi of Lijiang and their mountain neighbours the Yi
In the first half of the 1990s Lijiang had barely made its appearance on the Chinese tourism stage, even less so the then remote mountains of Ningland and Lugu Lake. Jim Goodman's account of the Naxi and the Yi draws back to a time where not everything was staged for mass tourism: an account of a lost world.
Sculpture making in the Dali region.
Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| New Moon Ritual | 20 Nov |
| Anniversary of Dali Bai Autonomous Region Foundation | 22 Nov |
| Yiyi Festival | 22 Nov |
| Slight Snow | 22 Nov |
| Meige Festival | 27 Nov |
| Mother Earth Worship | 27 Nov |
| Yi New Year | 29 Nov |
| Street Banquet | 30 Nov |
| Hani New Year | 01 Dec |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 02 Dec |
| Full Moon Ritual | 04 Dec |
| Yongning Mule Fair | 04 Dec |
Markets this Friday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Jinsuo | 金所乡 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Xiangtu | 象图乡 |
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Hecun | 萂村 |
| Gunipen | 沽泥盆 |
| Shanyang | 衫阳 |
| Jiancao | 捡槽 |
| Waxi | 瓦溪 |
| Shuixie | 水泄 |
| Wuxing | 五星 |
| Pingchuan | 平川 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Dali | 大理 |
| Caicun | 才村 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Yangbi | 漾濞彝族自治县 |
| Baidangping | 白荡坪 |
| Zuòyì | 作邑 |
| Caojian | 漕间 |
| Shaxi | 沙溪 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| Gonglang | 公郎镇 |
| Yousuo | 右所镇 |
| Xishan | 西山乡 |
| 大栗树 | |
| 云南驿村 | |
| 前所 | |
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| 汤涧 | |
| Junhuacun | 均华村 |
| Wachang | 瓦厂乡 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Liming | 黎明 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Xinhua | 新华乡 |
| Niujiaozhai | 牛角寨 |
| Sancun | 三村 |
| Lengquan | 冷泉镇 |
| Lengdun | 冷墩 |
| Majie | 马街 |
| Dongshan | 东山镇 |
| Lvchun | 绿春县 |
| Shitouzhai | 石头寨 |
| Wuwan | 乌弯 |
| Daheigong | 大黑公 |
| Nanke | 南科 |
| Jinping | 金平苗族瑶族傣族自治县 |
| Mengqiao | 勐桥乡 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Pingzhai | 平寨乡 |
| Muyang | 木央镇 |
| Banggu | 蚌谷乡 |
| Nanping (Majie) | 南屏镇 (马街） |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Shuanghe | 双河 |