Kiss of Life for an Old Caravan Market
Until the middle of last century, Shaxi was a flourishing village on the caravan road to Tibet. The following decades made it a place that history forgot. Now Shaxi is undergoing an award-winning restoration.
Hand-made giant sparklers, called "Fire Flowers" 火花, are part of the firework displays for temple fairs in Menglian county.
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.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Festival on Eryuan's Cibi Lake.
A spectacularly narrow canyon high above the Jinsha River.
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.
Yi embroidery.
Unspoiled Weishan boast Yunnan's most beautiful county town, an important Taoist mountain and areas of strong Muslim and Yi tradition.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Cold Dew | 08 Oct |
| Welcoming the Grandmother | 09 Oct |
| Welcoming the Grandmother | 10 Oct |
| Northern Dipper Ritual | 10 Oct |
| Temple Fair | 10 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 11 Oct |
| Benzhu Festival | 11 Oct |
| Gongguoqiao September Trade Fair | 12 Oct |
| Lajing Salt Road Culture Festival | 15 Oct |
| Flower Lantern | 15 Oct |
| Holy Crane Festival | 17 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship (Eryuan Area) | 17 Oct |
Markets this Friday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Xiangtu | 象图乡 |
| Hecun | 萂村 |
| Jiancao | 捡槽 |
| Gunipen | 沽泥盆 |
| Waxi | 瓦溪 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Pingchuan | 平川 |
| Wuxing | 五星 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Baidangping | 白荡坪 |
| Yangbi | 漾濞彝族自治县 |
| Shaxi | 沙溪 |
| Zuòyì | 作邑 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Yousuo | 右所镇 |
| Wachang | 瓦厂乡 |
| 寅街村 | |
| 汤涧 | |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| Xishan | 西山乡 |
| 西庄 | |
| 大栗树 | |
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shigu | 石鼓镇 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Xinhua | 新华乡 |
| Lengdun | 冷墩 |
| Lengquan | 冷泉镇 |
| Dongshan | 东山镇 |
| Shitouzhai | 石头寨 |
| Sankeshu | 三棵树 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| Dixibei | 地西北 |
| Baoxiu | 宝秀镇 |
| Shaochong | 哨冲镇 |
| Xincheng | 新城乡 |