Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


A Republic Era Map of Dali

A Republic Era map shows the development of the Dali region over the last hundred years.



A Lahu minority Christian service in a hill village near Menglian.


John Israel: Lianda: A Chinese University in War and Revolution

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Everyone knows about the Mao's Long March, but a few years later another long march took place: that of Chinese students leaving their cushy campuses on the east coast, trekking all the way to Yunnan where their universities reformed as Lianda, the united university. Kunming, then a total backwater, became a hotbed for new ideas, not just scientific. We liked the section of east coast girls scampering around Mengzi in their latest fashion.


A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.

C. Patterson Giersch: Asian Borderlands: The Transformation of Qing China's Yunnan Frontier

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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 history trading post on the upper reaches of the Yangzi.

Markets this Thursday

Dali 大理
Nanxin 南新
Yangcen 羊岑
Niujie 牛街
Maidi 脉地
Gudi 古底
Yinqiao 银桥
Taiyi 太邑彝族乡
Qiaohou 乔后
Daying 大营
鲁庄
Hongyan 红岩镇
Shalong 沙龙镇
Qiaodian 乔甸镇
Xiazhuang 下庄镇
Hedian 禾甸镇
太和社区
龙洞村

Xishuangbanna 西双版纳
Xiding 西定哈尼族乡

Dehong 德宏
Husa 户撒乡
Nangsong 曩宋阿昌族乡

Honghe 红河
Shengcun 生村
Dianwei 甸尾乡
Heping 和平乡
Mengping 勐坪
Baixian 白显

Wenshan 文山
Zhujie 朱街镇
Lida 里达镇
Shuanglongying 双龙营乡
Mugan 木杆
Zhulin 珠琳镇

Chuxiong 楚雄
Jiyi 己衣乡
Tanhua 昙花乡
Sanchahe 三岔河乡
Dongpo 东坡傣族乡
Guanglu 光路镇

Baoshan 保山市
Manglong 芒龙

Lincang 临沧
Luodang 洛党
Cangyuan 沧源佤族自治县
Shuangjiang 双江拉祜族佤族布朗族傣族自治县
Quannei 圈内
Zhenkang 镇康县
Junsai 军赛乡

Qujing 曲靖市
Baiwu 白雾
Daqiao 大桥乡
Leye 乐业镇
Malu 马路乡
Zhichang 纸厂乡

Yuxi 玉溪
Mosha 漠沙镇

Nujiang 怒江
Jiakedi 架科底乡
Pihe 匹河怒族乡
Dimaluo

Puer 普洱
Jiangcheng 江城哈尼族彝族自治县
Fuyan 富岩